Public Communications Coordinator

University of Southern California; Glendale (CA); Hybrid; USD 44,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California is seeking a Public Communications Coordinator to join its growing team in a hybrid arrangement. You will collaborate with another Communications Coordinator to develop and disseminate resources that promote longitudinal and cross‑country analyses on aging, health, and retirement.

This one-year grant-funded role focuses on distilling complex research into clear content, drafting website posts, editing

Qualifications

• Ability to quickly grasp complex technical concepts and translate them for varied audiences.
• Strong editing skills across developmental and copyediting.
• Experience distilling research into clear, accessible content.
• Familiarity with social media management and content creation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain communications materials.
• Draft website content and announcements (newsletters, blogs).
• Review and copy-edit research products (articles, briefs, op-eds).
• Grow social media presence (X, LinkedIn) and create short-form videos/posts.
• Create conference and event materials (brochures, posters).
• Distill complex topics for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure timely distribution of materials.
• Review and revise resources for quality and readability.
• Develop communications strategy to publicize the research project.

Skills

Editing skills

Content distillation

Social media

Stakeholder coordination

Graphic design (plus)

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Web content management

Job description

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is seeking a Public Communications Coordinator to join its team. As part of our growing communications team, this position will work alongside another Communications Coordinator to support the team's expanding communications and outreach efforts. The Public Communications Coordinator will work with a multidisciplinary team to develop and disseminate resources that promote and enable longitudinal and cross‑country analyses on aging, health, and retirement, including contextualizing and communicating newly available resources and data on exposures over the lifespan that increase dementia and other disease risk. This position requires a curious communicator who can learn, distill, and disseminate complex, technical information to a wide variety of audiences.

This is a grant funded, one year fixed term position with a hybrid work arrangement.

Job responsibilities include:

• Developing and maintaining communications materials
  • Drafting website content and announcements (e.g., newsletters, blogs)
  • Evaluating existing resources and editing content as necessary
  • Reviewing and copy‑editing research products (e.g., journal articles, policy briefs, op‑eds)
  • Maintaining and growing social media presence (e.g., X, LinkedIn; developing short‑form videos or posts)
  • Creating conference and event materials (e.g., brochures/flyers, exhibit posters)
• Distilling complex, technical research topics into clear, concise, and effective content to share with a variety of audiences, both technical and non‑technical
• Coordinating with stakeholders to ensure timely completion and distribution of communications materials
• Reviewing and revising project resources and other written materials to ensure quality, readability, and consistency
• Experience or interest in developing a communications strategy to publicize the research project and grow its audience; this may include pitching investigators and other subject matter experts for news articles, media appearances, and op‑eds

Qualifications:

Ability to quickly grasp complex technical concepts, make them easily understandable through varied mediums, incorporate feedback, and iteratively refine content.

Ability to collaborate effectively with numerous project stakeholders (e.g., investigators, administrative staff, university officials) at the university and with collaborators at other research institutions. Strong editing skills, ranging from developmental editing to copyediting. Graphic design experience is a plus but not required.

Minimum education: Bachelor's Degree

Minimum Experience: 2+ years (3+ years preferred). Background in communications, public relations, marketing, or a related field is required. A background or experience working in academia or with clients in public health, economics, or policy is not required, but is preferred.

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid (3 days per week) on the University Park Campus in Los Angeles, CA.

Compensation

The hourly rate range for this position is $31.97 - $35.35. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

About the USC Schaeffer Institute

The USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation's most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers.

Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, the USC Schaeffer Institute includes four flagship centers: the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Center for Economic and Social Research, the Center for Civic Society and the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service.

The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets-including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post-to provide insight on policy issues.

The Institute has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.

About the Center for Civic Society at the Schaeffer Institute

The Center for Civic Society aims to assess, strengthen and promote democratic values around the world through research, civic engagement and global dialogue. Chaired by Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and led by Anna Saavedra, the Center for Civic Society was launched in 2026 and is dedicated to bridging political, social and economic divides through evidence-based research that informs and promotes better public policy.

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health‑care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion - to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi‑layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School's rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real‑world experience and led by some of the world's most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors - public, private, and nonprofit - championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio‑economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education

Minimum Experience: 2 years

Minimum Field of Expertise: Public relations, journalism, advertising or related field.