Specialist, Communications & Documentation

GENERAL SUMMARY:

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintain Research Data Products documentation for all products:

• Collaborates with SME in the development, creation, update, maintenance, and proofing of RDP documentation.
• Prepares user documentation for new products by taking the initial work done by the SMEs and creating the framework in InDesign for the new guide.

Communications Project Management:

• Orchestrates efficient and thorough processes to facilitate timely completion of communications projects. Serves as project manager for complex communications projects with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Manages relationships with design, printing, and mail house vendors, including communicating priorities, securing and reviewing necessary price quotes, sending jobs to print, and ensuring timely delivery.
• Collaborates primarily with colleagues in immediate work unit, as well as with Research Data Products Sales team, Index Business Development team, and HR colleagues, primarily on Research Data Products, Index conference materials, and All Staff communications.

Intranet updates

• Content management – posts articles related to benefit information, employee interests, CRSP news, meeting notes/presentations, and CRSP announcements. Ensures all information related to CRSP procedures and policies is up-to-date and makes changes when needed.
• Calendar maintenance – updates/adds upcoming social events, mandatory meetings, scheduled maintenance outages, and CRSP holidays.
• Link maintenance – Reviews link functionality, specifically outside links related to benefits information and/or employee tasks (i.e., Open Enrollment, Performance Review).
• Maintains staff directory – adds new staff, updates titles after promotions are announced, uploads employee photo, removes staff after leaving CRSP.

Maintenance of internal documents

• Contract updates – makes sure all client facing documents/agreements have been updated to our branding standards. This is a significant effort that happens in bulk if the logo changes.
• Forms – updates forms used by Administration, Legal, and related templates to ensure they adhere to branding standards. Suggest improvements to language and organization of content.

Announcements emails

• Collaborates with Leadership, Managers, and HR, for disseminating information to CRSP staff. Edits and formats content provided via email or the communications request form and obtains approvals. Once approved, the email is sent at the requested date/time.
• Requests include a variety of announcements, including but not limited to building notices, City of Chicago news, CRSP news, employee tasks, benefits updates, and holiday reminders.  

Office Communications

• Staff Communications – communications related to office and building events.
• Subscriber Communications – work on any message related to CRSP changes, ensuring all future agreements and product related documentation stay updated.
• Office Signage – ensure conference room names/signage, name plates, artwork, breakroom info, and logo placement stays up to date.
• Mailing address update – updating all product guides, subscriber documents, financial forms, invoices, purchase orders, stationary, and the CRSP website whenever CRSP has an update or an address change.

Communication requests from Staff

• Advises and counsels colleagues regarding effective communication approaches and best practices.

Independently Complete Basic Design Requests

• Utilizes the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator) to design, edit, and print event flyers, invitations, CRSP ads, conference banners, and intranet graphics as needed
• Creates/edits basic videos for conferences (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)

Broad back-up:

• CRSPMI documentation
• Conference logistics
• CRSP website content management
• HR communications
• Limited back-up for distribution of press releases, as needed

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Three (3) years of relevant professional experience in a comparable role.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including excellent grammar. 
• Excellent writing and proofreading/editing skills.
• Demonstrated expertise with Microsoft Word and Excel required, with appropriate experience with publishing software such as Framemaker and HTML/Web development tools and editors.
• Two (2) years relevant experience in technical writing/web development desirable, with a demonstrated history of initiative and independent action in a collaborative team-oriented environment.
• Demonstrated expertise with Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Strong attention to detail and problem solving skills.
• Experience in documenting software applications for a client environment.
• Prolonged use of computer and intensive keyboard use.
• Ability to work effectively in both team situations and independently.
• Strong interpersonal communications skills.
• Proactive work habits.

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Aptitude for understanding and communicating financial, programming and mathematical information.
• Appropriate experience with publishing software such as Adobe Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, as well as Drupal, Wordpress, and HTML/Web development tools and editors highly desirable.

HOURS: 

Salary Range = $63,120.00 - $82,053.00 USD Annually + Benefits

The referenced salary range is based on the Company’s good faith belief at the time of posting.  Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level.