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Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Terminal (Fixed Term)
Job Profile:
Communications Specialist
Job Summary:
The key responsibilities of this position include:
Website & Digital Presence- Lead content strategy, communication plan, and ongoing updates for the WRC website; ensure services, capabilities, metrics, and contact pathways are current and sponsor‑friendly. Create content for LinkedIn, social media platforms and websites.
Sponsor Content Development- Create and manage sponsor‑facing materials: capability decks, one‑pagers, proposal language, and FAQ. Draft success stories and publication spotlights. Help with design, web and printing materials for sponsors.
Email, Social and Conference Support- Build a compliant email/news update cadence for sponsors and collaborators (product updates, milestones, publications, conference highlights). Help coordinate in-services for staff quarterly.
Internal Communication- Create templates and how‑to guides (e.g., sponsor onboarding communications, service request intake, turnaround time expectations).
Travel Expectations
It is required that employees come to Madison, WI. It will be the employee's responsibility to cover expenses for this trip.
Working Conditions
There could be occasional night and weekend events.
This role owns the development and execution of integrated marketing and communications—website, email/news, conference presence, social, and success stories—tailored to clinical research audiences (industry sponsors, CROs, PIs, and academic collaborators). The Specialist partners closely with scientific, operations, and finance leads to translate complex research outputs into clear, compliant, audience‑appropriate messages that differentiate WRC and highlight quality, and outcomes.
This position is full or part-time, 50%-100%.
This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.
This position has the possibility to be extended or converted to an ongoing appointment based on need and/or funding.
Key Job Responsibilities:
- Writes, edits, and publishes content for various communication projects and marketing platforms to align with strategic initiatives and established communication campaigns
- Communicates with stakeholders to verify requests and identify editorial resources
- Plans editorial content according to established goals and objects
- Provides project management and execution of communications programs, initiatives, and tactical plans
- Monitors reach and effectiveness of communication campaigns, projects, and initiatives
Department:
School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Wisconsin Reading Center.
The Wisconsin Reading Center (WRC) is a core retinal image reading lab within the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS). The WRC was founded on the enduring principles of intellectual honesty, quality, relevance, innovation, and staff satisfaction. Incepted in 1970 to support the seminal NIH-funded trials of laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR), the WRC has broadened its scope to the evaluation of many retinal diseases, including dry AMD, atrophic AMD, neovascular AMD, DME, retinal vein occlusion, posterior uveitis, inherited retinal disease, AIDS-related ocular disease, and cataract.
Why Join Us?
This position offers hybrid work with the requirement to be on-site 50% of the time to include events, photographer, videography and in-service meetings. We provide flexible work schedules, comprehensive benefits, and professional development. Our team is passionate about making a positive impact on eye disease, and we are looking for individuals who share that commitment.
Compensation:
The starting salary/hourly wage for the position is $48,107.
Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.
SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026
Required Qualifications:
Minimum 3 years of work experience in communications, marketing, or related field.
Minimum of 1 year professional writing experience.
Experience managing web content, preferably using WordPress or similar platform, with a focus on digital accessibility.
Demonstrated skill with photography and/or videography, including basic photo and video editing.
Critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in healthcare, academic research or working with clinical trials.
Experience supporting business development or sponsor communications in clinical research, biotech, med‑device, CRO, or academic medical settings.
Experience with Canva, adobe, PowerPoint, teams, and/or Smartsheet’s.
Familiarity with InDesign or other graphic design programs.
Education:
Bachelors Degree Preferred .
How to Apply:
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To apply for this position, select either “I am a current employee” or “I am not a current employee” under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials.
Important: The application has only one attachment field. Upload all required documents in that field, either as a single combined file or as multiple files in the same upload area.
Upload required documents:
• Cover letter
• Resume
University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.
Contact Information:
Beth Reuter, ejreuter@wisc.edu, 608-263-3680.
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Institutional Statement on Diversity:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
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