Communications Associate Jobs in Illinois

Department

Globus Sales & Marketing

About the Department

Globus is a mission-driven organization dedicated to enabling discovery by delivering advanced data management and computation capabilities to researchers worldwide. As a unit within The University of Chicago, Globus develops and operates commercial-quality, software-as-a-service used by thousands of institutions, including research universities, national laboratories, federal agencies, and commercial research organizations. Core features are free for non-profit researchers, and the Globus service is sustained through institutional subscriptions that unlock advanced features for organizations needing greater control, compliance support, and deeper integration with their research computing environment. This model reflects the organization’s core commitment: making secure, reliable cyberinfrastructure services accessible to the broadest possible research community. The Globus team comprises professional software developers and business operations staff, as well Globus Labs, a dedicated research group pioneering novel methods and technologies. Team members are geographically distributed—a structure that reflects the global nature of the research communities we serve—while maintaining a collaborative culture focused on making an impact in disciplines ranging from the life sciences and astronomy to materials science and public policy.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Marketing & Communications Associate to support our growing customer-facing team. This is a generalist role for someone who prefers a mission-driven environment over a commercial one, and is energized by working across a range of marketing activities, from drafting newsletters and managing social media, to coordinating partner programs and running targeted outreach campaigns. You will work closely with our product marketing manager, events manager, and the broader Globus customer team (sales, partnerships, user support and professional services) to ensure cohesive, timely, and effective communications across all channels.

You will thrive in this role if you enjoy working on all aspects of diverse marketing and communications projects, taking ideas from concept to completion. We are a small team where seniority takes a back seat to initiative, energy, and a willingness to learn. We get a kick out of crafting innovative campaigns and working with some of the smartest researchers around the world to take their work to the next level. We hope you know how communications resonate with end users, software engineers, CIOs, and everyone in between—but if you’re not an expert yet, our team will support you on your journey. And, if you’ve worked in a research computing environment, facilitating dialogue between researchers and technologists, this will be the perfect opportunity to deepen your experience.

As you develop in this role success will be demonstrated by: regular publication and amplification of user success stories; well-organized Globus presence at major annual conferences; targeted lead generation campaigns, executed end-to-end with tracked results; a consistent social media and newsletter presence, with measurably growing engagement; a well-maintained contact database; recognition as the go-to resource for coordinating the full Globus customer team on communications timing and materials.

Responsibilities

Communications & Outreach:

• Plan and execute customer-focused campaigns to drive new user engagement and support retention of Globus subscribers.
• Draft and distribute regular external communications, including newsletters, user announcements and product update notices.
• Coordinate outreach to institutional partners, prospective subscribers, and existing user communities, including research universities, national laboratories, and government agencies.
• Manage and grow Globus's presence across social media channels (LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Mastodon), maintaining a consistent voice and posting cadence.
• Monitor engagement metrics across email and social channels and produce regular performance reports with actionable insights.

Events Marketing & Conference Coordination:

• Work with the events manager to plan and execute successful Globus participation in research computing conferences and community events, webinars, virtual demos, and user group meetings, including promotion, and follow-up communications.
• Collect and synthesize post-event feedback to inform future event strategy.

Lead Generation & Campaign Support:

• Assist the customer team in executing targeted lead generation campaigns aimed at IT administrators, research computing staff, and research teams at prospective institutions.
• Build and maintain segmented contact lists and mailing audiences using CRM and email marketing tools (e.g., Mailchimp).
• Support the development of landing pages, outreach emails, and other campaign assets.
• Track campaign performance metrics and contribute to regular reporting for the customer team.

Content & Collateral Support:

• Assist in the production of marketing materials including conference flyers, slide decks, one-pagers, and promotional items, working from templates and messaging frameworks.
• Maintain and update the Globus website's marketing pages, news/blog section, and event listings.
• Coordinate with external vendors (designers, print shops, AV suppliers) to produce and deliver materials on time and within budget.
• Oversee and maintain the inventory of marketing collateral, ensuring timely reproduction and adequate supply to support business needs.
• Research, evaluate, and recommend promotional merchandise ("swag") and giveaway items for exhibitions and marketing events.

Administrative & Cross-Team Support:

• Maintain organized archives of marketing assets, campaign records, and contact databases.
• Serve as a coordination point across the customer team for communications timing, messaging consistency, and outreach scheduling.
• Develops marketing communications, advertising, or publicity materials with a moderate level of guidance from others. Develops, plans, and coordinates the development and production of marketing and publicity materials and campaigns, ensuring deadlines and budgets are met.
• Performs one or more of the following marketing functions: marketing communications/advertising; Web blogs or digital marketing; market research; development or review and update of the marketing infrastructure and management of external sales agency relationships.
• 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 Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field.

Experience:

• 2–5 years of experience in a marketing, communications, or outreach role.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with an ability to adapt tone for different audiences and channels.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Comfortable working in a technical environment and willing to develop a working familiarity with Globus's platform and user communities.
• Experience working within a software or other technology company, university, research computing center, scientific organization, or mission-driven nonprofit organization.
• Hands-on experience with email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, HubSpot, Constant Contact, or similar) and social media management tools.
• Experience with lead generation workflows, including list segmentation and drip campaigns.
• Exposure to AI tools for content generation.

Working Conditions

• This job requires occasional evening or weekend hours.
• Primarily remote work, with occasional required attendance at in-person meetings.
• Occasional travel to conferences and other events may be required.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Communications

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

$70,000.00 - $90,000.00

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.