Communications Project Manager, Institute for Translational Medicine

Company: University of Chicago
Location: Chicago
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Department BSD ITM - Communications About the Department The Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) helps you live your best life by making research breakthroughs happen and getting those discoveries into the real world to improve your health as soon as possible. The ITM is a partnership between the University of Chicago and Rush in collaboration with Advocate Health Care, the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), Loyola University Chicago, and Endeavor Health that’s fueled by about $35 million in grants from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program. We’re part of a network of more than 50 CTSA Program-supported hubs across the country working to slash the time it takes to develop and share new treatments and health approaches. We work with you and for you to make participating in health research easy, so that together we improve health care for all. The ITM leads award-winning campaigns to increase awareness of and participation in health research in a national collaboration and launch of a platform that matches the public with information about volunteer opportunities to participate in studies about health topics they care about the most. Join the movement and learn more about how we help researchers, physicians, community members, industry, government organizations, and others. Visit us at chicagoitm.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn @ChicagoITM. This at-will position is wholly or partially funded by contractual grant funding which is renewed under provisions set by the grantor of the contract. Employment will be contingent upon the continued receipt of these grant funds and satisfactory job performance. Job Summary Imagine being the Swiss Army knife of project management, communications, executive assistance, and creative support—all rolled into one proactive professional for a mission-based organization to help humanity. Your administrative support will help make that magic happen. You’ll be the orchestrator behind the scenes, helping a dynamic ITM director of communications and professor as well as her communications team execute things like strategic internal and external messaging and campaigns, projects across multiple institutions and teams, drafting grant applications and journal articles, scheduling meetings, managing health research campaign participant follow-up and study team coordination, providing administrative support for educational programming, etc. Join a collaborative and fun environment where creativity, initiative, and editorial flair are celebrated. One day you may be coordinating action items and follow-ups from meetings, and another you may be helping craft and caption video snippets that bring science to life. You’ll be the right-hand executive assistant to the director of communications and help the communications team implement organizational systems to streamline workflows and move projects across the finish line with finesse. This is a hybrid role, so you get the best of both worlds with in-person and remote work opportunities. You’ll also get a front-row seat to translational science in action, helping to improve human health through ITM-supported research and health campaigns. Responsibilities Work with the ITM Director of Communications to execute, evolve, and evaluate ITM communications projects and initiatives. Coordinate with internal stakeholders (faculty, service cores, admin teams) and external partners to streamline workflows. Create project timelines, delegate tasks, and follow-up with multidisciplinary teams across several institutions on deliverables to meet deadlines. Project manage and spearhead deliverables and timelines for a new ITM website initiative across several institutions and teams. Contribute to different prongs of internal and external marketing and communications campaigns, initiatives, and educational programming. Track milestones for the ITM, The New Normal and Save Da Hoomans campaigns, and educational programming certificate/courses. Monitor their deadlines, navigate teams, and ensure deliverables land on time. Support writing projects: search for funding opportunities, draft grants, draft academic papers, create grant summaries, memo drafts, report proofreading, and presentation decks. Come with these skills or be willing to learn fast and hit the ground running. Serve as an administrative maestro. Steer a busy, dynamic executive calendar with precision, scheduling meetings, taking and disseminating notes and action items, managing projects, media interviews, and cross?institutional collaborations. Make sure no meeting or email gets left behind! Prepare, circulate, and archive sharp agendas, polished meeting notes, and thoughtful follow?up action items. Organize files and systems. Collaborate closely on messaging for local and national initiatives (e.g., 'The New Normal™,' 'Save Da Hoomans™' campaigns). Coordinate connections between potential participants from TNN Match and study coordinator team hand-offs. Make sure warm hand-offs happen and no one falls through the cracks. Help manage educational initiatives involving physician researchers, K scholars, and participants in workshops, courses and certificates, etc., using Canvas and other platforms. Coordinate schedules, help create and disseminate marketing materials, educational materials, etc. Bring enthusiasm and the ability to learn new skills like AI and contribute to video editing for social media, including trimming clips and adding captions, etc. Come with these skills or be willing to learn. Disseminate content that highlights ITM research, program impacts, and the importance of participating in clinical trials through internal and external channels and explore new and emerging web-based communications technologies. Help ensure online and website content is up to date, including staff pages, events, service lines, etc. Contributes to the ITM’s mission of distilling complex science into engaging content a lay audience can use as part of multiple campaign initiatives and content platforms, spanning written, video/multimedia, and other formats. Coordinate the collection and analysis of relevant project data and craft draft summaries that can be used in journal and mainstream media publications. Coordinates events, researches logistics, assists with planning and preparing presentations, event outreach, and post-event write ups. Assists with researching funding opportunities, preparing grant proposals, and drafting and/or editing other written materials with moderate guidance. Maintains website (including but not limited to: employment page, news page, staff page, project pages, innovation challenge page). Assists with other administrative projects as needed and acquire higher level guidance and skills. Performs other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications: ? Preferred Competencies Strong organizational skills. Project management prowess. Ability to coordinate with a variety of teams. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to navigate a variety of teams and group dynamics. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Knowledge of grammar, punctuation, spelling and editorial style. Editing skills. Creativity. Problem-solving skills. Decision-making skills. Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative. Attention to detail. Ability to maintain confidentiality. Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and meet deadlines. Adaptability. High emotional intelligence. Desire to learn new tools and systems to optimize. Working Conditions Office Environment. Weekend/Evening Hours: As needed for events, meeting deadlines, etc. Application Documents Resume (required) Cover Letter (required) When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application. Job Family Administration & Management Role Impact Individual Contributor Scheduled Weekly Hours 37.5 Drug Test Required No Health Screen Required No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required No Pay Rate Type Salary ? FLSA Status Exempt ? Pay Range $60,000.00 - $85,000.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting. Benefits Eligible Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook . Posting Statement The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position. The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

Keywords: University of Chicago, Palatine , Communications Project Manager, Institute for Translational Medicine, Administration, Clerical , Chicago, Illinois