Located in a historic neighborhood in the nation's capital, Georgetown offers rigorous academic programs, a global perspective, exciting ways to take advantage of Washington, D.C., and a commitment to social justice. Our community is a tight knit group of remarkable individuals interested in intellectual inquiry and making a difference in the world.

Requirements

The Office of Advancement (OA) supports the mission of Georgetown University, its faculty, and students by developing relationships with key constituencies, connecting with alumni, and working with donors to help them know and understand opportunities for partnership with the university.

Office of Advancement Communications team engages alumni, students, families, and other friends of Georgetown by developing compelling messages and expressing them through print and digital channels.

The Communications Operations Specialist works with the Director of Communications Strategy and Operations to oversee and ensure the smooth execution of OA communications projects. The Specialist will improve existing and create new workflows, maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and communications team members, and ensure all projects are aligned with OA communications strategy. The Specialist will lead some projects independently and support the Director in the project management of others.

This individual will work closely with the team's digital, editorial, multimedia, and design professionals, guiding them in translating initial project requests into informative briefs that align with communications strategy and ensuring on-time, high-quality completion. In partnership with the Director, this person will collaborate with OA business units to understand their communications needs and identify solutions, and work with the Communications team to implement solutions in adherence with brand guidelines. The Specialist will help prioritize and direct the team's workflow with the Director. This individual must be comfortable leading and/or participating in all phases of the communications strategy cycle, from planning through execution and follow-up. The incumbent will also manage contracts, track project budgets, assist with team meetings and event planning, and handle other administrative tasks as assigned.

This individual must be able to manage projects with minimal guidance/oversight and be proactive, flexible, and diplomatic. The Specialist reports to the Director and works closely with colleagues from the Communications team and all parts of the Office of Advancement. This individual is equally comfortable with leading, supporting, and executing. The Specialist can connect groups of colleagues-often peers-and drive them toward strong outcomes. This person has strong emotional intelligence, as well as problem-solving and relationship-building skills. Additionally, the Specialist is a sophisticated and thoughtful written and verbal communicator, able to clearly frame complex problems and quickly develop recommended solutions.

General responsibilities include:

• Triaging communication requests.
• Developing detailed project plans and managing timelines throughout the life of each project.
• Ensuring projects are moving forward efficiently.
• Communicating scope and/or timing changes to team members and key stakeholders, assisting in the development of contingency plans as needed. Escalating project conflicts to Director as needed/appropriate.
• Keeping project statuses up to date and participating in status meetings.
• Managing the development of sales materials, collateral, and marketing material for print, video, and web.
• Managing users within the project management system.

The Communications Operations Specialist will have duties that include, but are not limited to the following:

Project Management

• Manage a wide range of communications projects.
• Work to ensure that our work aligns with communications strategy and supports fundraising goals and objectives.
• Manage workflow management software and process. This includes creating new workflow templates and improving current templates.

Liaison to Partners

• Serve as liaison with OA business units, fielding their questions/requests, understanding their goals and needs, creating (where appropriate) integrated efforts and campaigns, and serving as the connective tissue with communications team members in planning and execution on assigned projects by the Director.

Workflow Management

• Prioritize and direct workflow for digital, editorial, multimedia, and design teams under the direction of the Director.

Operational Support to the Communications Team

• Support the team with some administrative and non-project-management responsibilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 3 to 5 years of professional experience, including at least 2 years of project management experience
• Knowledge of best practices in print and digital communications, as well as experience with the successful execution of cross-functional communications projects
• Experience creating and building strong relationships with peers and executives
• Initiative, flexibility, and strong problem-solving skills
• Strong emotional intelligence
• Sophisticated and thoughtful in written and verbal communications
• Sensitive and experienced in building relationships (internal/peer and external/donor)
• Must be extremely well-organized and detail-oriented, able to successfully handle multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously, and consistently meet all deadlines and goals
• Must demonstrate impeccable judgment and a sense of discretion
• Must be able to work independently (but also know when to collaborate/ask for help)
• Experience in higher education and/or academics preferred

Technical Qualifications or Specialized Certification

• Microsoft Office suite
• Adobe creative suite
• PMP Certification is helpful
• Experience with project management software, design, and/or digital analytics programs (e.g., Google Analytics) preferred