Director of Media and Public Relations

University of La Verne

Director of Media and Public Relations

Job Description Summary:
The Director of Media and Public Relations is responsible for enhancing the university's reputation and regional and national visibility. This includes developing relationships with local, regional, and national news media and working to secure media placements. The director works closely with the Associate Vice President of the Office of Strategic Communications (OSC) to lead the university's PR team and to oversee editorial content in print, electronic, and social media formats, including oversight of a comprehensive social media plan. The director also works closely with fellow team leaders in digital, creative, advertising, and enrollment communications to support content marketing efforts and to ensure consistent messages to internal and external audiences. The director works proactively to improve communications externally/internally for all university stakeholders at all campuses, providing counsel on media relations to the president, her cabinet, and faculty.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit university founded in 1891 located in La Verne, California. The core values that we live by are Ethical Reasoning, Diversity and Inclusivity, Lifelong Learning and Community and Civic Engagement. If you're passionate about these values, join us at the University of La Verne!

Specific Duties:

• In partnership with the Associate Vice President of Strategic Communications, enhance and elevate the university’s visibility and reputation by developing and executing comprehensive media and public relations strategies in alignment with broader university strategies and initiatives.
• Serve as chief storyteller and curator for the university: identifying, writing, editing, and curating campus stories for print and electronic publications, including the news website, social media, advertorial, media statements, press releases, etc. Serve as executive editor of the university magazine, Voice.
• Collaborate with key partners across the university to generate news coverage for strategic focus areas. Cultivate relationships with reporters, editors, and producers at regional and national media outlets and professional associations.
• Lead and manage the university’s social media efforts, including developing content, providing direction and leadership to campus entities and their social media efforts, and monitoring and responding to external and internal submissions and postings.
• Develop and manage strategic communications plans for internal audiences (faculty, staff, and current students) that build awareness, understanding, and support for university needs and leadership directions.
• Write and/or manage communications for the president and other executive stakeholders, including occasional speeches/remarks, a monthly electronic newsletter, and social media posts.
• Assist in the implementation of university crisis communications plans. Provide support and backup to the Associate Vice President in times of crisis - serving as designated Public Information Officer within incident command structure.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of a university database of subject matter experts and their topics of expertise, for use by the Media Relations team.
• Serve as a member of the Office of Strategic Communications leadership team and contribute to big-picture strategic decision making.
• Provide quality control and copy editing on departmental and campus communications. Ensure communications adhere to university brand, identity, and style standards.
• Be a culturally competent employee who attends/completes mandatory diversity and inclusivity trainings as provided by the university.

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least seven years of leadership experience in public or media relations with increasing responsibility.
• Bachelor’s degree in Communication or related field.
• Outstanding managerial skills to supervise professional and support staff.
• Ability to create and execute multi-channel public relations plans that result in measurable and desired outcomes.
• Superior writing and copy editing skills for various types of communications including news stories, media pitches, admissions marketing, internal newsletters, internal communications, and crisis communications.
• Excellent strategic planning and resource management skills
• Success managing through influence in a complex, diverse, team-oriented environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills, including public speaking and articulating ideas clearly and succinctly.
• Familiarity with regional and national media.
• Familiarity with best practices in social media.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education
• Graduate degree in communication, journalism, or related field.
• Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) certification
• Expertise in content marketing

Location: La Verne Central Campus

Special Instructions:
To be considered for this position please visit our web site and apply on line at the following link: http://laverne.edu

Institutional Profile
Located in Southern California, the University of La Verne offers a distinctive and relevant educational experience to a diverse population of students, preparing them for successful careers and a commitment to lifelong learning across the liberal arts and professional programs. The academic units of the not-for-profit university include the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, and the College of Law. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, including degree programs tailored for working adults. The university's central campus is located 30 miles east of Los Angeles in the historic Old Town section of La Verne, a city with a population of approximately 35,000 at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The university also has eight regional campuses throughout California and the College of Law campus in Ontario, California. The university is classified as a Carnegie Doctoral Institution with moderate research activity. Core values are reflected throughout all curricular and co-curricular programs, its emphasis on close professor-student interaction, personal support of its students, and its diversity.

The University of La Verne prides itself in being reflective of the diversity of Southern California. Approximately 80 percent of its nearly 8,500 students come from diverse backgrounds and the U.S. Department of Education has designated the university as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). With 80,000 alumni, the university fulfills a critical community function in educating students from underserved populations, many of whom are the first generation in their family to attend college.

The University of La Verne is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employment or employees on any basis prohibited by state and federal law. University of La Verne hires and promotes individuals based on their qualifications and is consistent with applicable state and federal laws, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, disability, medical condition a or sexual orientation


jeid-621557469695ee438b7c97114318d7dd