Job Summary

The UX/Content Strategist position within the Recruitment Marketing and Prospective Student Engagement (RMPSE) unit is responsible for managing the content experience of prospective undergraduate students in the Future Student Portal. In this role, you will build out the portal experience by delivering content strategy and by overseeing content from a user-experience (UX) perspective, across all touch points and interactions in the portal. The UX/Content Strategist supports UBC's undergraduate recruitment process by shaping content flows that engage our domestic and international youth audience of prospective students and that ensure they have a positive experience interacting with UBC in the portal. As UX/Content Strategist, you'll bring knowledge of best practices to the work, continually improving and optimizing the portal content experience, as well as developing strategies for segmentation and personalization. Key to the role is delivering timely and relevant content to students throughout the recruitment lifecycle from prospect, applicant, to UBC student. Your content will be compelling, authentic, and engaging - and will help students decide if UBC is the right place for them. Your content will meet business goals and users' needs.

Organizational Status

This role reports to the Associate Director, Recruitment Marketing and Prospective Student Engagement, and works within an integrated, cross-channel digital content team. You will work closely and collaboratively with the Manager, International Student Recruitment Technologies. Close consultation and collaboration with the international and domestic recruitment teams, as well as other key UBC stakeholders is critical to the success of this position.

Work Performed

UBC Future Student Portal
You will manage the content experience of prospective undergraduate students in the portal by planning, creating, writing, designing, organizing, testing, editing, curating, and overseeing segmented content for students, parents/family members, and/or counsellors that helps users complete tasks and engage with UBC. You will:

• Deliver content to users in the portal when they need it and how they want it.
• Ensure portal content is dynamic, up-to-date, and fresh.
• Consider the mobile experience.
• Continuously monitor and review site analytics, usability testing results, and portal user behaviour, and use these to iterate and improve the customer experience across touch points.
• Use CRM data and user behaviour to learn more about prospective undergraduate students (and other portal constituent groups) to ensure that the content meets their needs, is delivered to their preferences, and that it supports UBC's recruitment business goals.
• Nurture audience segments with targeted messaging.
• Build out user flows.
• Create and maintain portal editorial calendars for user segments and constituent groups.
• Develop and maintain guidelines for publishing content in the portal.
• Ensure the portal meets University brand guidelines and effectively supports the achievement of international and domestic student enrolment objectives.?
• Carry out user acceptance testing on new features and functionality in the portal.
• Collaborate with the RMPSE digital team to ensure your content is part of an integrated approach to communicating with prospective undergraduate students.
• Work with recruitment teams and other key stakeholders to ensure content efforts support recruitment goals and targets, and move students through UBC's student engagement model.
• Collaborate with the Manager, International Student Recruitment Technologies and the Marketing Automation and Campaign Specialist to report on communication across CRM touch points.
• Work with external vendors to conduct usability testing, focus groups, surveys, and/or other data-gathering-and-research efforts. You'll synthesize this information to report on and make recommendations for new content strategies and tactics.

UX Writing
You will oversee all portal interface copy and microcopy to ensure a consistent, friendly, helpful, seamless experience for users and to increase engagement rates in the portal. You will:

• Write, edit, and maintain all microcopy and interface copy (calls to action, labels, wayfinding copy, error messages, confirmation notices, alerts, tips, instructions, menu labels, 404 error messages, and others) across all user-facing touch points.
• Ensure all microcopy and interface copy is understandable and helps students navigate and complete tasks in the portal.
• Mend pain points in the portal flow with your copy.
• Embody the voice of the institution, but you'll always ask what the best way to fulfill the user's needs in the portal are, and you'll advocate for those.
• Create and maintain a style guide for interface copy/microcopy.
• Ensure interface copy is consistent with the tone and voice established in other prospective undergraduate student channels - Undergraduate Programs and Admissions website, UBC Admissions Blog, CRM emails, and social media channels, and other related channels.

Supervision Received

Supervision Given
Consequence of Error/Judgement

Please check the UBC posting for further detail.

Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. (e.g., Marketing, Communications, English, Publishing, Journalism) or have graduated from a recognized technical institute, and a minimum of six years of related experience - or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Minimum of five years experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. You have at least six years of experience writing and editing for digital experiences (e.g., blogs, social media channels, websites, etc.), technical writing, and/or UX writing (especially microcopy). You are comfortable adapting copy and content for different audiences. You have excellent writing skills, and have an in-depth understanding of web writing standards and best practices. Your copy is memorable, effective, and a delight to read.
You know how important microcopy is to a digital experience. You really care about the seamless experience of users across all touch points. You always ask, "What do our users need/want?"
Others come to you for your wordsmithing expertise - you use plain language to convey meaning effectively, and concisely, and your content compels and engages.
You have experience building out and executing editorial strategies.
You have a demonstrated ability to understand web content or UX problems, create content-driven solutions, and implement those solutions. You apply strategic thinking to the content you produce, write, edit, or curate.
You have some experience coordinating mid-sized web content projects, including working with subject-matter experts (SMEs), designers, developers, UX researchers, and other contributors - and you have taken on the role of planner and problem solver.
You are a strategic thinker and a problem-solver.
Your approach to communications and marketing is user-centred.
You are known for your attention to detail - you always find the typos and inaccuracies, and your copy is meticulous and precise.
You have a demonstrated ability to interpret usability research and/or testing, and to present recommendations for improvement to the content in a digital experience.
You are very comfortable and have experience in a number of digital platforms, software, and channels: CMS (WordPress), CRM (Salesforce Communities), HTML5, social media channels, blogging platforms, project management tools (Trello, Basecamp, and others). You are comfortable using Adobe Creative Suite.
You are sensitive to cultural differences and possess an understanding of the importance of cross-cultural context in marketing and communication activities. International experience would be an asset.
You are tactful and exercise discretion when dealing with competing stakeholder priorities and interests. Your strong interpersonal skills help you build consensus.

Perks of working at UBC
Vacation: 20 days to start as well as a week of office closure during the winter holidays. Increases to 25 days in years 6-8, and 30 days in year 9 or more of employement.
Eligible to contribute to pension after one year
Basic group life insurance
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
Excellent extended medical/vision including annual $325 HSA and amounts to be used for RMT/Chiropractic/Accupuncture.
Free tuition up to 12 credits, renews annually
Professional development fund & conference opportunities