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Public Relations Specialist (Social Media / Content Creation)

Job Details



Job Summary

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) provides innovative leadership in art and design education and an ongoing commitment to creative experimentation and risk-taking. This progressive, inquisitive attitude permeates RISD’s campus culture, supporting undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, curators, administrators and support staff who form our community. RISD’s students are diverse, coming from a wide range of geographic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The college strives to cultivate a culturally competent campus environment that advances principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice and equal access to resources and opportunities.

RISD’s Media Group is seeking a skilled Public Relations Specialist to join its team of writers, designers and marketers as they articulate, steward and amplify the RISD brand. The Media Group’s Public Relations function is charged with further bolstering RISD’s standing as the premier college for art and design in the US and around the globe and to continue to extend the college president’s vision, further establishing RISD as the leader in art and design education. This strategy, which is inclusive of traditional media, social media, speaking engagements and other brand awareness opportunities, engages and informs diverse audiences, including prospective and current students and their parents, donors and potential donors, alumni, staff, faculty, the international art and design community, the higher education community and the broader general public.

Under the direction of the Senior Director of Public Relations, the Public Relations Specialist helps achieve the institution’s PR objectives through the creation of top-quality content for owned, shared, earned and paid communications channels including www.risd.edu, social media and other platforms produced or leveraged by RISD’s Media Group. As such, they must be skilled in traditional journalism techniques (e.g., writing, editing), with a strong sense of creativity and savvy for storytelling in the digital age via photography, video and other mechanisms in order to achieve RISD’s public relations objectives. Working on assigned and pitched projects, this person conceptualizes, produces and edits content, seeing the process from concept to completion.

Essential Functions

  • Create multimedia content about news and events (e.g., studios, critiques, openings, lectures, etc.) for channels including www.risd.edu, social media and other platforms produced or leveraged by RISD’s Media Group. Working on assigned or pitched stories, conceptualize content that leverages text, audio, images, animations and/or video and execute all stages of production (e.g., researching, interviewing, writing, shooting and gathering visual assets as needed). Propose ways to enhance the quality and efficacy of RISD content and help implement any approved new processes.

  • Complete tasks, as assigned, including but not limited to monitoring RISD’s institutional social media accounts, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, curating fresh content to continuously increase interest and engagement while watching for items of success, interest, or concern. Follow all other RISD-related accounts with an eye towards strengthening RISD’s overall social media presence, learn and share new tools, trends and areas of opportunity with the team and monitor competitors and other external best practices.

  • Complete tasks, as assigned, in support of Public Relations team functions, for example, maintaining systems and tools to monitor and report media coverage; tracking and measuring content engagement and performance using analytics; updating PR sections on www.risd.edu and maintaining comprehensive media lists.

  • Build and foster positive relationships with institutional stakeholders across the RISD community, demonstrating respect and inclusivity to source story ideas and ensure that content accurately represents the diverse perspectives of the RISD experience. Serve as a liaison to and occasional content producer for other members of the RISD Communicators Network as assigned.

  • As an engaged member of the Media Group, keep abreast of current and emerging trends in public relations, marketing, art & design, higher education and other relevant areas, evaluating and recommending if and how these trends would be appropriate for RISD. Identify, evaluate, recommend and implement as approved new/innovative ways to achieve RISD’s goals through public relations.



Required Knowledge/Skills/Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, or related area and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.

  • Minimum two (2) years of previous communication, journalism and/or public relations agency experience.

  • Confidence and versatility as a writer and content creator, with strong critical thinking and storytelling capabilities, along with the ability to tailor writing style and communication approaches to specific audience and platform.

  • Experience with social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) required and application of these tools in a creative business setting preferred.

  • Strong capability for creating photo and video content for digital platforms, with a focus on social media.

  • Demonstrated ability to seek out and follow story leads using solid research, interviewing, listening and interpersonal skills.

  • Ability to leverage metrics to inform strategy and influence outcomes.

  • Excellent organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple priorities, adhere to production schedules and work productively under deadline.

  • Experience working in an Apple Mac environment and with Adobe Creative Suite and contemporary content management systems preferred.

  • Knowledge of art, design and higher education preferred.

  • Ability to demonstrate respect and inclusivity in sourcing story ideas to ensure that content accurately represents the diverse perspectives of the RISD experience.



Union:

No



Work Schedule:

35 hours per week

12 months per year

Employment Status:

Full-time; Exempt



Grade:

12/AD



Documents Needed to Apply:

Resume, including a sample of professional work

Cover Letter

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please upload all required documents.

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

For certain positions, RISD is currently supporting remote work arrangements due to the pandemic. When work resumes in person, employees are expected to perform work on campus.

RISD recognizes diversity and inclusivity as fundamental to its learning community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

For internal use only - Job Family:

Marketing - Media

Company

RISD

RISD is a college and museum founded in 1877 in Providence, RI. Today 2,620 students engage in 44 full-time bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, supported by a committed faculty and worldwide network of more than 31,000 alumni.

By cultivating expansive and elastic thinking, RISD equips artists, designers and scholars to generate and challenge the ideas that shape our world.

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