Description
The Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) in the Cumming School of Medicine invites applications for a Manager, Communications. This Full-time, Fixed Term position is for approximately 12 months, with the possibility of extension.
The Manager, Communications, supports both ACHRI and One Child Every Child (OCEC), reporting to the Executive Director of both entities. The role collaborates closely with leadership teams and coordinates efforts with communications units across the Cumming School of Medicine, the Vice President (Research) portfolio, and Office of Communications and Community Engagement.
The Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) is one of seven research institutes in the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) at the University of Calgary (UCalgary). ACHRI is a collaborative partnership between UCalgary, Alberta Health Services, and the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, bringing together a diverse community of researchers in basic, clinical, and population health sciences across multiple faculties. ACHRI leads UCalgary's Child Health and Wellness Strategy, guided by a vision to improve the health and well-being of children, families, and communities around the world.
ACHRI also leads the implementation of OCEC, a $125 million initiative funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) reporting to the Vice President Research at UCalgary. OCEC aims to transform child health research in Canada by advancing equity, supporting Indigenous-led knowledge creation, and fostering innovation. This cross-sector initiative brings together researchers, Indigenous communities, health-care providers, educators, equity-deserving groups, and other partners to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Partner institutions include University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge, and Athabasca University.
One Child Every Child is a Parallel Paths project that has Indigenous and non-Indigenous Paths. All members of the program will perform training on work with Indigenous people, communities and data. Experience with Indigenous community-based work is an asset for members of the OCEC research team.
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
LEADERSHIP (40%):
- Leads, coaches, and mentors team members, fostering a collaborative, high-trust environment that supports professional growth, continuous learning and strengthened internal partnerships.
- Supports staff in developing individualized professional development plans and promotes knowledge sharing, coaching, and training to sustain high service standards.
- Proactively addresses conflict and team dynamics, guiding resolution toward productive, mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Assesses workflows to identify and implement high-impact opportunities for AI integration (e.g., generative content, analytics, automation) to enhance efficiency, support content delivery, and balance team capacity.
- Management liaison for Communications Advisory Committee whose mandate is to strengthen alignment and coordination of communication activities across ACHRI, OCEC, CSM and VPR Office.
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS (30%):
- Develops and executes integrated marketing and communications plans that advance the reputation and priorities of OCEC and ACHRI, aligned with UCalgary and CSM plans and brand standards.
- Provides counsel to ACHRI and OCEC leadership, teams and stakeholders on messaging, media relations, and reputation management, ensuring consistency across all channels and initiatives.
- Oversees the creation and delivery of compelling content (digital, print, social media, campaigns, and events) to engage internal and external audiences and showcase research, partnerships, and impact.
- Leads internal communications strategies in collaboration with HR, Finance, and leadership teams to foster a connected and high-performing culture.
Ensures alignment and coordination of communications across ACHRI, OCEC, and university-wide efforts, focusing resources on shared goals and high-impact opportunities including coordinating with the Office of Communications and Community Engagement to ensure consistent messaging through internal and external communications. - Manages vendor relationships and external contributors to support design, media, and content needs; ensures quality and consistency in deliverables.
- Oversees web and digital presence for OCEC and ACHRI, including engagement platforms and expert directories to support outreach.
- Drives visibility of ACHRI and OCEC locally, nationally, and internationally through targeted storytelling, media engagement, social media, and events.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT (30%):
- Leads the planning, implementation, and evaluation of communications initiatives that align with ACHRI and OCEC business objectives and performance metrics.
- Advises leadership on resource allocation to support high-impact communications projects that advance strategic goals.
- Leverages the expertise and experience of the Communications Advisory Committee to strengthen collaboration and coordination across UCalgary and CSM communication ecosystem.
- Collaborates with internal partners including, the VPR Office, Strategic Marketing and Communications, CSM Communications, and the Office of Communications and Community Engagement to align and coordinate messaging across institutional initiatives.
- Liaises with the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation to ensure consistent, collaborative approaches to joint announcements, events, and initiatives, supporting positive and productive partnerships.
Qualifications / Requirements:
- Post-secondary degree in marketing, communications, public relations, business, or a related field.
- 5-10 years of progressive experience in marketing and communications, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
- Proven ability to develop and implement marketing and communications plans, including brand strategy and large-scale campaigns tailored to diverse audiences.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex information into clear, compelling content across formats and platforms.
- Experience with event planning, media engagement, and community outreach.
- Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with a track record of building and maintaining effective relationships across internal teams and external stakeholders, including funders and partners.
- Demonstrated expertise in producing content for various channels, including digital, social media, print, and in-person aligned with best practices in audience engagement.
- In-depth understanding of social media strategy and its role in reputation building.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
- Experience introducing or working with AI tools and platforms to enhance workflows, content creation, and team efficiency; ability to troubleshoot and optimize AI-driven processes.
Application Deadline: Open until a suitable candidate is found; resumes will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
This position is classified in the Management Career Band, Level 1 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.
For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.
About the University of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.
As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments(equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.
We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
