Req #: 230261

　　Department: UW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

　　Appointing Department Web Address: https://itconnect.uw.edu/uwit

　　Posting Date: 01/19/2024

　　Closing Info: Open Until Filled

　　Salary: $10,036 - $16,667 per month

　　Shift: First Shift

　　Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230119_a11y.pdf)

　　As a University of Washington (UW) employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. The UW is Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, your experiences, perspectives, and unique identities will be honored at the University of Washington. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

　　UW-IT is the central IT organization for the University of Washington, providing critical technology support to all three campuses, UW medical centers, and global research operations. UW-IT collaborates with University partners to advance teaching, learning, innovation, and discovery at the UW. The Communications & Engagement unit with UW-IT is the operational arm of UW-IT’s strategic outreach, listening, collaboration and connection with its customers, partners and stakeholders. It focuses on building and nurturing strategic relationships and fortifying UW-IT’s identity as a trusted and innovative partner, in partnership with the Strategy unit. This unit spearheads relationship management activities, engagement strategies, reputation management, brand strategy management, service adoption enablement, and marketing functions. Through adept storytelling and strategic messaging, the unit ensures that UW-IT’s narrative resonates powerfully with its diverse audience, and content reaches stakeholders and customers at the right time. This unit prioritizes proactive and strategic convening with partners and stakeholders to gain insights that inform the strategic technology roadmap.

　　Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Strategy and Operations at UW-IT, the Communications and Engagement Director is a pivotal and transformative position. It stands at the intersection of technology innovation and effective engagement, serving as the linchpin that bridges these domains. This Director plays a critical role in shaping the perception of the department and its services within a vibrant academic community renowned for its diversity, dynamism, and commitment to excellence.

　　At its core, this position is tasked with the strategic orchestration of engagement and communication initiatives that propel the department's reputation, visibility, and interactions with stakeholders. This is no small feat, as it necessitates a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between technology and academia, requiring the Director to navigate the complexities of both worlds adeptly. The Director must leverage collaborative relationships across the university to enable the capabilities within the engagement and communications team. There needs to be a high level of mutual trust and respect with shared environments, computing directors, IT leaders across campus and academic and administrative executives who inform how services are performed/delivered.

　　The Director is instrumental in fostering a culture of engagement within UW-IT and among external stakeholders, using data-driven approaches to track and adapt engagement strategies. Through effective listening, outreach, and business relationship management, the Director serves as the conduit between IT experts and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring alignment with the University's strategic objectives. Internally, the Director relies on the establishment of effective working relationships with the Executive Director of Strategy, the Director of Strategic Alignment, the Project Portfolio Management Director, the Service Portfolio Management Director, the Director of Finance and Business Operations, the Strategic Leadership Team, the Executive Leadership Team, service managers, and service owners in executing on high level strategies and initiatives.

　　Moreover, the Director leads a multifaceted and highly skilled team, charged with crafting compelling enterprise narratives, managing diverse communication channels, and fostering an environment of continuous improvement. The responsibility extends across a wide spectrum of communication functions, encompassing high-level executive communications to intricate digital marketing strategies, all underpinned by a commitment to align the department's efforts with the broader mission and vision of the University.

　　This dynamic role demands a strategic visionary who can adeptly navigate the ever-evolving technological landscape, seamlessly integrating emerging trends and innovations into the fabric of academic life. Balancing the diverse and often competing needs of multiple stakeholders, the Director's mandate is to ensure that the university’s voice is reflected in the work of UW-IT, and the stakeholder experience with UW-IT is intentional, reliable and responsive. Further, this position ensures UW-IT’s interactions are coherent, its reputation is untarnished, and its brand image is compelling.

　　Overall, the UW-IT Communications and Engagement Director is a change agent, a guardian of the department's reputation, and a visionary leader. In this role, one is tasked with not only translating the complexities of technology into digestible narratives but also with nurturing a thriving community of engaged stakeholders who recognize the pivotal role of IT in the academic enterprise. It's a role where strategy meets execution, innovation meets tradition, and where the ability to forge meaningful connections within a multifaceted academic institution makes a profound impact.

　　REQUIREMENTS:

　　Bachelor’s degree in Strategic Engagement, Business, Communications, Marketing or related field or experience.

　　Nine or more years’ experience in a progressively higher level leadership position with Communications/Engagement focus to include supervisory responsibilities.

　　Demonstrated experience executing on industry accepted business relationship management (BRM) practices and principles for five or more years.

　　Demonstrated experience leading strategic engagement partnerships with senior and top executives external to the home organization.

　　Demonstrated experience facilitating and presenting at external strategy or related sessions with top leaders of an organization.

　　Demonstrated experience implementing and/or using an enterprise customer relationship management application such as Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, or other comprehensive application.

　　Demonstrated experience implementing business process improvement initiatives through skills typically acquired through lean leadership, Six Sigma or other industry credentials.

　　Demonstrated excellent written/oral communication skills, technical documentation skills, user liaison DESIRED:

　　A master's degree in strategic engagement, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field.

　　Higher Education Experience: Prior experience in a higher education or academic institution.

　　Certifications: Relevant certifications in engagement, business relationship management, strategy, communications, business process improvement and/or public relations.

　　Technology Acumen: Familiarity with IT services and technologies, as well as emerging trends in the technology field.

　　Data Analytics Expertise: Proficiency in data analysis tools and methodologies for measuring the impact of communication strategies and making data-driven decisions, as well as graphic illustrations of data metric dashboards.

　　Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with IT professionals, academic leaders, administrators, and other stakeholders to align engagement efforts with organizational goals.

　　Crisis Communication Expertise: Advanced knowledge and experience in crisis communication and issues management, including handling sensitive situations and mitigating reputation risks.

　　Public Speaking Skills: Strong public speaking and presentation skills, as well as experience in preparing executives and leaders for public appearances and speeches.

　　Leveraging AI: Demonstrated experience exploring and applying generative AI to engagement and communications activities. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Hybrid, 2-3 days in the office weeklyOpen office environment Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

　　University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.