Editor-In-Chief/Manager of Creative

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Compensation Range

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is a story-rich environment. Every day, inspiring stories are being created by our students, alumni, faculty and staff. The role of Editor-in-Chief/Manager of Creative will be instrumental in bringing the Faculty's great stories to life and to a broader audience. The position oversees the voice and verbal system for the Faculty's diverse communications landscape.

The Editor-in-Chief/Manager of Creative provides senior leadership to advance the Faculty's strategic communications priorities and initiatives while maintaining and strengthening the brand and reputation of the Faculty and the University at the provincial, national and international level. A key communications portfolio that spans the breadth of the Faculty of Medicine, the position is accountable for developing, implementing and overseeing complex strategic communications and publications to advance the Faculty's strategic priorities in B.C., across Canada and internationally.

The Editor-in-Chief/Manager of Creative strategically directs and leads all aspects of Pathways, the Faculty of Medicine's flagship digital and print magazine, including editorial content and print and digital design. Winner of multiple national and international awards, Pathways is a major international platform for advancing the reputation of the University and the Faculty of Medicine with a global audience that includes leaders in government, healthcare, and post-secondary education, as well as the general public. Pathways plays a key role in the University's and Faculty's advocacy, brand and marketing campaigns, and strategic initiatives from the University and Faculty leadership.

The Editor-in-Chief/Manager of Creative's vision, strategic acumen, and expertise in both written and visual storytelling conveys the power of our story and our brand, and empowers UBC and the Faculty of Medicine to become known by name around the world.

The Editor-in-Chief/Manager of Creative also works with UBC Central Communications; with unit leaders, faculty, staff, and partners at departments, schools, centres and institutes within the Faculty of Medicine; with partners across the University; and with external health and research partners.

Organizational Status

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC's entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone

Ranked among the world's top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty—comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members—is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, 3 schools, and 25 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

The UBC Vancouver Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The City of Vancouver is located on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations territory.

Work Performed

Pathways Magazine

The Editor-in-Chief/Manager of Creative strategically directs and leads all aspects of Pathways, the Faculty of Medicine's flagship digital and print magazine, including editorial content and print and digital design.

1. Defines and implements the editorial vision to ensure alignment of the FoM strategic plan, publication goals, target audience and provincial, national and international health trends.

2. Responsible for making informed decisions on key communications topics and themes to amplify the Faculty's and University's strategic plan. This includes conceptualizing and overseeing the development and execution of persuasive, accessible, and inspirational communications in all forms across all Faculty of Medicine communications channels, demonstrating the Faculty's impact.

3. Identifies new and innovative ways to share Faculty's stories and successes that demonstrates return on investment to government and research donors while illustrating impact on wider audience that enhances the reputation of the Faculty and its people.

4. Directs, develops and manages editorial content, overseeing the writing and editing of stories, headlines, display copy and video scripts to ensure it aligns with editorial standards, objectives and FoM brand marketing.

5. Oversees art direction and design.

6. Conceptualizes and creates interactive storytelling features.

7. Ensures content is accurate, well-researched, and compelling, maintaining high quality across all platforms

8. Hires, leads and manages internal and external contractors and suppliers of writers, photographers, videographers, web developers, illustrators, graphic designers, print and digital production, to ensure quality and timeliness of the publication.

9. Collaborates across the Creative and Communications team in the strategic marketing of each issue, including the creation and execution of promotional strategies and marketing materials on multiple communications platforms.

10. Directs the design, development and execution of issue launch events.

11. Oversee the editorial budget, ensuring efficient and timely use of resources, and cost effective execution.

General Communications

1. Accountable for ensuring the consistency the UBC brand identity, including the tone of voice and verbal system for the Faculty's diverse communications landscape.

2. Supervises and directs the work of the Creative Writer position, and provides mentorship and oversight to other junior members of the team.

3. Leads conceptualization and ideation for strategic and tactical Faculty initiatives, including Dean's messages, campaigns and one-off executions.

4. Writes key speeches for the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and UBC Vice-President, Health, presented locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.

5. Manages and produces content that effectively communicates with the target audience and fulfills project objectives. The writing may include headlines and editorial copy, scripts for videos, institutional overviews, marketing and social media copy, and broadcast emails.

6. Researches, analyzes and produces written content that aligns with topics and themes defined by the Faculty's content strategy for med.ubc.ca.

7. Provides strategic communications, marketing consultation and general editorial advice to communicators across all of the Faculty's departments and schools.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Must be able to work independently and exercise extensive judgement and decision making in creating and managing written content. This position has significant influence and impact on building the reputation of FoM as a world leading Faculty of health research, locally, nationally, and internationally. The image of FoM created will play a key role in its ability to attract the top-tier faculty and students, which is required to be successful in conducting ground -breaking research. This will also play a role in the ability to consistently attract the high levels of funding it requires to lead fundamental research.

Supervision Received
As a senior member of the Faculty of Medicine Communications team, the position reports to the Executive Director, Office of Creative and Communications.

Supervision Given

Manages and directs the creative writer position, provides mentorship and oversight to junior members of the team and directs the work of team members on Pathways, as well as internal and external service providers where needed. (e.g., design firms, production companies, freelance writers and designers, etc.).

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum six years of related experience, or communication services, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

A Master's degree in creative writing, journalism, communication arts or equivalent.

Experience working in an advertising or digital agency as a senior editor/creative copywriter or equivalent environment.

Ability to see big-picture opportunities and challenges while managing the finer details. An innovative thinker who creates the voice of the UBC Faculty of Medicine, brings our stories to life, and has a clear sightline to which ones resonate with our various audiences.

Proven highly versatile writing skills. Portfolio necessary.

Journalistic experience writing about science/medicine for a general audience is an asset.

Proven experience in development and deployment of communications strategies and programs.
Experienced and fully fluent in using content management systems and related tools.

Thorough knowledge and understanding of digital engagement strategies — how to entertain, inform and provide utility whether on a mobile app or in social media.

Clear understanding of great branded storytelling.

Multilingual capabilities an asset.