Senior Writer and Director of Communications

University of Oregon•Portland, OR

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health at the University of Oregon Portland establishes a new national model for behavioral healthcare for children and families by creating a first-of-its-kind undergraduate training program in child behavioral health. The institute prioritizes the needs of youth who have been historically or persistently underserved and seeks to make real system change by creating a new mental health profession, delivering support in schools and the community, training existing youth-serving professionals, developing new approaches to support child behavioral health, and transforming the Pacific Northwest into a national model of thought and action. The Senior Writer & Director of Communications is a strategic, creative, and highly skilled communications leader responsible for shaping and amplifying the voice, narrative, and public presence of the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health. This role oversees content strategy and brand messaging and ensures clear, compelling, and mission aligned storytelling across internal and external audiences. The Director serves as the chief communications partner to the Executive Director and senior leadership team—crafting speeches, remarks, statements, reports, proposals, and editorial pieces—and manages the institute’s overall communications strategy, editorial planning, media engagement, and digital presence. The role blends high-level strategic thinking with hands-on writing excellence to advance the institute’s mission, partnerships, and national visibility. The Director oversees a growing communications team and provides leadership in setting vision, strategy, and priorities for the team. The Director also provides coaching, guidance, and performance management, while allocating resources and building team capacity to support the institute’s strategic goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, English, public relations, marketing, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of skills and experience.
Five years of professional writing experience, with responsibility for producing high-quality written content for diverse audiences.
Three years of experience supervising staff and/or students.
Experience developing and implementing strategic communications plans.
Skill in long-form, feature, or narrative writing.
Skill in writing or contributing to philanthropic proposals, donor communications, or case-making materials.
Skill in supporting executive leadership through high-visibility writing such as speeches, remarks, talking points, and major announcements.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively across units and with external stakeholders.
Ability to manage confidential or sensitive matters with discretion.
Ability to supervise and mentor communications staff.
Ability to align communications initiatives with institutional goals, key initiatives, and leadership priorities.
Commitment to fostering a welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Proficiency in digital publishing platforms, web content management systems, social media tools, project management software, and Office 365 applications.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or related field.
Experience in higher education communications and/or a large, complex organization.
Expertise in media relations and brand journalism.
Experience managing content strategy and multichannel storytelling initiatives.
Proven record of innovation and metrics-based decision making.

Responsibilities

Shape and amplify the voice, narrative, and public presence of the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health.
Oversee content strategy and brand messaging.
Ensure clear, compelling, and mission aligned storytelling across internal and external audiences.
Serve as the chief communications partner to the Executive Director and senior leadership team, crafting speeches, remarks, statements, reports, proposals, and editorial pieces.
Manage the institute’s overall communications strategy, editorial planning, media engagement, and digital presence.
Provide leadership in setting vision, strategy, and priorities for the communications team.
Provide coaching, guidance, and performance management for the communications team.
Allocate resources and build team capacity to support the institute’s strategic goals.