Engagement and Outreach Specialist

Job details Job Type Full-time Full Job Description Engagement and Outreach Specialist

Caltech
Job Category: Fulltime Regular
Exempt Overtime Eligible: Exempt
Benefits Eligible: Benefit Based

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

Caltech's Office of Strategic Communications (OSC) advances the Institute's goals by promoting, protecting, and extending its reputation. We are responsible for unifying and strengthening the Institute's voice, both by our own activities and by equipping and empowering organizations across campus with messaging, materials, and tools to help them extend the Institute's reach and influence through their own work.

The Engagement and Outreach Specialist is a member of the Strategy and Community Engagement team, which plays a central role in shaping the direction of Institute communications overall, and in informing how we present Caltech and the work that is done here to a broad range of audiences, across a vast array of communications channels, including the Caltech Science Exchange brand and web resource.

The Engagement and Outreach Specialist is a newly created position, with opportunities for development and to exercise creativity. The specialist will be responsible for shaping and implementing strategies to extend the reach of Caltech communications, including by expanding readership of and engagement with the Caltech Science Exchange through events, digital marketing, newsletters, user-generated content, and peer and audience research, among other initiatives. Reporting to the Associate Director, Communications Strategy and Planning, the engagement and outreach specialist should be proactive, nimble, strategic, organized, technically savvy, and collaborative.

The successful candidate will be able to work productively with team members across OSC as well as partner with other individuals and groups across campus (including faculty and other researchers), and assist in creating and developing relationships with scientific, educational, cultural, and media organizations and diverse communities in Southern California.

Job Duties

Caltech Science Exchange

• Working closely with the Associate Director, Communications Strategy and Planning, and the Director of Strategy and Community Relations, assist in developing and executing strategic plans for audience building and outreach related to the Caltech Science Exchange (CSE)
• Strategies would likely include new events, advertising, and partnerships with local and national science, educational, cultural, and media organizations.
• Help identify, track, and report metrics to measure success of CSE outreach and engagement strategies.
• Assist with search engine optimization and search engine research, for both CSE and broader Caltech research priorities. Proactively research and recommend tactics and strategies to improve SEO.
• Conceptualize, socialize, create, launch, and manage content for a new Caltech Science Exchange e-newsletter.
• Curate new Caltech Science Exchange social media features, including an Ask the Expert type feature using questions submitted to the site.
• Collaborate with colleagues in OSC and in Caltech's Center for Teaching, Learning & Outreach to identify opportunities to leverage/adapt CSE materials to add value to the Science Journeys series.
• Provide project management support for Caltech Conversations webinar series.
• Identify marketing opportunities and new audiences for Caltech Conversations and other Caltech Science Exchange events.
• Review the Caltech Science Exchange for outdated information and opportunities to improve content and design.

• Coordinate distribution of a quarterly newsletter that contextualizes the impact of Caltech research news for trustees and other priority audiences.
• Develop relationships with Pasadena-area nonprofit, science, and educational organizations and represent Caltech at community meetings as appropriate.
• Coordinate a quarterly meeting of colleagues from across campus who are engaged in community relations work.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Three or more years of experience in a communications, nonprofit, or community relations setting.
• Ability to write and communicate ideas clearly.
• Familiarity with SEO or willingness to research and become familiar with strategies and best practices.
• Initiative to do research and problem-solve.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people, such as faculty, administrators, communications colleagues, students, internal and external partners, vendors.
• Proven ability to identify, focus on, and deliver strategic outcomes.
• The ability to work independently and collaboratively and manage multiple projects.
• Ability to prioritize and know when to seek guidance.
• An appreciation for science and the wonders of the world.

• Proficiency in MailChimp and Photoshop.
• Experience working with content management systems and project management software.

• Resume
• Cover Letter