Communications and Operations Specialist

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary:
  Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 25
• Standard
  
  Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $60,000 to $62,820

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

The Communications and Operations Specialist serves as the primary communications and operational support for the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics (APAM). This part‑time (25 hours per week) position manages a broad range of digital, editorial, and administrative functions designed to strengthen the department’s visibility and operational excellence. Through integrated digital communications, effective stakeholder coordination, and strategic support, the Specialist ensures that APAM’s programs, people, and achievements are represented with professionalism and impact.

The role directly contributes to enhancing the department’s reputation within Columbia University and the broader academic and research community.

• Website and Digital Content Management (30%): Oversees and maintains the APAM website, which includes over 1,000 individual pages. This includes regular updates to seminar listings, department news, faculty and staff profiles, and faculty committee assignments, as well as biannual updates reflecting SEAS Bulletin changes. The Specialist identifies and corrects broken links, maintains archival content in SLATE, and ensures that all website materials comply with Columbia University’s brand and accessibility standards.
  
  Every four to five years, the Specialist leads a comprehensive website redesign in collaboration with the Department Chair, reviewing site architecture and migrating content into new templates.
• Email and Newsletter Communications (30%): Develops and distributes the weekly APAM events and seminar email during the academic year, coordinating with administrative staff across Student Affairs, Medical Physics, Career Services, and student organizations such as AMPS to gather content. They design and send a weekly departmental e‑newsletter highlighting seminars, events, and student activities, post all events to the Columbia University Events Calendar and APAM website, and send targeted seminar invitations and reminders.
  
  The Specialist also reconciles monthly P‑Card charges related to the department’s Mailchimp email campaign subscriptions.
• Department and External Newsletters (20%): Twice a year, in January and June, the Specialist designs, writes, and publishes the APAM Department Newsletter in print, web, and e‑newsletter formats in partnership with the Department Chair. This includes tracking faculty achievements and publications, drafting and editing feature stories on research and student activities, and obtaining permissions for reprinted materials and images. Additionally, the Specialist produces a quarterly External Chairs Newsletter, distributed to department chairs and peer institutions nationwide in Applied Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Materials Science to promote visibility and enhance APAM’s academic reputation.
• Social Media and Public Engagement (10%): Manages and grows APAM’s social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), Linked In, and You Tube. They develop and share engaging content that highlights departmental news, faculty research, and community events while supporting Columbia Engineering’s broader communications and fundraising initiatives, such as the annual Pi Day campaign. The Specialist monitors engagement metrics and ensures all content aligns with university social media guidelines and accessibility standards.
• Collaboration and Brand Liaison (5%): Serving as the department’s primary communications liaison, the Specialist works closely with the Columbia Engineering Dean’s Office communications team to ensure consistency with institutional…