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Associate Director, News and Communications, Department of Advancement

Employer
Wake Forest University
Location
Winston Salem, NC

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Administrative Jobs
Institutional & Business Affairs, Communications & Marketing
Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution
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Job Details

Job location: Winston Salem, NC


Employment Type: Full-time
Posted data: 2019-04-04
Req: R0001503
Please note:
  • Additional documentation must be added at the bottom of the third screen under the "My Experience."
  • Internal candidates must apply via the internal career portal. Do not proceed with your application from this website.
  • DO NOT complete the application without the required attachments as you will be unable to edit your application.

Job Description Summary

The Associate Director, News and Communications expertly blends the skills of a public relations professional; writer, editor and content creator; social media connector; crisis management consultant; and university spokesperson. This person develops and implements strategic communications plans that support a wide range of Wake Forest University communication efforts, including media relations, social media and marketing initiatives. A primary responsibility of the Associate Director is to seek out, create, manage and pitch editorial content within designated coverage areas, including campus life and student affairs, or as otherwise assigned.
The Associate Director must value collaboration, enroll the input of others and seek diversity in perspectives. He/she/they also must be able to make sound decisions independently when circumstances require it. Wake Forest is a uniquely relational place and building strong, trusting relationships is critical to success in this role. He/she/they must consistently demonstrate sound editorial judgment and superb oral and written communication skills to positively influence audiences and mitigate issues. The ideal candidate for the role is an independent self-starter with strong, proven experience in communicating clearly and thinking critically. The Associate Director works within a fast-paced team environment to increase awareness, appreciation and value of Wake Forest University among key audiences.

Job Description

Essential Functions:

  • Serves as communications and public relations counsel to colleagues and University leaders in assigned coverage areas.
  • Develops and implements strategic communications plans with measurable outcomes under the supervision of the Assistant Vice President, News and Communications.
  • Writes and edits editorial content, news releases and articles designed to advance the University’s goals, enhance its brand and or protect its reputation.
  • Collaborates with team members for effective and creative content distribution through Wake Forest’s communication channels, media relations and social media.
  • Fosters strong and trusting relationships with faculty, staff and journalists; gathers story ideas through frequent contact.
  • Engages strategically with local and national media; builds targeted media lists for pitching.
  • Manages many projects simultaneously while adhering to deadlines and managing stakeholder expectations.
  • Manages efforts of interns or freelance staff as needed.

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Bachelor's degree with five to eight years of experience in public relations, journalism or marketing, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Strong writing, editing and verbal communication skills.
  • Proven track record of earned media coverage at the national level. 
  • Proven ability to develop strategic communications plans.
  • Proven ability to conduct interviews that yield results and can be effectively marketed externally.
  • Strong interpersonal skills.
  • Outstanding attention to detail, organizational and problem-solving skills.
  • Understands the intersections among media relations, public relations, social media and marketing.
  • Effectively creates media lists to target multiple markets and audiences.
  • Understands how to develop a story that can be leveraged in multiple ways.
  • Commitment to collaboration and excellent customer service.
  • Ability to build and engage audiences through new and traditional media.
  • Must be goal-oriented with a focus on continual improvement. 
  • Should be able to meet the requirements of the university’s automobile insurance.

Accountabilities:

Responsible for own work only.

Note:

  • This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.
** Cover letter required for all positions and optional for facilities, campus services, and hospitality positions unless otherwise specified.

Additional Job Description

This position will accept applications through May 1, 2019, 12:01 A.M. EST.

Time Type Requirement

Full timeNote to Applicant:This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Wake Forest seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, and encourages qualified candidates across all group demographics to apply.

Organization

Wake Forest University, formed in 1834, has experienced decades of growth and innovation.  WFU is a distinctive university that combines a liberal arts core with graduate and professional schools and innovative research programs.  The University embraces the teacher-scholar ideal, which prizes the personal interaction between students and faculty.  It is a place where exceptional teaching, fundamental research and discovery, and the engagement of faculty and students in the classroom and the laboratory are paramount.

Wake Forest University is a community that seeks the enlightenment and freedom which come through diligent study and learning. Its higher goal, however, is to give life to the University motto "Pro Humanitate," as members translate a passion for knowledge into compassionate service. The community shares a tradition that embraces freedom and integrity and acknowledges the worth of the individual. The heritage, established by the school's founders and nurtured by succeeding generations, promotes a democratic spirit arising from open-mindedness and discourse. Wake Forest fosters compassion and caring for others. Its collective strength and character are derived from the values and distinctive experiences of each individual; therefore, it affirms the richness of human intellect and culture and its contribution to knowledge, faith, reason, and dialogue. Furthermore, it strives toward a society in which good will, respect, and equality prevail. To that end, Wake Forest University rejects hatred and bigotry in any form and promotes justice, honor, and mutual trust.​

The University is comprised of:  the undergraduate college, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Divinity, School of Law, and School of Medicine (located on the Bowman Gray campus with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) and today enrolls about 4,846 undergraduates and 2,823 students in graduate programs at its principal location, the Reynolda campus.  Students at Wake Forest University enjoy a great deal of access to and interaction with world-class faculty both in and out of the classroom setting with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1.  Wake Forest employs approximately 2,772 full and part-time faculty and staff.

Wake Forest is a collegiate university offering a vibrant, intellectual community with a rich cultural life, an impressive array of facilities, and a strong athletics program competing in the fifteen-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).  Since its founding, the university has adopted the motto “pro humanitate,” which is exemplified by a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world. Wake Forest has a strong commitment to holistic, eight-dimensional well-being for students, faculty and staff as evidenced in the Thrive initiative.

Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest is located in Winston-Salem, NC, a beautiful, mid-sized city centrally located in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina.  Winston-Salem is a family-friendly city with high quality schools, numerous outdoor recreational activities and events, and is known for its vibrant and thriving arts scene.

Winston-Salem residents enjoy close proximity to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (1.5 hours) and Atlantic beaches (4 hours), a moderate climate with four distinct seasons, a very reasonable cost of living, and an eclectic variety of restaurants, wine bars, and breweries for dining with friends and family.  Winston-Salem offers many of the amenities of a large city but with the sense of community and quality of life of a smaller town (www.visitwinstonsalem.com).

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