Communications & Program Assistant

The Communications & Program Assistant will provide both communications and administrative support for Evidence for Action (E4A), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation housed within the Center for Health and Community at UCSF. This is an entry-level position with a great deal of potential for learning and growth.

Evidence for Action has several communications goals that this person will help advance, including but not limited to conducting targeted and general outreach to potential applicants for the E4A funding opportunity; supporting our grantees in disseminating their research to individuals and groups beyond the academic setting so findings can be used to affect real world change; and affecting change in the research space by encouraging changes to the status quo of how research is done.

The individual in this position will support advancement toward these goals by drafting and posting content for distribution through the E4A website, social media channels, blog, newsletter, and other outlets; developing outreach, applicant, and grantee dissemination materials such as one-pagers, applicant guides, PowerPoint presentations, and webinars; drafting grantee elevation plans and tracking progress toward implementation; tracking analytics related to these activities to gauge success, as well as making recommendations regarding future strategies.

The person will also monitor the E4A email account, responding to or forwarding messages to the relevant individual(s) as appropriate. They will also support E4A’s application and review process, which includes maintaining several SmartSheet tracking sheets, sending weekly review meeting agendas, taking and synthesizing review meeting notes, tracking and verifying review decisions, transferring information and content between relevant sheets and systems, importing applications from the RWJF application and review system, troubleshooting applicant issues, coordinating external reviews and compensation, and other activities.

The incumbent will also perform additional administrative support tasks, as needed, which may include coordinating logistics for virtual and in-person meetings and other convenings, arranging travel, processing reimbursements, selecting venues, working with purchasing staff to ensure contracts are signed and deposits paid, and related activities. This person will also be responsible for maintaining the E4A calendar - scheduling calls with grantees and applicants, workshops, virtual office hours, and other programmatic meetings and events. Other duties will also be assigned on an ad hoc basis.

The person in this role will use tools such as Drupal, Hootsuite, Constant Contact, the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Google Workspace and Analytics, SmartSheet, Zoom, and Canva. Experience using these tools is not required, but interest in learning how to use them is a must. This person should also be able to manage multiple deadlines, communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing, work in a team-oriented and collaborative environment, and manage time efficiently. We are looking for someone who is creative and has a strong eye for detail, a willingness to ask questions to clarify instructions, and a desire for continuous learning and growth in this position.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Minimum of 1 year of related experience.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook and Powerpoint.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines by maintaining a high level of organization.
• Ability to manage time efficiently and be proactive.
• Ability to maintain timelines and adapt as needed to changing priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with, or interest in learning, Drupal, SmartSheet, the Adobe Creative Cloud, Hoosuite, Canva, Constant Contact, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other software and programs.
• Ability to work in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Interest in continuous learning and growth.
• Adaptable and able to respond quickly to changes in scope and priorities.
• Willingness to ask questions to clarify instructions when needed.
• Problem solver.