Overview In this role you lead strategic communications for the UW School of Medicine, shaping internal and external messaging to support education, research, clinical and community service missions. You will build and oversee a comprehensive plan across UW Medicine and WWAMI, elevating the School's reputation regionally and nationally. You'll collaborate with leaders to align strategy, manage high-impact content, and guide crisis and change communications. This is a senior, visible position that drives cross-functional alignment and transformative communications.
Responsibilities- Serve as the senior communications strategist for the School of Medicine, advising leaders and developing plans across the school and WWAMI region
- Assess current practices and design channels, infrastructure, and messaging for diverse audiences including employees, faculty, trainees, and learners
- Advance the School's reputation by highlighting excellence in education, research, innovation, and clinical work while aligning with system-wide priorities
- Provide leadership across a matrixed team to ensure collaboration, accountability, quality, and consistency in School of Medicine content
- Create high-quality messaging and materials for high-impact audiences and support messaging design
- Assist the Chief Communications Officer with crisis communications related to the School of Medicine
- Perform other duties as assigned
Key requirements- Bachelor's degree in communications or related field
- Five years of progressive responsibility in communications leadership, preferably as head of a large organization
- Experience in communications planning and project management for large-scale projects
- Precise writing and editing skills
- Strong organizational and project management skills and attention to detail
- Proven track record of managing numerous initiatives and content in a fast-paced environment
- Experience measuring KPIs, meeting deadlines, and driving results
- Change management experience
- Ability to work independently and exercise good judgment
- Strong listening, relationship-building, and collaboration skills
- Ability to align with overarching strategy and reduce silos; willingness to defer to systemwide strategy
- Commitment to healthcare equity and inclusive communications
- Strategic problem-solver and critical thinker
- Strong writing and oral communication skills
- High computer literacy
- Ability to work outside traditional hours for urgent issues
- Demonstrated integrity
- relationship-building
- collaboration
- listening
- AP style familiarity
- brand guidelines adherence
- excellent writing and editing
