Job Summary

The Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice (CNSJ) at the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health (Center) works to promote health, nonviolence and social justice through trauma informed practice, research, professional development, and advocacy for policy change. The flagship programs of the Center are Healing Hurt People, an innovative hospital and community-based violence intervention program and the Community Health Worker/Certified Peer Specialist (CHWP) Training Academy, a trauma informed, mutual learning workforce development program for out-of-school youth with lived experience of violence to gain credentials and become healers and helpers in their own communities.

The Research and Communication Specialist will be responsible for two main functions: 1) Support the CNSJ Executive Director research activities pertaining to the completion of the Stoneleigh Fellowship: This research focuses on the impact of evidence-based and promising practices on the mental health of youth impacted by trauma, with a focus on racial and ethnic minorities and LGBTQ youth. This position will support research activities pertaining to health equity and improving the mental health of the populations served by the CNSJ. 2) Communications Specialist: will develop, manage, and execute communications and marketing strategy in support of the Center’s mission and objectives. The Communications Specialist promotes on-brand messaging through digital, social media and traditional channels with the goal of raising awareness and promoting the CNSJ. This role is responsible for developing an annual communications and marketing plan to reach core constituents: practitioners, funders, researchers, faculty, staff, students and members of the public interested in engaging with CNSJ. The role will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams – within CNSJ, the Dornsife School of Public Health and across Drexel University – to produce effective content promoting the Center, its events, research and news.

The person in this role will be actively engaged with CNSJ staff and participants, supporting new ideas and research areas, improving the gathering, tracking and analysis of research data, and assisting the CNSJ Executive Director with presentations, lectures, and other materials to communicate research findings. The Research and Communications Specialist will be involved in strategy development, writing and graphic design related to communications activities of CNSJ. The position requires creativity, versatility, diplomacy, and proficiency in the skills required for content creation. The Communications Specialist will also be responsible for designing and disseminating research and policy briefs created at the CNSJ. The candidate should be collaborative and eager to learn new approaches to marketing and communications and be willing to experiment with new technologies. The position will collaborate and coordinate with DSPH and University communications staff to coordinate all CNSJ communications activities.

Essential Functions

• The applicant will be expected to: Assist in the research and evaluation of mental health services in a hospital and community-based VIP setting:

  • Support the CNSJ Executive Director in all aspects of research activities
  • Fostering community engagement with a focus on Black and Latino youth and families and LGBTQ youth, in order to support the promotion of equitable research that is relevant to and co-constructed with, the communities being served.

  • Utilization of research tools, i.e., CNSJ’s electronic health record, N-Vivo; Dedoose, End Note, to support data gathering, coding, and verification in accordance with research protocol and enter data into a database for subsequent analysis.
  • Submission of research protocols to the respective Institutional Review Board (IRB) and follow up to ensure full compliance with IRB’s requirements.
  • Develop interview schedules; contact potential subjects to introduce and explain study objectives and protocol and conduct interviews with research subjects.
  • Prepare materials for submission to CNSJ funders, conferences, presentations, and scientific journals.

• Communications Specialist:
  • Work collaboratively with Dornsife’s Communications Manager to support the CNSJ communications and marketing efforts
  • Develop and execute marketing and communications strategies, while maintaining consistent brand messaging for the CNSJ, as well as work that is consistent with the overall branding of the Dornsife School of Public Health.
  • Create and maintain social media content and graphics, website content, promotional emails, and marketing materials including digital advertising and some print advertising such as fact sheets, brochures and posters. Solicit content from staff, program participants and faculty –
  • Support CNSJ project teams’ seasonal marketing efforts through a content management system (CMS) and email marketing platform
  • Lead all owned and shared media initiatives for CNSJ’s programs and events
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• A master's degree in public health or the equivalent combination of education and work experience.
  • Please review the  Equivalency Chart for additional information.
• 2 years of relevant work experience is required at minimum.
• Sensitivity to issues of race, violence, and trauma.
• Demonstrated project management skills, ability to prioritize and complete a wide range of projects to specified deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent time management, organizational, communication, and collaborative skills.
• Demonstrated professional writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Experience with email marketing campaigns.
• Experience with updating and maintaining website content through a CMS (e.g. Sitecore).
• Knowledge of social media, both as a marketer and as a user.
• Experience with design and editing tools, such as Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Canva, Spark, etc.
• Use excellent judgment in understanding and effectively executing media aligned with our brand identity.
• Be accountable for attention to detail and for meeting deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of, or ability to quickly master and use, social media listening, reporting, and scheduling and analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics, etc.).
• General understanding of search engine optimization (SEO).
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (e.g., InDesign, Illustrator) or willingness to learn independently.
• Experience with project management software a plus.
• Knowledge of or interest in urban public health, behavioral health and/or workforce development.
• Experience working or interacting with individuals who have experienced violence, trauma, homelessness, incarceration, substance use and/or mental health challenges.

Physical Requirements

• Typically sitting at a desk/table
• Typically bending, crouching, stooping
• Typically standing, walking
• Lifting demands ≤ 25lbs

Location

• Center City – Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as exempt, grade K. Compensation for this grade ranges from a minimum of $54,630.00 to a maximum of $81,940.00 per year. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review. 

We encourage you to explore Drexel's Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on our compensation framework.

You can also find valuable information about our benefits in the Benefits Brochure.

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.