Job title: Head of Communcations, Milieux Institute
Supervisor: Director
Status: Contractual (Annual), part time to full time (24-35h/week)
Posting period: 15 August to 2 September 2022
Job entry: September 2022
Classification: Research (TRAC/CARE)
Salary Range: $23.43 – $36.94
Job entry: September 2022
Probation: 90 days
Milieux is an institute for research and research-creation at the intersection of the fine arts, digital culture, and information technology located at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Milieux supports 200+ graduate students, dozens of faculty members, and several postdoctoral researchers working across seven interdisciplinary research clusters and numerous collaborative projects.
Milieux is seeking a Head of Communications to lead all aspects of the Institute’s internal and external communications. They will work closely with Milieux’s director, core staff, and leadership team to increase the visibility and impact of the Institute’s research and research-creation at Concordia, in Canada, and internationally.
This position requires a dexterous thinker who can move between independent creative and strategic thinking, collaborative multi-media work, and management. Responsibilities include creating and disseminating materials that tell the story of Milieux through text, visuals, and other media; hiring and managing a team of content writers and producers along with a communications assistant, familiarizing themselves with the clusters and members and developing and fostering relationships with the latter and the aforementioned coordinators, developing, tracking, updating, and reporting on the Institute’s communications strategy; and overall working collaboratively and supportively with staff, faculty, coordinators, and graduate students in order to promote and develop all Milieux-affiliated activities for the betterment of the members and the community at large.
This is not a position about shuttling information, but rather about developing innovation in research communication and community engagement as part of Milieux’s interdisciplinary research practice.
This role is organized around three primary goals:
- 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 create opportunities of encounter with Milieux members, events, and activities happening across the Institute’s research clusters.
- To report on Milieux’s academic, community, and industry partnerships and collaborations.
Main Responsibilities:
Reporting to the Director, and member of the management team, the incumbent is primarily responsible to:
- Tell the story of Milieux, both visually and in text
- Develop and execute timelines for short, mid, and long-term media outreach and public engagement plans, based on Milieux’s events programming and strategic communications goals
- Provide support and expertise to cluster coordinators and members on showcasing their work for academic and public audiences
- Serve as a primary communications liaison with University Communication Services, Faculty divisions, and the Office of Research as needed
- Manage Institute documentation; coordinate student assistants; and make executive decisions on strategy and implementation, with emphasis on coordinating photographers to be present at Milieux events and workshops
- Produce the Annual Report in collaboration with a graphic designer
- Regularly maintain and update Milieux’s website coordinating graphic design and/or programming as needed
- Hire and manage a social media assistant responsible for posting to Twitter and Facebook
- 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
Candidate Requirements:
- Demonstrated experience managing communications for an academic, artistic, or similar organization
- Demonstrated experience managing contracted workers and/or part-time staff
- Demonstrated academic, artistic, or other work experience in a field related to the mandate of the Milieux Institute of Art, Culture, and Technology
- Up-to-date knowledge of the field of fine arts, digital culture, and new media, in Canada and internationally
- Understanding of research and research-creation in an academic environment
- Knowledge, and experience of organizational administration in a university setting
The Head of Communications will also have:
- Excellent research and writing skills
- Experience writing and producing material for public communication
- Experience working with web analytics including SEO
- Experience in social media management
- Strong graphic design skills
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines
- Availability to work flexible hours on occasion, including evenings and weekends
- English and French an asset
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested applicants should submit a CV and cover letter to the attention of Harry Smoak at milieux.institute@concordia.ca.
The position will remain open until filled. Initial interviews are expected to start the week of September 5th
The University is committed to employment equity and to act upon the problem of underrepresentation of women, Aboriginal peoples, racialized people and persons with disabilities.
The University is also committed to a working environment which is free of systemic discrimination and in which the values of equity, non-discrimination and diversity are fostered and promoted.
