Research Communications Assistant

$53,000 - $53,000/Yr

Child Trends - Chapel Hill, NC

Part-time,Full-time - Entry Level

Remote - Chapel Hill, NC

101-250 employees

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Research Communications Assistant at Child Trends will provide project management and communications support for large projects focused on adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health, early care and education, and other topics related to children and families. This role involves translating and disseminating research, sharing general information, and distributing technical assistance through digital communications. Key responsibilities include managing social media and website content, drafting communications, and ensuring accessibility compliance for digital materials.

Responsibilities

• Draft social media posts and alternative text for users with disabilities.
• Maintain social media presence for clients, including scheduling and posting content.
• Support social media and newsletter metrics tracking and analysis to inform strategy.
• Conduct routine and ad hoc website maintenance, including creating pages, editing content, and correcting errors.
• Review and format website content and documents for Section 508 compliance to be accessible for people with disabilities.
• Schedule team meetings and prepare agendas.
• Draft meeting notes, staff to-dos, and progress reports to clients.
• Maintain record of project purchases and process expense reports and reimbursements.
• Triage client questions and ad hoc requests (e.g., website edits, social media posts).
• Write drafts of email digests and newsletters.
• Format print materials such as one-pagers and flyers.
• Check facts and citations in dissemination materials, such as webpages, research reports, and other publications.
• Find and compile resources for updating website content and other publications.
• Design graphics, charts, picture quotes, and other images for website and social media, publications, and presentations.
• Keep stakeholder and partner outreach lists and subscriber lists up to date.
• Assist with planning virtual and in-person events for government agencies, grant recipients, scholars, and youth.

Requirements

• B.A. or B.S. in communications, public policy, public health, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, or related field.
• Demonstrated record of success in prior academic, professional, and any other relevant activities.
• Great organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
• Strong writing skills, as demonstrated in writing samples.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Nice-to-haves

• Interest in health equity, sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health, race equity, and/or early care and education.
• Prior knowledge or training in any of these areas ideal but not required.
• Experience with social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn).
• Experience tracking metrics for social media platforms strongly preferred.
• Experience with email marketing tools (e.g., Constant Contact, MailChimp) and content management systems (e.g., Drupal, WordPress) a plus.
• Familiarity with Google Analytics, HTML, and virtual meeting platforms a plus.
• Fluency in Spanish a plus.

Benefits

• Health savings account
• AD&D insurance
• Paid holidays
• Disability insurance
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Tuition reimbursement
• Family leave
• Vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with immediate vesting and contributions after 1 year of employment
• Paid family leave
• Paid bereavement leave
• Professional development and tuition reimbursement allowance