Assistant Director of Outreach

Discovery Partners Institute
Posting Category:

The Assistant Director for Outreach will support the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) with maintaining external relationships and disseminating research findings to external partners and stakeholders. The Assistant Director will join a team doing research on educational issues in the state of Illinois and ensure that the findings have the most impact they can. The role will help translate research into usable products and materials that educators, policymakers, caregivers, and the general public can access, understand, and put into practice/policy. The role will also maintain relationships with critical partners who can inform (and be informed by) IWERC's work.

Additional responsibilities included:

The Assistant Director for Outreach will oversee three areas of work:

Research Dissemination and Communications

• Read, critique, and help finalize research reports created by IWERC research staff. Adapt them to be accessible to different audiences, help design and format the look of reports, and promote adherence to a common IWERC style/brand.
• Create "user-friendly" products from reports, including 1-page summaries, videos, newsletters, blog posts, and so forth for different audiences (e.g., educators, policymakers, parents). Be creative in how the research is disseminated, making use of all kinds of media and methods.
• Share IWERC reports through social media campaigns, direct emailing/mailing to stakeholders and collaborators, designing and hosting virtual and in-person events, and other innovative methods.
• Coordinate and oversee translation of IWERC dissemination materials into other languages.
• Work with IWERC's team and with University of Illinois's state relations team to share research findings with state officials and partners.
• Develop other dissemination strategies for IWERC that are innovative, appropriate, and effective for a variety of local and national stakeholders and audiences.
• Coordination of IWERC marketing and communication functions with relative DPI functional team.

External Relations

IWERC has many partner and stakeholder organizations across the state, including in state government, at K-12 schools, colleges, and early childhood centers, and at different advocacy organizations. The Assistant Director for Outreach will:

• Maintain directories of IWERC's partners, collaborators, and key stakeholders.
• Identify new potential partners/stakeholders and connect IWERC to these organizations.
• Identify key community organizations and partners across the state who work with parents, teachers, school personnel, colleges, early childhood programs, and so forth.
• Follow all partner organizations for important updates and events, maintain relationships with different organization leads, attend partner organizations' webinars and in-person events as requested, share IWERC updates with these organizations, and share these organizations' updates with IWERC.
• Suggest potential research and other collaborative partnerships with external entities to IWERC's Director and team. Support IWERC in bringing partners into new projects and proposals.
• Keep track of major legislative and strategic initiatives in Illinois government related to education, intersections between IWERC's research and those initiatives, and how IWERC's research has impact on those initiatives.
• Support IWERC in adhering to its equity vision by contributing to conversations about equity in IWERC's research processes, by centering partners who advocate for and include historically marginalized groups, and by designing and maintaining processes for research dissemination and outreach that centers these groups.

Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field with 3 years of experience in communications, external relations, outreach, or marketing for an organization.

Required

• Evidence of successful experiences designing materials for external audiences with different media and software/programs.
• Deep commitment to furthering equity and diversity in professional work.
• Ability to be a self-starter, taking initiative in developing one's own work portfolio.
• Comfort working collaboratively, contributing to a collective vision, and giving/receiving hard, actionable feedback.
• History of being highly ethical in professional conduct and interactions with internal and external colleagues and partners.

Preferred

• A portfolio of work related to a nonprofit or research organization preferred.
• Mastery of various design tools, such as Adobe InDesign, Canva and Photoshop.
• Existing professional connections to Illinois educational groups.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information
For full consideration, candidates must apply and submit a letter of application, resume, and names/addresses/phone numbers of three professional references by 6 pm on 12/12/2022 or visit https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/employment.

System Human Resource Services
(217) 333-2600
erhr@uillinois.edu

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the System Human Resource Services, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 217-333-2600, or by emailing erhr@uillinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 9000399
Job Category: Academic Professional
Campus Location: Chicago