Job Summary

A communication specialist for Chemical Engineering (ChE) in the College of Engineering, reporting to the Director of Communications in Engineering Administration, this role will advance awareness, affinity, engagement, and demand for Purdue Engineering through marcom and media excellence. With a primary focus on managing and coordinating communications, this role is responsible for conceptualizing and producing creative content on brand and on strategy across various media channels. To be successful, the candidate will need to exhibit coordination and creative skills, as well as collaboration with the creative, administrative, and academic teams across the College and campus.

This position offers a chance to make a meaningful impact at a prestigious institution known for innovation and research excellence. Join our community of lifelong learners and contribute your skills to this critical program. At Purdue, you'll find unrivaled pride and unlimited potential as we persistently pursue the next giant leap together. Take the next step in your career journey - apply now to help build a better world at Purdue University.

This is a dual level posting where the hiring manager will determine the level commensurate with the education and experience of the chosen candidate.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Serve as communications specialist for Chemical Engineering, guided by the College and by the objectives and the strategy of the school’s projects, initiatives, or campaigns.
• Work closely with writers, designers, photographers, videographers, web developers, event coordinators, subject-matter experts, and leadership/administration to create best-in-class, strategic, relevant, and audience-appropriate content from concept to implementation, including graphics and designs for digital platforms and print projects.
• Manipulate & enhance photos.
• Work with members of the College team to ensure the brand standards are developed, followed, and consistent throughout all mediums; integrate brand content across channels and audiences, which include prospective students and faculty; alumni/donors; industry, gov’t, academic partners; various stakeholders; and campus audiences.
• Work with a variety of personnel (staff, faculty, administrators) as well as students and entities outside Purdue as necessary.
• Outputs include brand creative, feature and news creative, website maintenance, social media content, promotional materials and campaign creative.
• Oversee ChE’s digital platforms, such as the website and social media, ensuring adherence to brand, accuracy, and accessibility, making updates as needed. Create and curate up-to-date, highly engaging, audience-appropriate content for the website and digital platforms, such as FB, LI, X, IG, and YT.
• Maintain school and faculty lab/research group websites by posting timely news items/events, update faculty and staff directories upon request, and implement content updates as needed.
• Work with the College videographers (staff and freelance) to conceptualize and create videos and animations for digital platforms and events.
• Monitor, track, and report social media engagement metrics and website analytics for continual improvement.
• Develop, implement, and manage integrated strategic communications plan for ChE.
• Oversee the writing and editing of informational and marketing collateral, such as annual reports, newsletters, brochures, and flyers.
• Oversee the writing and editing of news articles and press releases, coordinating with the College and with Purdue News Service, and other units across campus, as well as Purdue partners.
• To inform planning, conduct research on industry practices, peer institutions, campus partners and their competitors, and target audiences to support creative strategy, identify opportunities for content, and inform execution. 
• Work toward continual improvement.

About Us:

The Davidson School of Chemical Engineering is home to top-ranked undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering graduate programs, six members of the National Academy of Engineering, two members of the National Academy of Inventors, and two awardees of the National Medal of Technology. The faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students discover and disseminate knowledge in cross-cutting areas that significantly move both fundamental principles and translational practices forward. As such, the School plays key roles in many large centers such as the NSF-sponsored CISTAR ERC and the LyoHub while having strong connections to entities such as the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery and Purdue University Center for Cancer Research. Our School strives to foster diversity, promote sustainability, and encourage people to ask the tough questions.

The Davidson School of Chemical Engineering is an integral part of Purdue’s College of Engineering. Purdue Engineering is one of the largest and top-ranked engineering colleges in the nation  (2nd public college for engineering, 3rd for online graduate engineering programs, 4th for graduate programs, 5th in the world for utility patents, and 8th for undergraduate programs) and renowned for top-notch faculty, students, unique research facilities, and a culture of collegiality and excellence. The College goal of Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale is guiding strategic growth in new directions, by investing in people, exciting initiatives, and facilities.

What We're Looking For:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in field related to communications
• Three (3) years of design experience
• Experience working across digital mediums
• Experience with creating compelling messages/graphics for different target demographics
• Portfolio examples required

Skills needed:

• Proven track record in managing prioritizing and meeting multiple deadlines.
• Proven organizational abilities, including time and resource management.
• Expertise with Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, photo manipulation, HTML, CSS, web content management systems. 
• Ability to design and create graphics primarily for use in digital formats (web/video/social media/email) but also for print.
• Ability to bring strategy and message to life through visualization by conceptualizing designs for research, events, profiles, and other subjects for the College's stories.
• Expert knowledge of industry standards with up-to-the minute currency regarding social media platforms--YouTube, Facebook, X, IG, LinkedIn--and the analytical tools used to measure results as well as any management tools associated with these platforms.
• Know how to improve results and cull stories from social media.
• Proven track record in web design and in maintaining web pages according to industry standards.
• Ability to use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor, track and report relevant website analytics.
• Familiarity using digital asset management systems and creative platforms like PhotoShelter and Canva, and project management platforms in fulfilling creative requests.
• Skills in creative concepting and iteration, and presentation.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with external and internal constituents.

Who We Are:

Purdue is a community built on collaboration, with global perspectives, Boilermaker pride and endless opportunity to live, learn and grow. Join us and contribute to our culture.

Additional Information:

• Purdue’s benefits summary https://www.purdue.edu/hr/Benefits/
• Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for this position  
• A background check will be required for employment in this position
• FLSA: Exempt (Not Eligible For Overtime)
• Retirement Eligibility:  Defined Contribution Waiting Period

Career Stream

Compensation Information:
Professional 2
Pay Band S060
Job Code#20003093

Professional 3
Pay Band S065
Job Code#20003094

 
Link to Purdue University's Compensation Guidelines: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/mngcareer/compguidelines/index.php

EOE

Purdue University is an EO/EA University