Senior Communications Officer, Web Strategist – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Seattle, WA

The Team

In June 2020, the foundation hired a Chief Communications Officer and established a new Communications Division to oversee the foundation’s global communications strategy. The division brings together internal and external communications to advance the foundation’s mission of a more equitable world.

 

The global Content and Campaigns team is responsible for targeting and engaging priority audiences with compelling content and campaigns to help advance our advocacy and programmatic goals and support the foundation’s brand. The team facilitates the development and implementation of integrated marketing campaigns and managing foundation brand channels in alignment with our priorities. The team includes Goalkeepers, The Discovery Center, gatesfoundation.org, The Optimist, social media management and the overall channel strategy and for the foundation and its leadership.

 

The Content and Campaigns team develops creative strategy and content in alignment with program strategies and brand guidelines to improve audience engagement and drive program and advocacy goals. The team defines the creative direction in coordination with the brand strategy and works with our program and regional communications functions to develop and implement content for a variety of digital channels and campaigns.

 

Your Role

A Senior Communications Officer (SCO) – Web Strategist is a key member of the Channels and Engagement team, and a member of the broader Communications Division. Reporting to the Deputy Director of Channels and Engagement, the position is intended to be based in Seattle or Washington, D.C., noting that remote work is possible depending on the circumstance and location.

 

The SCO – Web Strategist is responsible for building the strategic vision and roadmap for gatesfoundation.org, the Discovery Center, and Goalkeepers websites as part of a broader digital ecosystem, as well as guiding brand and communications decisions on web standards, compliance, and improvements across all websites created by or for the foundation (e.g., Goalkeepers, the Discovery Center, etc.). The position requires a high level of cross-functional collaboration with editorial, content, and the measurement & insights teams, in addition to business functions such as IT and legal.

 

Candidates will have successfully led web projects by understanding business and communications goals and translating them into website solutions and demonstrated leadership in driving critical thinking for impactful digital experiences, initiating customer insight studies, channel efficacy reports, roadmap planning, partner management, and steering committee leadership.

 

Conviction in the web as a storytelling medium that can drive user success and business outcomes, demonstrable through a portfolio of improvements to web marketing initiatives, comprehensive web presence plans, and execution.

The individual for this role needs to be an outstanding systems problem solver and should have experience working in CMS platforms and Google Analytics, as well as a solid grounding in HTML, SEO, and ADA compliance.

 

What You’ll Do

• Help channels team influence strategic decisions across all the corners of our web presence and connect with social channel efforts
• Lead a team in planning, implementing, managing, optimizing, and maintaining the website platform that includes multiple web strategies: gatesfoundation.org, brand.gatesfoundation.org, Goalkeepers, and other foundation branded websites (e.g., usprogram.gatesfoundation.org, Gates Philanthropy Partners, etc.)
• Develop ongoing service improvements and defining the long-term roadmap for the web services. Own case formulation & service development process for new components and tools related to web optimization.
• Work in partnership with editorial and channel teams to prioritize web projects and experiments based on qualitative/quantitative research Communications Division priorities
• Maintain relationship with external web agency and collaborate with agency’s strategist, business analysts, UI/UX designers, and front & backend developers to improve and expand Gates web platform.
• Help develop and expand our information architecture, strategic roadmaps, and editorial direction
• In conjunction with M&I team and external design agency analytics team, design A/B and multivariate tests and lead/advise usability testing
• Coordinate and develop streamlined processes for web production between content producers and agency.
• Represent the Communications Division on the Website Advisory Group to maintain standards related to brand and design, implement outstanding 3rd party tools for analytics, user insights, personalization, marketing automations & page optimization for websites created by or for the foundation.
• Help educate colleagues on the importance of web, lead senior partners, and be a strong communicator.
• Have a solid understanding of technical SEO ranking factors, and how those translate into requirements for on-page metadata, internal linking + site structure

 

Your Experience

• Solid understanding of web and mobile design and web user experiences
• Expertise in visual design or UX with strong visual style and detailed understanding of how typography, layout, color, images, and interactivity impact design
• Demonstrated ability to drive and implement improvements through test-and-learn and best- practices; knowledge of (familiarity with?) SEO, A/B and multivariate testing and a track record of educating business partners as to their efficacy and utility.
• Experience collaborating closely with UI/UX designers and developers and/or handling external web agency to build websites
• Experience working in an agile environment
• Excellent analytical skills and confidence using data to drive decisions
• Possession of excellent written, oral and presentation skills, particularly the ability to articulate a compelling digital activation and customer story
• Strong understanding of project management.
• Excel at establishing relationships, both internally and with leadership
• Familiarity with Sitecore a plus
• Passion for the foundation’s mission.

 

Candidate must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

 

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Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

 

Depending upon your work location, we may require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 and any recommended booster doses. All employees based in the United States are to provide proof of full vaccination upon hire and any recommended boosters, subject to applicable laws.

 

Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to [email protected].

 

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We’re committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. We also believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve—in race, gender, age, cultures and beliefs—and we support this diversity through all of our employment practices.

 

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.