Senior Writer, School of Medicine - UW Medicine, Strategic Communications
About the role
The Senior Writer position within UW Medicine's Strategic Communications team is dedicated to creating compelling executive and organizational communications that inform, engage, and connect audiences across UW Medicine and beyond. Reporting to the Director of Internal Communications, this role involves translating complex, sensitive, and time-sensitive information into clear, strategic messaging across various formats.
Responsibilities
Executive and Leadership Communications (45%) - Draft and refine high-visibility communications on behalf of senior leaders across UW Medicine, ensuring each message reflects the leader’s voice, priorities, and intended audience. Write and adapt content for speeches, talking points, presentations, videos, and multimedia campaigns that translate strategic priorities into clear, compelling messaging. Navigate a variety of topics and translate complex and sensitive information into clear, concise, and strategic messages for internal and external audiences consistent with institutional priorities. Guide message review and approval processes, exercising sound judgment to ensure communications are accurate, timely, polished, and aligned with institutional goals.
Strategic Communications and Storytelling (35%) - Create engaging, error-free content for a wide variety of audiences, including faculty, staff, physicians, nurses, researchers, students, and community members, and across channels and formats such as email, intranet, presentations, video, social media, and feature stories. Develop, edit, proof, and fact-check content to ensure consistency with UW Medicine’s brand voice, style standards, and accessibility expectations. Use communications platforms and digital tools to deliver targeted messaging, monitor engagement, and coordinate timing and channel strategy with communications partners.
Communications Consulting and Editorial Support (10%) - Build and maintain effective working relationships with leaders, faculty, staff, and other constituents across UW Medicine to stay informed on priorities and emerging communications needs. Provide editorial review and strategic communications consultation to help colleagues and partners strengthen message clarity, effectiveness, and audience alignment.
Crisis and Rapid-Response Communications (5%) - Support urgent and sensitive communications needs by helping develop and deliver timely, accurate messaging for emerging issues and in critical situations. Collaborate with leaders, subject matter experts, and communications partners on coordinated crisis and rapid-response communications efforts.
Other (5%) - Perform related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree with emphasis on communications, writing, public relations, journalism, or related field.
Three to four years of demonstrated success with organizational and executive communications for a healthcare organization and developing written and video content on behalf of C-suite leaders.
Preferred Qualifications
Five to eight years of demonstrated success with organizational and executive communications for an academic organization, writing on behalf of C-suite leaders.
Five years of communications experience in an academic health system.
Experience working in a large, multi-faceted academic health system.
Demonstrated experience in video creation, including scripting, storyboarding, directing, or producing.
Familiarity with video editing tools and production workflows (e.g., Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro).
Experience in mission-driven organizations.
Familiarity with the AP style.
Experience with different communication tools, such as content management systems like SharePoint, Drupal, WordPress and Simpplr and email platforms such as Marketo.