Senior Specialist, Communications and Marketing Strategy

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Posting Reason:

Temporary replacement of a regular position

Job Type:

Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

18

Job Family:

Communications and Advisory Services

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Student Affairs, Communications

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/03/19

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/03/18

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 11

Salary Range:

$90,987.00 - $114,932.00

About Student Affairs :

Student Affairs is at the very heart of the student experience at the University of Ottawa. We recruit the very best future students, support them throughout their university years and leave them well-prepared for fulfilling careers and future studies. Our team of more than 600 dedicated staff provides the services that keep students happy, well and thriving as they pursue their ambitions. We help them apply and enrol for courses, we oversee 11 residences and an award-winning Dining Hall, we organize fun events and varsity sports activities, we run an innovative career development and experiential learning program and much more!

There’s nothing more rewarding than helping future generations reach their full potential at a world-class university. With our wide variety of career opportunities and professional development pathways, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy the experience as much as our students do.

About Client Relations:
Client Relations is a sector within Student Affairs which includes Housing, Food services, Card services, Campus Bookstore, Summer Hoteling, University Centre building and Conventions and Reservations. The sector remains a cornerstone of the university's dedication to student success and community service, with a strong focus on creating a working environment that is responsive, efficient, and student-focused.
 

Position purpose:

The Senior Specialist, Communications and Marketing Strategy serves as the key liaison between the Student Affairs business units and the Marketing and Communications teams. The purpose of this role is to ensure that all communication efforts across business units are integrated, strategic, and relevant. The strategist is also responsible for client‑focused strategies and for shaping the omnichannel vision of the marketing and communications ecosystem, while prioritizing the most effective and relevant student‑focused channels based on the objectives to be achieved.

The Senior Specialist develops and oversees the implementation of communication and marketing strategies designed to promote supported services, their priorities, and sector‑wide initiatives aimed at current and prospective University of Ottawa students.

This role works closely with the managers of the Student Affairs Marketing and Communications Office and their teams, as well as with functional strategists (digital and content), to maximize the reach and effectiveness of promotional efforts across a wide range of communication channels, including web, print, video, social media, advertising, and events.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

Advisory Services:

• Collaborate with stakeholders by acting as the primary point of contact for all marketing and communications support requests for the assigned business unit.

• Serve as a resource person by providing business unit leaders with guidance based on a deep understanding of operations and relevant available data.

• Lead and support the development and implementation of all communication and marketing plans and strategies for the assigned sector or business unit, offering expert advice to enhance the reach and engagement of communication efforts targeting current and/or prospective students.

• Work closely with managers and functional strategists within the Student Affairs Marketing and Communications Office to prioritize files and ensure their execution.

• Support the mission, vision, and strategic priorities of the Associate Vice‑President, Student Affairs, in the development of proposed strategies and content

Oversight of Content and Product Creation:

• Develop and oversee the creation and production of relevant content to support the omnichannel vision of proposed strategies across multiple vehicles (e.g., social media, digital channels, web, video, and print), based on needs and strategic direction.

• Act as the person responsible for implementing proposed strategies and content by assigning tasks to communications officers, digital strategists, graphic designers, and other MARCOM colleagues as needed.

• Ensure quality control of communication products by approving them to confirm alignment with University standards for language, student and institutional branding, and best practices in marketing and communications.

Project Management:

• Ensure that sector priorities are clearly defined and distributed according to the capacity of the Marketing and Communications team to successfully deliver assigned projects.

• Work closely with all stakeholders, including central university marketing and communications teams; oversee cross‑functional teamwork and foster communication and problem‑solving.

• Produce regular performance assessments and identify opportunities to inform future marketing and communication plans developed with business units.
  ​

Research and Analysis:

• Conduct in‑depth research to understand target audiences, the competitive landscape, and the marketing and communication channels to prioritize within the omnichannel environment defined by the Marketing and Communications team’s overall vision.
   

What you will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Seven (7) years of professional experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating marketing and communication strategies.

• Demonstrated skills in strategic planning and the implementation of comprehensive marketing and communication plans.

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing digital strategies and associated content.

• Proven experience creating a variety of communication products and content for multiple platforms.

• Strong ability to interpret data and excellent understanding of best practices in the digital landscape. Ability to understand and interpret industry analytics and apply them to planning and product design to meet client and audience objectives.

• Ability to communicate in both French and English.

• Excellent judgment, initiative, creativity, flexibility, tact, and diplomacy.

• Ability to resolve difficult situations and sensitive issues that may impact the brand.

• Established credibility and authority, with experience building trust and influence with client departments.

• Strong motivation and excellent team spirit.

• Proven ability to build productive partnerships and working relationships with a wide range of internal and external partners.

• Ability to meet the needs of multiple clients and partners simultaneously while balancing speed, quality, and accuracy.

• Excellent interpersonal and problem‑solving skills.

• Willingness to work variable hours, including evenings and weekends.

• Willingness to travel when necessary.

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.