How to Apply
A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in one page or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file.
Competitive salary available based on qualifications, experience and education of the selected candidate.
Job Summary
University of Michigan's Information and Technology Services (ITS) is seeking a Communications Specialist Intermediate to join the ITS Marketing and Communications team. This role contributes to the creation, coordination, and delivery of communications and marketing materials for ITS services, initiatives, events, and partners across the university.
This position is designed for a collaborative communicator with strong writing, editing, project coordination, and customer-service skills. You will work with senior communicators, project teams, subject matter experts, and other members of ITS Marketing and Communications to create clear, accurate, audience-focused deliverables, including emails, web copy, marketing copy, social media content, event materials, presentations, newsletters, and other communications.
This role will support ITS targeted email efforts and participate in the team's targeted email rotation. The person in this position will be trained to build, proof, schedule, and send targeted emails, including serving as the scheduled primary targeted email contact during assigned intervals.
This role is also involved in ITS student, staff, and campus outreach events. While ITS offers flexible and remote-hybrid work, this position requires periodic in-person work, including staffing events, helping with setup and teardown, transporting supplies, preparing materials, and managing event equipment and swag inventory at the Arbor Lakes location.
This position will report to the Communications Team Manager.
Responsibilities*
Communications and Content
- Draft, edit, and proof clear, accurate, audience-focused communications for channels such as targeted email, newsletters, web pages, social media, presentations, flyers, event materials, and other marketing deliverables.
- Support senior communicators by preparing copy, reviewing materials, coordinating deliverables, and helping move projects from concept to completion.
- Create tactical assets for ongoing communications plans and campaigns, including email drafts, marketing copy, social posts, event language, and short-form promotional content.
- Ensure communications are accurate, accessible, and aligned with U-M and ITS style, voice, brand, and messaging standards.
Targeted Email
- Prepare, build, proof, schedule, and send targeted emails to ITS and university audiences using approved tools and processes.
- Learn and apply basic HTML and email formatting best practices to create accessible and professional email communications.
- Participate in the ITS targeted email rotation, including serving as the assigned primary targeted email contact during scheduled intervals.
- Work with targeted email coordinators and communications colleagues to ensure requests are complete, reviewed, scheduled, and delivered on time.
- Maintain strong attention to detail when checking email content, audiences, links, scheduling requirements, formatting, and final quality.
Outreach, Events, and Team Operations
- Assist with ITS outreach events for students, staff, and campus partners, including preparation, staffing, setup, teardown, and follow-up.
- Attend in-person events as required, including periodic work at campus locations and the Arbor Lakes location.
- Organize, load, transport, deliver, return, and inventory event supplies, equipment, printed materials, and promotional items.
- Work with communications and outreach colleagues to create a welcoming, helpful, and professional ITS presence at events.
Social Media and Digital Content
- Contribute to the ITS social media team by drafting and adapting concise, engaging, audience-appropriate content for ITS social channels.
- Support social media and multimedia projects through content ideas, caption writing, message review, coordination, and related production needs.
Project Coordination and Collaboration
- Collaborate with ITS colleagues, university communications professionals, and subject matter experts to gather information, clarify needs, and strengthen project delivery.
- Track communications tasks, deadlines, approvals, and deliverables to keep work organized and moving forward.
- Provide regular status updates, raise questions early, and adapt when priorities, timelines, or requirements shift.
- Bring a customer-service mindset to the role, with a focus on understanding audience needs and helping ITS communicate in ways that are clear, useful, and respectful.
Continuous Improvement and Professional Growth
- Learn new communications tools, platforms, processes, and standards as team needs evolve.
- Strengthen skills in writing, editing, targeted email, social media, accessibility, project coordination, and technology communications.
- Recommend improvements to communications processes, templates, content, and workflows based on experience, feedback, and best practices.
Required Qualifications*
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, English, Journalism, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of three years of directly related professional experience in marketing, communications, public relations, content development, or a related field.
- Demonstrated ability to write and edit clear, concise, audience-focused content for multiple channels, such as email, web, social media, newsletters, presentations, articles, or marketing materials.
- Strong proofreading, editing, link-checking, formatting, and quality-control skills.
- Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, follow established processes, and adapt when priorities change.
- Experience working collaboratively with colleagues, clients, subject matter experts, or project teams to develop communications materials.
- Ability to learn new tools, platforms, and processes, including basic HTML for email production.
- Familiarity with content management systems, social media platforms, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or similar communications and productivity tools.
- Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, including the ability to ask good questions, receive feedback, and work effectively as part of a team.
- Ability and willingness to perform periodic in-person work, including staffing outreach events, assisting with setup and teardown, transporting supplies, and helping manage inventory at campus or Arbor Lakes locations.
Desired Qualifications*
- Four or more years of professional experience in marketing, communications, public relations, or a related field.
- Experience creating communications in a higher education, nonprofit, technology, or large organizational setting.
- Experience building, scheduling, or sending mass emails using an email marketing or targeted email platform.
- Experience with events, outreach activities, tabling, presentations, or other in-person engagement efforts.
- Experience writing or adapting content for social media channels.
- Experience working with brand standards, style guides, templates, or approval workflows.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Additional Information
This position may work with or support systems that maintain or process sensitive institutional data as defined by university policy. Successful candidates must comply with federal, state, and local law and university policies or agreements that require the university to implement specific privacy and security safeguards. This includes protecting data and information from unauthorized release, loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion, and following applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files and release of data.
Physical Demands / Work Environment
- Punctual, regular, and consistent attendance is required.
- This position is remote-hybrid. Some work may be performed remotely, but the role requires periodic in-person work for outreach events, meetings, equipment preparation, inventory management, and other team needs.
- Must be able to travel to various locations on and off campus, including the Arbor Lakes location, to assist with events and team operations.
- Must be able to assist with event setup and teardown, including organizing, loading, transporting, and moving event materials, supplies, equipment, and promotional items.
- Must be able to conduct a normal amount of work at a computer.
- May require occasional work outside of standard business hours for events, targeted email needs, or urgent communications.
Comprehensive Benefits
The University of Michigan Benefits Office is committed to offering a high-quality benefits package to support faculty, staff, and their families. Learn more about retirement matching, health care plans, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, well-being programs, long-term disability, life insurance, legal services, time away from work, and work-life programs at hr.umich.edu/benefits-wellness
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
