Senior Communications Specialist at Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, Oregon

Senior Communications Specialist

US--Hybrid

Requisition ID: 2026-38554
Position Category: Marketing/Communications
Job Type: Unclassified Administrative
Position Type: Regular Full-Time
Posting Department: Brand Strategy and Communications
Posting Salary Range: $70,158.40 - $112,091.20 per year, with offer based on experience, education and internal equity
Posting FTE: 1.00
Posting Schedule: Monday - Friday
Posting Hours: Typically 8:00am - 5:00pm
HR Mission: Central Services
Drug Testable: No
LinkedIn Job Code: LI-LP1

Department Overview

The senior communications specialist is responsible for advancing engagement among key audiences to help ensure a work and learning environment where employees and learners can do their best work, supports OHSU's desire for a highly collaborative culture, and fosters employee advocacy of OHSU as a great place to work and learn.

Specifically, this individual creates and executes communication strategy in support of organizational goals and objectives. This position places particular emphasis on understanding internal audiences and developing strategically relevant communications plans and content to meet audience needs, including executive communication, stories, photos, audio and video footage, foundational messaging documents, implementation-ready communications plans, and so on.

This position ensures communications goals are met by continually monitoring and analyzing data using OHSU-approved tools and making strategic and tactical changes, as needed, to improve engagement in support of organizational goals and objectives.

Function/Duties of Position

Communication Strategy

Develop communication strategy and content strategy for OHSU communications channels. The specialist has a strong interest in and aptitude for understanding the complexity and importance of the health care mission and OHSU School of Medicine priorities and programs, and transforming that information into authoritative, clear and engaging tactics that achieve measurable goals. Specific tasks may include:

• Creating audience-centered strategy to meet business objectives.
• Developing and working within brand-aligned executive voice for communications.
• Rapid adapting of content strategy to timely opportunities.
• Leading with data. Demonstrated impact to internal partners.

Content Creation and Management

For assigned projects, pages, channels or sites, ensure publication of accurate, relevant content in accordance with the digital content strategy. Content may include, but is not limited to, written information in long and short forms, graphics, images, calls to action, headers, menus, forms, surveys, metadata and keywords. Specific tasks may include:

• Exceptional writing and editing.
• Editing copy of teammates, contract writers and others.
• Performing content audits and gap analyses.
• Creating content that attracts and serves key audiences to achieve measurable goals.
• High-level information gathering and interviewing to inform content.
• Managing multiple complex projects across varying timelines.
• Repurposing content for different audiences and communications channels.
• Editing existing digital content.
• Ensuring appropriate periodic review/refresh of content.
• Implementing content standards on specific pages/sites/channels (e.g., ensuring consistent calls to action, adherence to voice or brand standards).
• Ensuring adherence to standards for specific kinds of content (e.g., image size, links, headers).
• Using HTML, scripting or other authoring languages to prepare digital content for publication.
• Using enterprise content management system or other publishing methods to present content.
• Testing, trouble shooting and reviewing published development or production content for errors, quality, adherence to design and content standards, performance on various platforms, performance against benchmarks.
• Participating in efforts to continually improve digital content creation and publication workflows and processes.
• Ensuring adherence to guidelines for handling confidential information and patient information in a way that safeguards patient privacy and conforms to HIPAA.
• Ensuring consistent use of OHSU style and brand guides to communicate effectively and develop messaging that is consistent with OHSU goals.

Monitor and Measurement
Monitoring, analyzing, and developing improvements based on audience and impact metrics. Identify data gaps and strategic response based on data.

Project Management
Manages projects with consistent rigor to ensure clear objectives supported by key stakeholders and systems to effectively implement plans. Specific tasks may include:

• Meeting with key stakeholders to gather information.
• Sharing objectives and recommending appropriate strategies and tactics.
• Developing communications plans.
• Communicating project status to stakeholders.

Emergent Communications
Contributing to emergency management/crisis communication team efforts. Is a member of an on-call communications rotation, serving as an effective member of the emergency operations team in the event of a crisis.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, English, or related field. Or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• A minimum of five years of experience in corporate communications.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Exceptional skills in online community management.
• Excellent skills in building email templates and using email marketing software to achieve campaign objectives.
• Excellent skills in analyzing and interpreting web, email, and campaign data.
• Ability to quickly learn and easily use new software.
• Strong familiarity and comfort with at least one content management system.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to adjust to change quickly, to learn on the fly, and to write in a variety of formats.
• Excellent team player who is also capable of self-direction.
• Strong skills using a variety of applications, and ability to learn new applications quickly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Three or more years of experience in health care or higher education.
• Accreditation from professional association (PRSA or IABC).

Additional Details

This is a remote hybrid position with the employee primarily working from home but on campus for meetings or events as assigned. Hotel workstations campuswide available by reservation.

Work schedule and location are generally within regular business hours, though the role will be required to staff special events or respond to urgent needs outside of regular business hours.

Virtual meetings will be a regular occurrence. Heavy use of a computer and phone.

Benefits

• Healthcare for full-time employees covered 100% and 88% for dependents.

• $50K of term life insurance provided at no cost to the employee.

• Two separate above market pension plans to choose from.

• Paid time off - 208 hours per year, prorated for part-time.

• Extended illness bank - 64 hours per year, prorated for part-time.

• 9 paid holidays per year.

• Substantial Tri-Met and C-Tran discounts.

• Employee Assistance Program.

• Childcare service discounts.

• Tuition reimbursement.

• Employee discounts to local and major businesses.