Careers

Position Summary

Do you want to help Columbia with its goal of being a good Neighbor in the local community?

Are you interested and invested in what???s happening across Upper Manhattan (Greater Harlem, Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood)?

Do you want to help Columbia find and amplify the voices of local people, programs, and services that reflect the university???s mission and values?

Are you full of fresh ideas on how to tell engaging stories via the web, e-newsletters, video, and social media?

Join the Columbia Neighbors team, and you can do all of these things. The Associate Director of Communications for Columbia Neighbors is responsible for conceiving, producing, and collaborating on multimedia digital content that will engage the university???s local community and highlight faculty, students, and staff who are having a positive impact in Upper Manhattan.

Reporting to the Director of Digital Content Strategy for Columbia News in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs (OPA), the Associate Director of Communications works collaboratively across OPA???including the Columbia News and Government and Community Affairs (GCA) teams???and the university to create an ongoing and natural conversation between Columbia and our neighbors.

Columbia Neighbors channels currently include the Neighbors Hub website, e-newsletter, and social media feeds; the Columbia Community Service and Government and Community Affairs websites; and a print digest.

The Associate Director of Communications must be a discerning critical thinker and self starter who has the ability to collaborate with people in every role across the university. Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills are key. 

Responsibilities

• Conceive and create content for all Neighbors channels
• Manage a content development strategy and oversee the production of content developed for targeted audiences.
• Oversee and develop comprehensive strategic communications plans.
• Manage, develop, and maintain Neighbors Hub, GCA, & CCS websites.
• Provide communication channels for the Manhattanville campus, especially as it regards University commitments, benefits, news, construction, and other efforts to strengthen the ties between the new campus and the surrounding community.
• Collaborate on outreach to targeted audiences via social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Regularly convene stakeholders to support the mission of the Neighbors Hub and other initiatives.
• Provide outreach support to various Neighbors-facing departments, programs, and initiatives at the University.
• Oversee the production of community-focused advertising via local publications, social media, websites, and event sponsorships.
• Support efforts to increase collaboration and information-sharing across the department.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor???s degree required.
• Minimum 4-6 years related experience working in a communications role. A focus on government and community relations is a plus.
• Must be a digital super user with a deep, hands-on understanding of web/multimedia storytelling and production.
• Must possess exceptional interpersonal and communications skills. 
• Must have strong organizational skills and a proven ability to effectively and efficiently manage multiple ongoing projects and issues.

Other Requirements

Experience with website development, CMS and CRM systems, and Adobe Creative Suite, Mailchimp, Slack, Sprout, and G Suite.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.