Communications & Events Officer

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Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

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At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), headquartered at the University of British Columbia, is one of thirteen virtual institutes of CIHR.

CIHR-IMHA's mandate is to support ethical and impactful research to enhance active living, mobility and oral health, and to address the wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth. Musculoskeletal health is critical for promoting the physical activity needed to maintain mobility, productivity and general health and well-being. Prevalent MSK disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis can limit mobility and physical activity, creating a vicious cycle of inactivity, degeneration and loss of productivity. Similarly, poor oral health and skin conditions can affect overall health and well-being.

In cooperation with the Scientific Director and Associate Scientific Directors, the person holding this position is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective communication strategies for the Institute.

The Communications & Events Officer is responsible for ensuring the appropriate representation of CIHR-IMHA in print, visual and social media and at IMHA hosted events. The Communications & Events Officer works on a day-to-day basis with IMHA team members and regularly collaborates and/or interacts with other CIHR staff, researchers, as well as Institute Advisory Board and committee members.

Organizational Status
The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC's entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone

Ranked among the world's top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty—comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members—is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, 3 schools, and 25 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

The UBC Vancouver Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The City of Vancouver is located on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations territory.

The Communications Officer reports directly to the Associate Scientific Directors (ASD) and works collaboratively as a key member of the Institute team that also includes the Scientific Director (SD), Analysts - Projects and Initiatives, Administrator - Institute Operations, Project Officer and Admin and Operations Assistant as well as other CIHR staff in the CIHR national located in Ottawa.

Work Performed
Major areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to:
- Developing communications/knowledge translation plans, articles, announcements, researcher profiles and web page content
- Planning and managing communication materials and projects; supporting Institute staff in communications and knowledge translation
- Planning of communications with researchers, partners and policymakers; coordinating Interactions with media
- Developing and updating reports, analyses, briefings, and presentations, to ensure effective development, planning and implementation of projects/initiatives and appropriate representation of CIHR-IMHA (ie: Annual Reports, Strategic Plans, Ministerial Briefings)
- Undertaking relevant research for generating ideas/development of visual collateral for effective communication
- Disseminating information and communication materials to partners and contacts
- Liaising with the IMHA team, researchers, authors, specialists to design visual support assets for target audiences
- Creating a social media strategy, making social media contacts and scheduling posts
- Planning, implementing and evaluating research projects and events for IMHA
- Conducting environmental scans and background research
- Preparing materials (reference materials, presentation slides) for Institute Advisory Board meetings
- Acts as liaison for IMHA communications with CIHR central staff, researchers and stakeholders
- Preparing and disseminating the monthly Institute Newsletter
- Performing other related duties as required

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Inappropriate decisions could damage the reputation of the Institute, CIHR central and the University of British Columbia as host institution of IMHA, adversely affecting the ability of the Institute to fulfill its mandate.

Supervision Received
The Communications Officer will report to the Associate Scientific Directors. Work is reviewed in terms of achievement of timelines and goals.

Supervision Given
Coordinates the work of the Project Officer in relation to communications, social media projects.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum four years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in contemporary digital science communications is an asset. Must possess strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to effectively use Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint at an
advanced level. Illustration and design skills, with the ability to create graphics for Twitter for example an asset. Social media analysis basics are an asset. Experience working with media providers is an asset. Organizational and time management skills important. Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own. Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Event planning in person and hybrid such as webinars is part of the position as the Institute is outward facing with the research community and the public. The successful candidate will have strong
interpersonal skills, be able to work well with members of the general public as well as members of the CIHR-IMHA community. Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines while managing multiple tasks and priorities. Fluency in both official languages is an asset. The candidate may have occasional travel within Canada to attend workshops, meetings and conferences. Ability to obtain Government of Canada Reliability Security Clearance will be required.