SimLab Strategic Partnerships and Communications Lead

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Job Profile:

Job Summary:

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) seeks an Outreach Manager to support the strategic growth, visibility, and long-term success of the Simulation Lab (SimLab).

The UW SimLab’s vision is to set a global standard for the training and assessment of professionals’ interaction skills during challenging situations. The SimLab seeks to bring transformative change to professional training and assessment. Rather than relying on idiosyncratic field-based placements for learning skilled professional practices, the SimLab uses modern assessment design, AI, and evidence-based professional learning approaches to provide learning environments that can be controlled and studied. The SimLab supports the development of multidisciplinary professionals’ inclusive and evidence-based professional practices. By helping instructors and researchers develop, use, and analyze interaction-based tasks for instructional and research purposes, the lab encourages professionals’ exploration, professional self-efficacy, understanding of professional practice, and capability in enacting transformative skills.

Reporting to the SimLab Director, this position develops and advances strategic partnerships, leads business engagement initiatives, and coordinates communications and outreach efforts that expand the SimLab's impact across the university and beyond.

The Outreach Manager serves as the primary relationship manager for the SimLab, cultivating and maintaining partnerships with campus units, school districts, foundations and funding organizations, professional associations, industry collaborators, and other external stakeholders. This position leads strategic projects, develops marketing and communication strategies, coordinates publications and promotional efforts, supports funding and business development opportunities, and represents the SimLab at the campus, regional, and national levels. Working collaboratively with faculty, researchers, WCER leadership, and external partners, the Outreach Manager plays a critical role in advancing the SimLab's mission, expanding its network of collaborators, and increasing awareness of its innovative work in simulation-based professional learning.

Responsibilities:

Outreach, Engagement & Partnership Development

• Develop and implement strategies that expand the SimLab's partnerships, visibility, and long-term sustainability.

• Build, cultivate, and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including campus leadership, faculty, school districts, healthcare organizations, professional associations, nonprofit organizations, industry collaborators, and funding partners.

• Identify and pursue opportunities to establish new partnerships that advance the SimLab's strategic priorities and organizational growth.

• Represent the SimLab in meetings, conferences, professional organizations, and other engagement activities to strengthen relationships and increase organizational visibility.

Marketing, Communications, & Publications

• Develop and implement strategic marketing and communication plans that increase awareness of the SimLab's mission, programs, research, and impact.

• Coordinate publications, promotional materials, presentations, newsletters, website content, digital communications, and other outreach initiatives.

• Collaborate with WCER communications staff to promote SimLab accomplishments, events, partnerships, and innovations.

• Ensure consistent messaging and branding across communication channels and stakeholder audiences.

Strategic Project Leadership

• Lead and coordinate strategic initiatives that support the continued growth and expansion of the SimLab.

• Facilitate collaboration across WCER, the School of Education, campus partners, and external organizations to achieve project objectives.

• Evaluate processes and recommend improvements that enhance organizational effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, and partnership development.

• Develop policies, procedures, and institutional agreements on behalf of the lab.

Organizational Growth & Strategic Initiatives

• Identify and support funding, sponsorship, partnership, and outreach opportunities that advance the SimLab's strategic priorities.

• Assist in developing proposals, collaborative initiatives, and partnership opportunities that strengthen the SimLab's long-term sustainability.

• Support strategic planning efforts that expand the SimLab's regional and national presence and increase organizational impact.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Supervises the implementation of outreach-program-focused strategic planning initiatives and objectives

• May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees

• Monitors the unit or program budget and approves program expenditures

• Determines outreach program needs and the personnel resource allocation plan

• Develops and implements operating policies and procedures to promote the outreach program in alignment with the strategic plan

• Reviews recommendations for and provides input on the design and development of new outreach programs or services

Department:

School of Education / Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) Simulation Lab (SimLab)

Compensation:

Minimum:$75,000

Commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to develop, cultivate, and sustain collaborative partnerships with diverse internal and external stakeholders

• Experience leading strategic initiatives, organizational development efforts, or complex projects involving multiple partners and competing priorities

• Knowledge of outreach, stakeholder engagement, relationship management, strategic communications, marketing, and partnership development.

• Demonstrated experience developing written communications including reports, presentations, publications, promotional materials, website content, or other communication products

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences

• Demonstrated ability to build consensus, influence stakeholders, and foster collaborative relationships without direct supervisory authority

• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple initiatives and meet deadlines

• Ability to identify opportunities that strengthen outreach, partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and organizational impact.

• Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite and other business technology applications

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in higher education, research centers, nonprofit organizations, or similarly complex environments

• Experience developing strategic partnerships that support organizational growth, innovation, or program expansion

• Experience developing and implementing marketing, communication, or stakeholder engagement strategies

• Experience supporting grant development, sponsored projects, outreach initiatives, partnership development, or external funding opportunities.

• Experience representing an organization through presentations, conferences, professional organizations, or external networking activities

• Knowledge of educational research, simulation-based learning, educational technology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, mixed reality, or related fields

• Experience coordinating interdisciplinary initiatives involving faculty, researchers, community organizations, government agencies, or industry partners

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practices through collaborative partnerships and organizational engagement

Education:

Master’s degree or higher in Educational Policy, Public Policy, or similar area

How to Apply:

Please go to the “Apply Now” area and select your current UW Employment Status.

Upload a copy of:

• Cover Letter

• Current Resume/CV

Note:

• There is one upload area in Workday, but you can upload multiple documents to your application. Incomplete application packages that do not include all of the requested documentation will not be considered.

The Workday application deadline is August 4 at 11:59 p.m

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. UW-Madison is not an E-Verify employer, and therefore, is not eligible to employ F1 STEM OPT Extension participants.

Contact Information:

Jessica Tierney

SimLab Operations Manager

jtierney5@wisc.edu

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. 
 
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). 
 
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