Assistant Editor, Content and Publications, Office of Advancement

Position Overview

The Content and Publications unit within the Office of Advancement is currently seeking a Full-time Regular, Assistant Editor.

Reporting to the Managing News Editor, this individual is responsible for the calendaring, content and copy editing, and timely publishing of multimedia news packages on the university's online news channels: the UCalgary News website and the daily UToday newsletter. The Assistant Editor also provides content and copy editing and rewrite services for other members of the Content and Publication teams as needed.

This position collaborates with members of various teams within Advancement, in addition to faculty and institute communicators across the university campus, often on a tight deadline. The work involves maintaining editorial quality, consistency in style and voice, and upholding the strategic vision identified by the Office of Advancement.

The incumbent must have the ability to think creatively and strategically, juggle multiple tasks in a fluid and fast-paced environment, exercise discretion and sound judgment in the handling of all content, and facilitate cross-department communication in a complex workplace.
 

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Daily online news channel content management and editing (30%)

• Manage a calendar of incoming content and co-ordinate a daily newsletter lineup, in consultation with the Managing News Editor and communication leads within Advancement as well as faculties and units across campus
• Edit articles for CP and university style, consistency of voice, accuracy, grammatical errors, and strategic alignment with Advancements vision
• Identify and work to resolve reputational questions and issues as they surface in content. Consult with colleagues, managers, or other experts on campus such as lawyers, as needs arise; work to resolve reputational issues in advance of publication
• Liaise with a photographer, videographers, and other producers of creative content on assignments and publication co-ordination

Daily online news channel content production (30%)

• Assemble and publish article packages within Drupal 8 with appropriate headlines, photos, captions, related content, topic tags, and other multimedia and sharing elements
  • Develop familiarity with and expertise in the UCalgary News catalogue of content
  • Develop a working, ongoing familiarity with multiple sources of digital content, such as the photo asset management system, video and social media channels, and websites associated with university news sources
  • Review Google Analytics to help identify traffic trends and actionable insights, and to produce basic reports to colleagues about content performance
• Assemble and publish a daily newsletter via Marketo
• Develop working relationships with technical specialists in areas such as Web Services and Digital Experience to help resolve troubleshooting issues or web development questions. Report technical issues using the university's IT Service Now site

Backup News Editor (10%)

• When the Managing News Editor is away, step in as a backup News Editor. Additional accountabilities include:
  • Full responsibility for editorial content of the UToday newsletter, UCalgary News website, and other digital channels as assigned, working closely with the director of the Content and Publications Unit and the senior associate vice-president of Strategic Communications and Marketing
  • Attend meetings as the digital news channel representative, such as the social scrum and department or planning meetings, reporting on upcoming news channel highlights and tracking upcoming events of interest
  • Respond to and manage all incoming story queries and suggestions from campus communicators, managers, or members of the campus community
  • Organize and publish Breaking News emails as required
  • Responsible for alerting and consulting with senior department managers to potential reputational or legal issues, acting as the final gatekeeper on content prior to publication
  • Perform the duties described in the department's Crisis Communications Plan

Publication and digital content production, copy editing (30%)

• This position acts as an essential resource for the Content and Publications unit with respect to editing and proofreading for consistency of style and voice, eliminating grammatical errors for all collateral the team is accountable for, and weaving key narratives and messages into content as appropriate.
• Identify new ideas or opportunities to cross-promote storytelling by developing familiarity with multiple sources of content within the campus community across a range of topics and audiences in consideration for deployment through a variety of platforms, including digital and print, video, podcast, etc.
• Co-ordinate with content-producing teams, juggling multiple priorities and deadlines
• Update old news content, recommend strategies to repurpose content across multiple platforms
• Collaborate with and provide copywriting and editing mentorship to team members who have a range of communication backgrounds and skills
• Support the Content and Publications unit's goal to strengthen the sense of community on campus by injecting personality, experience and emotion into storytelling wherever possible

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor or master's degree in a relevant area such as journalism, communications, or English; in lieu of a degree, a combination of a diploma and significant experience in a corporate or editing environment could be considered
• Minimum five years experience writing news and feature copy in a journalism or public affairs environment
• Minimum three years experience managing or co-managing an online news or public affairs publication, which includes using an online production CMS such as Drupal or WordPress, navigating a multi-platform web environment, producing audience-ready multimedia online article packages on challenging deadlines, understanding and incorporating Google Analytics, conforming to Canadian Press and in-house style guides, following Web and SEO best practices, and policing legal and copyright standards
• Demonstrated exceptional ability to edit for consistency of style and voice, and to eliminate grammatical errors, enhancing the reputation of the university as a knowledgeable and trusted source
• Demonstrated ability to perform deeper structural edits or rewrites on deadline as needs arise
• Proficient in Word, Outlook, Sharepoint, Photoshop.
• Working familiarity with email marketing software, e.g. Marketo, MailChimp, or Constant Contact
• Knowledge of SEO best practices
• Flair for writing engaging headlines, making the complex simple, and rewriting copy to align with a channel's voice and purpose
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible, embrace new skills and trends, handle multiple and shifting priorities
• Communications experience navigating a large post-secondary or institutional environment would be an asset in addition to experience in science writing or academic publishing

Application Deadline:  July 24, 2020

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

Additional Information

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase III.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. 

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their professional success while they are here. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.