Description
Position Summary
It is a transformational time at the University of Colorado with digital education playing a key role in the future of the university. The Office of Digital Education, which shares the mission to serve the needs of businesses committed to advancing workforce talent, and to reach adult learners and the community with innovative educational programs, is searching for a full-time university staff (unclassified) Copywriter position. The Office of Digital Education reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and serves all four campus Chancellors, leveraging the combined expertise of these innovative units to advance the campus’ capabilities to support the needs of today’s employers. As such, the department is entering a period of rapid evolution and growth. The investment by the President’s Office in the Office of Digital Education, combined with recent commitments focused on online education by the University of Colorado Board of Regents, makes this a rare and exciting opportunity to work with this team.

As Copywriter you will directly support the Office of Digital Education in the creation of high-quality content and copy. Successful candidates in this role are natural collaborators with the ability to translate best practices into compelling copy for websites, email, search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) initiatives, banner ads, brochures, social media, print ads, video, radio, press releases, posters, and other marketing materials. 

As a Copywriter you’re a doer who lives to ideate and takes great pride in completing creative and technical copy that will impact our key initiatives. You’re curious about how data can shape copy direction, how brand storytelling connects across touchpoints, and how technology can amplify clever, brilliant, creative ideas. 

The right person for this role is highly-motivated, reliable, detail-oriented, a creative thinker, and thrives on creating high-quality copy solutions. If you are someone with a mind for storytelling who is grounded in strategic brand thinking and are comfortable working on fast-paced timelines, then this is a great role for you. This position requires excellent time management, strategic thinking, and acute communication skills, and the ability to accurately implement feedback. The scope of work flows between writing for new and existing websites, producing copy for special projects, editing copy, and providing different perspectives for copy content. 

This position reports to the Director of Creative Services and is exempt from the State of Colorado Classified Staff System.
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to: 

• Write world-class marketing copy that captures the target audience’s attention and influences action/conversion.
• Write world-class programmatic copy that accurately conveys information about various programs to potential students
• Edit content to ensure consistent quality, voice, messaging, and brand standards. 
• Generate original and innovative ideas. Participate in brainstorm sessions to develop focused and testable messaging strategy for a variety of projects. 
• Collaborate and communicate with the creative, marketing and digital media teams in content concepting, creation, promotion, measurement and refinement.
• Provide constructive feedback to other team members ensuring adherence to standards and in-house styles as well as correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling; clear up confusing and awkward writing; enforce parallel construction; correct citation errors or omissions; ensure Title IV compliance, address copyright, permissions, and plagiarism issues.
• Partner with our internal marketing team to ensure email, text and Push communications are integrated and appropriately branded with simplicity, clarity and brand voice. 
• Understand the goals of CU, our brand standards, and the voice of our university. 
• Understand our high-level goals and reflect this in all written content
• Possess a highly functional knowledge of various style guides including AP Style, Chicago Style, and overall marketing communication strategy.
• Track best practices, stylistic guidelines, and communication preferences for CU and the Office of Digital Education. Maintain style guides, and procedures as necessary documentation for use throughout the company.

This description is a summary only and is describing the general level of work being performed.  It is not intended to be all-inclusive, and the duties of this position may change based on business need. We reserve the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the supervisor and/or hiring authority.

Who we are:
System Administration, which also houses the Office of the President, is located in the uptown neighborhood of Denver with a few smaller offices located on the campuses.  However, this position has the ability to work remotely.  Many of our departments support the educational and research missions of the four University of Colorado campuses, but System Administration is not considered a campus. We provide diverse opportunities for professional development, innovation, and collaboration with talented staff and faculty.  Learn more about CU System Administration.
The University of Colorado has been proactive in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can visit our COVID-19 webpage for more information.
 

What we offer:

Salary: The salary range has been established at $60,000-$65,000.

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Benefits: The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision and Wellness
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
  • Vacation Days: 22
  • Sick Days: 15
  • Holiday Days: 10
• Tuition Benefit: System employees have the benefit on all campuses 
• ECO Pass: RTD Bus and light rail service
• Additional Perks & Programs: Click here to access a few more Perks and Programs

Click here to access our Total Compensation Calculator to see what your total rewards could be at CU. This position is a University Staff position.

Additional taxable fringe benefits may be available.

More information on benefits programs, including eligibility, is available at  www.cu.edu/employee-services/

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Highly functional understanding of marketing copy and direct response marketing
• Understanding of SEO, PPC, Social, and general inbound marketing strategies
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as a member of a team
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
• Proficient working with Content Management System (CMS), Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Power Point, and Excel
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to receive feedback and effectively implement into copy content
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion

Qualifications
Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or equivalent professional experience (professional experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis). 
• Three (3) years of experience in education, marketing, journalism, publications, corporate communications, or editing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s and/or Graduate degree in English, journalism, marketing, or other field directly related to the work assignment
• Five (5) years’ experience in education, marketing, journalism, publications, corporate communications, or editing
• Experience working within Higher Education
• Experience with AP Style, copy editing, journalism
• Experience using a Content Management System (CMS)

Job Category: Communication
Primary Location: Denver
Schedule: Full-time
Posting Date: Jul 27, 2021
Unposting Date: Ongoing