Communications Strategist

The Center for Health Journalism is seeking a communications strategist to support and enhance the Center’s communications and development, including design and execution of social media strategy to promote the work of the Center. This candidate should be skilled at internal and external communications to convey the accomplishments and impacts of reporting by the journalists participating in our programs to journalists, funders and policy audiences. We also seek a smart thinker to advance initiatives connected to our fundraising efforts.

The hybrid position is based in Los Angeles with an in-office schedule on Mondays and Wednesdays. The ideal candidate brings a strong track record of designing and executing successful audience engagement campaigns for nonprofit or mission-driven media organizations, as well as deep expertise in digital communications, graphics for social media, email marketing, and using performance metrics to guide strategy.

This position provides the opportunity to work at the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, the nation’s foremost health journalism center. Founded in 2004, the non-profit center focuses on news partnerships and training initiatives that advance impactful reporting on health equity and social welfare topics.

Professional reporters who participate in our programs have won top journalism awards and changed laws and policies in their communities. Our engagement approaches help journalists rethink the relationship between newsrooms and communities, to harness community narratives.
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The Center for Health Journalism strongly encourages diverse applicants who have both a journalism and marketing/communications strategy background. We value creative approaches in advancing our mission and elevating our work. Candidates should understand and appreciate journalism best practices and values and uniformly produce clean, accurate and professional copy. They should know how to distill complex policy ideas into clear writing for reports and social media.

The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and exhibit a commitment to collaborative approaches. They will possess excellent communication and stewardship skills and demonstrate highly advanced organizational skills to maintain a broad spectrum of relationships. Because this is a small center, the ideal candidate must be willing to pivot to accept new challenges and respond to deadline requirements with aplomb. They must have outstanding writing skills and demonstrate strategic communications experience. They must also show an ability to work independently, and as part of a team, exhibit strategic thinking, sound judgment, initiative, flexibility, and professionalism.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Designing and implementing social media, email marketing, and fundraising strategies and campaigns
• Tracking results and showing progress through metrics platforms
• Drafting reports and progress summaries for internal and external audiences
• Connecting with and promoting the work of the journalists in our programs
• Design and implement approaches that build connections with our broader center audiences, foundation and individual supporters and help bring together our journalism community of practice

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• Preferred experience: Five years’ experience or combined education/experience as substitute for minimum experience
• Field of expertise: Experience in communications strategy, writing, collaborative work environments and maintaining meaningful relationships with a wide variety of internal/external stakeholders.  Journalism experience is a plus.
• Ability to self-manage, prioritize work assignments and manage multiple deadlines.
• Excellent project management skills including planning, organizational and interpersonal skills. Detail-oriented with excellent written and oral communication skills. Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace
• Graphics skills and familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite and Canva are desired
• Prior experience using online metrics to achieve traffic and engagement milestones, managing campaigns with proven results, and building social media audiences and online communities is required

Preferred Minimum Field of Expertise: Experience in designing and executing successful audience engagement campaigns and communication with internal and external stakeholders through reports, social media, newsletters, etc.

Applications should be submitted via the USC Careers page and must include the following:

• Resume or CV
• Cover letter

Additional Information:

• This is a full-time (40 hour/week), hybrid, grant-funded, exempt staff position. 

• The monthly salary range for this position is $6,125 -$6,667 . When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.

• USC has excellent benefits, including health and dental benefits for staff and their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans; tuition benefits for staff and their family; central Los Angeles location with easy access to commuter trains, transit subsidy program, buses and free tram pick up services; discounts to sporting and other campus events.

About the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is a national leader in education and scholarship in the fields of communication, journalism, public diplomacy and public relations. With an enrollment of more than 2,200 students, USC Annenberg offers doctoral, master's and bachelor's degree programs, as well as continuing development programs for working professionals across a broad scope of academic inquiry. The school's comprehensive curriculum emphasizes the core skills of leadership, innovation, service and entrepreneurship and draws upon the resources of a networked university located in the media capital of the world. For additional information, see our website: https://annenberg.usc.edu/.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

The university is committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for students, employees, volunteers, and visitors on our campuses and those entrusted to our care, including patients, students, and minors. To that end, the university conducts background screening, including screening for criminal convictions, on all applicants after a conditional offer of employment and as a condition of employment. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix C for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree Minimum Experience: 3 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Experience in developing and conducting training classes. Development of instructional materials.