Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology
Head of Communications Job Description
Posted on: January 9, 2020
Deadline to apply: January 24, 2020
Extended application deadline: February 7, 2020
This position is for a 6-month probationary contract to be followed by 12-month renewable contracts. Minimum contract requires a commitment of 3 days/week (24 hours), up to full time.
The Milieux Institute is looking for a Head of Communications to work closely with the director, steering committee and staff to increase the visibility and impact of institute research and research-creation at Concordia, in Canada and Internationally. We are looking for a consummate story-teller capable of working online with visual media (photo and video) and text who can engage academic, artistic and public audiences. This is not a position about shuttling information but rather about innovation in research communication, reception and engagement as part of Milieux’s interdisciplinary research practice.
This role is organized around three primary goals:
-To inform Milieux members of events and opportunities happening across the Institute’s research clusters
-To increase the visibility of Milieux members’ research and research-creation work, both within Concordia and through broader local, national and international academic and artistic networks
-To report on Milieux’s academic, community, and industry partnerships and collaborations
Primary Responsibilities:
-Tell the story of Milieux through our communications channels, both visually and in print
-Provide promotional support and expertise to cluster coordinators and members on the development and execution of communication and outreach strategy
-Serve as a primary liaison with University Communication Services, faculty, and OR on an as-needed basis
-Develop timelines for short, mid and long-term media outreach and public engagement plans, based on Milieux’s events programming and strategic initiatives
-Manage Institute documentation; coordinate the documentation team and make executive decisions on strategy and implementation, with emphasis on coordinating photographers to be present Milieux events and workshops
-Produce the Annual Report in collaboration with a graphic designer
-Continue ongoing update and improvement of website along with graphic designer and programmer
-Manage a social media assistant responsible for posting to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
-Participate in Milieux staff and Steering Committee meetings
-Track engagement analytics related to web traffic and social media engagement; set goals and implement strategies for meeting them
-Coordinate the production of posters and other visual materials for Milieux events (in collaboration with graphic designers)
Candidate Requirements:
Demonstrated academic, artistic or other work experience in a field related to the mandate of the Milieux Institute of Art, Culture and Technology
Experience producing material for publication and public communication
Understanding of the academic and/or Concordia research context and knowledge and experience with organization administration in a university setting
Familiarity with Canadian media labs and/or relevant networks of digital art and culture researchers internationally
Experience working with web analytics including SEO
Strong knowledge and demonstrated interest in practical communications management and engaging social media use
Strong research and writing skills
Strong graphic design skills
Excellent interpersonal skills; diplomacy, ability to work in a small group, ability to work under pressure, take initiative, and work independently, with patience and good judgement
Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines
Availability to work flexible hours on occasion, including evening and weekend engagements
Salary
To be discussed
Interested applications should submit a CV and covering letter to Harry Smoak at milieux.institute@concordia.ca by January 24. UPDATE: The application deadline has been extended to February 7.
