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Public Relations Manager

University of Wisconsin Madison
sick time
United States, Wisconsin, Madison
21 North Park Street (Show on map)
Dec 01, 2025
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Jobs Hub to apply through the internal application process. Job Category:Academic Staff Employment Type:Regular Job Profile:Public Relations Manager Job Summary:

The inaugural Public Relations Manager will coordinate public relations and communications by monitoring and addressing a range of complex issues of importance to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Your work will be based on strong stakeholder relationships and a keen ability to assess emerging policy, compliance, regulatory and related areas, and aid with crisis readiness and crisis/issue responses. Situated in the Office of Strategic Communications within the Dean's office, you will be surrounded by a strong internal communications team and will work in close coordination with peers throughout the organization. The role is a perfect fit for someone with a public relations or communication background and interest in public affairs, or public affairs background with strong track record in PR and communication. This is a rare opportunity to advance the vision of healthy people and healthy communities by supporting academic medicine at one of America's leading research institutions. Apply today!

  • This position requires work to be completed onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Key Job Responsibilities:
  • Oversees public relations efforts and campaigns and serves as institutional spokesperson when necessary
  • Serves as a subject matter expert and liaison to leadership regarding high profile communications associated with external audiences
  • Implements and monitors public relations strategies and initiatives to increase the institutional engagement with a wide range of external stakeholders
  • Develops and monitors the day-to-day operational work plans of unit staff to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and unit objectives
Department:

School of Medicine and Public Health, Dean's Office, Strategic Communications

Compensation:


  • The expected salary range for this position is $88,000 up to $118,000 for highly experienced candidates and actual pay within this range will depend on experience and qualifications.

  • Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage and the SMPH Academic Staff Benefits Flyer.


Required Qualifications:


  • At least 5 years of experience with increasing responsibility in public relations, public affairs, journalism or related fields within an organization.

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.

  • Excellent professional judgment, integrity, and discretion.


Preferred Qualifications:


  • Familiarity with higher education, media, state government, health care, health and biomedical research agencies (state and/or federal), tenets of public/media relations and/or crisis communications and Wisconsin Public Records laws.

  • Professional certification such as Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from Public Relations Society of America or certificate in public relations from Public Affairs Council.


Education:


  • Bachelor's degree required, focus in communication, public affairs, public relations, journalism, policy analysis or related is preferred but candidates with background in other relevant fields are encouraged to apply.

  • Advanced degree or certification preferred.


How to Apply:

To apply for this position, please click on the "I am a current employee" button or "I am not a current employee" button under Apply Now. You will be prompted to upload the following documents.


  • Cover Letter

  • Resume


Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all of your documents in the attachment field.

Applicants are to submit a cover letter and resume detailing their training and experience relating to the required and preferred qualifications referenced above. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process. We will notify selected applicants to participate further in the selection process directly. References will be requested of final candidates. All applicants will be notified after the search is complete and a candidate has been selected.

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous 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 the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.

Contact Information:

Kim McFarlane, kmmcfarlane@wisc.edu

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

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).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.

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