The work

Strategy and delivery

Within the deputy chief marketing and communications officer’s portfolio, the strategist is the lead communications partner for assigned projects, advising executive sponsors and project leaders from planning through implementation. Assignments shift as initiatives progress and demand changes. The strategist assesses stakeholder needs and risks, anticipates competing demands and coordinates messages across projects, including when shared audiences face multiple changes.

The role turns changes to systems, processes, roles or services into communications that explain what is changing, why it matters and what people need to do. It plans and delivers work across channels, including web, email, presentations, toolkits and video, creating or overseeing materials such as leader briefings and FAQs.

Coordination and judgement

Working with project leaders and colleagues across functions such as HR, IT and clinical operations, the strategist agrees scope, timing, responsibilities and approvals. They bring in specialist communications teams when needed and remain accountable for the overall approach. They advise on sensitive or high-risk communications and facilitate appropriate institutional review.

The strategist has broad autonomy over communications strategy and execution within approved institutional strategies and project governance. Initiative sponsors and owners retain decisions over project strategy, operations, scope and implementation. The strategist uses feedback and measures of understanding, readiness and action to adjust communications as projects move forward.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism or a related field, and eight years of relevant experience in marketing, communications, public relations, content strategy or a related discipline. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
• Demonstrated experience independently leading complex, cross-functional marketing or communications initiatives.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in academic medicine, health care, higher education or another complex, regulated environment.
• Experience supporting enterprise transformation, technology implementations, operational redesign or other major initiatives, including communications for stakeholder readiness and adoption.
• Experience advising senior leaders and working with project teams and specialist communications functions in a matrixed organisation, including on sensitive or high-profile communications.
• Experience managing concurrent initiatives or a fractional portfolio, coordinating across organisational entities or approval structures, and using communications, analytics and project-management platforms.
• Familiarity with UT Austin and Central Texas health care, and working knowledge of relevant regulatory, compliance, privacy or partner requirements.