Senior Manager, Content and Communications, J-WEL

General Overview

MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab promotes excellence and transformation in education worldwide. The Senior Manager, Content and Communications will bring expertise in the design, development, and dissemination of content to reach educators and decision-makers across the world. In this newly expanded role, the Content and Communications Lead is essential to J-WEL’s ambitious aim of bringing MIT strengths to collaborations with educational innovators everywhere and sharing ideas and insights globally. Under the direction of J-WEL’s Faculty Director, the Content and Communications Lead will shape content strategy; help refine design and execute communications materials, including multimedia content, guides for educators and leaders, reports, and papers; collaborate in a major website upgrade; and collaborate with colleagues in Open Learning, MIT, and Community Jameel to innovate in how we present and share our work to reach scaled impact.

Position Overview

The Content and Communications Lead supports J-WEL’s vision of education designed for everyone to thrive by enabling the spread of impactful MIT-inspired ideas, advice, insights, and connections for the world, with a particular focus on the underserved.

Bringing expertise and creativity to the role, the Content and Communications Lead will design, develop, and implement content that documents the work of J-WEL and its collaborators across MIT and the world.

Reaching those who seek to improve learning across the world calls for globally appropriate approaches to content and communication. The Content and Communications Lead will develop multimedia materials, papers, guides, reports, and newsletters, responsible for creating several published pieces each month while also working with the team to support their work in developing content.

Maintaining an up-to-date website is another ongoing responsibility. Initially, this will involve joining a team effort, already underway, to revamp the site. Subsequent responsibilities include adding web content and developing strategic communications campaigns that generate interest, engagement, and support for J-WEL’s work, including press outreach and social media.

To anchor this work, the Lead will work with the J-WEL team to identify and implement a content strategy for J-WEL that capitalizes on J-WEL’s experience in educational innovation (building on a rich catalog of work in Latin America, Asia, and Africa) and aligns with J-WEL’s overall strategy. J-WEL has identified core strategic themes to frame this work and seeks a dramatic increase in visibility and presence.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

• Collaborates with the J-WEL team to set an appropriate content strategy, then executes key elements, including by refining key messaging and ensuring consistency in framing.

• Specifies and creates new content, by investing direct effort, by obtaining additional resources where needed, or by working with the J-WEL team and our collaborators at Open Learning and MIT to generate content collaboratively.

• Designs a schedule for content creation and works with the team to align content with events and opportunities as they arise.

• Joins the ongoing effort to relaunch the website, including, if feasible, participating in rebranding. Develops a plan for maintaining the website with fresh content.

• Develops annual reports, materials for stakeholders, and other outreach materials. Manages brand guidelines and nomenclature. Oversees the development of presentation materials and other integrated communications resources (such as videos, newsletters, brochures, email campaigns, marketing, and collateral).

• Designs and runs an annual slate of communications campaigns and engages the J-WEL community of members and collaborators.

• Manages the communications budget.

• Works with the team to determine objectives and success metrics. Develops methods for collecting feedback and tracks key metrics, including data-driven approaches to improving content

• Works with Open Learning and MIT colleagues to ensure information is shared and processes are completed as needed. Coordinates communications activities with key constituencies, as J-WEL works with both internal and external collaborators on communications.

• Oversees and supports events design. Manages J-WEL’s Events Coordinator.

Additional responsibilities as required and feasible.

Qualifications

Minimum required:

• Bachelor’s degree

• At least four years' experience overseeing communications and content creation functions.

• Experience managing staff, including freelance/contract resources and managing engagements with external partners/agencies

• Proficiency with key tools: MS Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint), Google suite, and Acrobat; Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or other tools for graphical design; MailChimp or other newsletter tools. Knowledge of web, video, and audio platforms. Ability to use various communication and collaboration tools and platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, WordPress, etc).

• Ability to quickly adapt to new communications technologies.

• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of employees at all levels, including via lateral collaboration.

• Excellent interpersonal skills in working with faculty, staff, and others at MIT and when representing J-WEL to outside parties and media.

• Flexibility and adaptability and collaboration skills.

• Excellent organizational, proofreading, and verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to manage multiple requests simultaneously.

Must be able to work occasional evenings and early mornings for special events.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in a related field

• Journalism, content marketing, or other professional communications writing experience

• Competence with Salesforce or similar CRM or databases

• Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and web content management and analytic tools (Drupal, WordPress, Google Analytics)

• Familiarity with financial, administrative, and operational approaches encountered in higher education.

Supervision Received

Reports to the J-WEL Faculty Director

Supervision Exercised

Events Coordinator

Remote Work

Subject to change, this work may, at present, be performed in a hybrid model of three days per week remote, two days per week in the office. During key periods, more frequent in-person work may be required.

Covid and other policies

MIT currently requires Covid-19 vaccination for all MIT employees who work in the United States. Individuals may request an exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons. See MIT Now for more information on MIT’s Covid policies. Offers of employment are contingent on an applicant’s compliance with MIT’s Covid-19 vaccine/exemption requirements.

A background check (including checking criminal records) will be required for the final candidate.

MIT is unable to provide work authorization and/or visa sponsorship for this position.

This position has a 6-month probationary period for new employees to the Institute.

MIT considers equivalent combinations of experience and education for certain jobs. All candidates who believe they possess equivalent experience and education are encouraged to apply.