Assistant Director of Communications and Media Relations

East Texas A&M University • Commerce, TX

11d • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Communications and Media Relations leads the planning, management and day-to-day operations of East Texas A&M University’s communications function in support of institutional strategy and priorities established by the Chief Marketing Officer. The position develops communications plans, establishes project workflows, manages staff and resources, works directly with university stakeholders, and leads the editorial planning and institutional storytelling approach across communications functions. The Assistant Director is responsible for moving the communications unit toward established strategic objectives through coordinated planning, execution, measurement, reporting and continuous improvement. The position oversees media relations, university news and owned media, internal communications, e-communications, crisis and issues communications, and the professional staff responsible for those functions. The Assistant Director also collaborates closely with other Marketing and Communications teams to ensure communications efforts are coordinated across channels and contribute to broader university priorities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, English, marketing or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Seven years of progressively responsible experience in communications, journalism, media relations, public relations, editorial operations or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing communications plans.
• Demonstrated experience in writing, editing, media relations, editorial planning or institutional communications.
• Experience supervising professional staff or providing significant team leadership.
• Experience managing multiple projects, priorities and stakeholders in a complex organization.
• Exceptional writing, editing, verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong news judgment and knowledge of journalistic standards, media practices and AP style.
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into coordinated communications plans and operational priorities.
• Strong leadership, project management, organizational and staff-management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, allocate team capacity and maintain effective workflows.
• Ability to build productive relationships with university leaders, faculty, staff, students, journalists and community partners.
• Ability to lead editorial planning and identify compelling institutional stories and communications opportunities.
• Ability to use data, analytics and communications results to evaluate performance and improve future work.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion and professionalism during sensitive or rapidly changing situations.
• Ability to work collaboratively across functional areas and influence outcomes in a complex organization.
• Ability to work outside regular business hours when emergencies, major announcements or media activity require.
• This position may require occasional work beyond normal business hours as work requirements indicate.
• This position must be able to work with confidential or sensitive information and exercise sound judgment in its handling.
• This position may require occasional travel to other locations and instructional sites.
• This position’s primary duty station is located in Commerce, TX but may require weekly work at the Dallas educational site.
• Ability to maintain the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, which may include communications systems, computer networks and systems, cybersecurity systems, electrical grid, hazardous waste treatment system or water treatment system.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing or a related field.
• Communications experience in higher education, government or another complex public organization.
• Experience leading an institutional communications, editorial or news operation.
• Experience with earned media, crisis communications and organizational-change communications.
• Experience advising leaders and working across multiple organizational units.
• Familiarity with the Texas media environment and public higher education.

Responsibilities

• Leads the planning, management and day-to-day operations of the university communications function.
• Translates institutional priorities and communications strategy established by the Chief Marketing Officer into actionable plans, workstreams, assignments and timelines.
• Develops and maintains communications plans, editorial calendars, project workflows, standards and processes that support efficient and coordinated execution.
• Works directly with university leaders, colleges, divisions and other campus stakeholders to understand communications needs, clarify objectives, establish priorities and determine appropriate communications support.
• Leads the university’s editorial planning and institutional storytelling arc across communications functions, ensuring planned editorial, responsive news and communications activities reinforce institutional priorities.
• Assigns work, manages team capacity and staffing, establishes priorities and ensures projects move efficiently from planning through execution.
• Monitors progress, results and resource needs and provides regular reporting and recommendations to the Chief Marketing Officer.
• Uses communications performance, audience insights, stakeholder feedback and operational data to improve plans, workflows and allocation of resources.
• Leads through empowerment, support and shared achievement by providing staff with clear objectives, appropriate authority, context and resources to succeed.
• Supervises the university’s media relations function and the Senior Media Relations Specialist.
• Provides direction and priorities for proactive earned-media efforts, media pitching, faculty-expert placement, external media relationships and response to media inquiries.
• Ensures media relations efforts support university priorities, institutional reputation and broader editorial and storytelling objectives.
• Leads the university’s editorial plan and storytelling strategy across university news and other owned communications channels.
• Oversees planned editorial content, responsive and opportunity-driven news, institutional announcements, feature storytelling and other centrally produced university content.
• Establishes editorial priorities and ensures stories are developed and distributed through the channels and formats most appropriate to the audience and objective.
• Maintains standards for writing, editing, accuracy, institutional voice and editorial quality across university communications.
• Oversees the university’s owned media channels within the communications function and ensures they work together as a coordinated system rather than as independent outlets.
• Maintains the university’s communications lexicon, editorial conventions and related writing standards.
• Oversees the university’s internal communications function and the staff responsible for faculty and staff communications.
• Leads planning for faculty and staff communications, including university announcements, leadership messages, digital publications, newsletters and operational information.
• Ensures internal communications are coordinated, timely and aligned with institutional priorities.
• Provides communications support to university leaders and campus partners for significant internal initiatives, organizational changes and other institutional needs.
• Oversees the university’s e-communications function and the professional staff responsible for digital communications support.
• Ensures e-communications services effectively support university priorities and the communications needs of partner areas, including Enrollment Management and Philanthropy and Engagement.
• Establishes priorities, standards and workflows for email and other digital communications supported by the communications team.
• Coordinates e-communications activity with broader editorial, internal communications and institutional messaging plans.
• Leads the development, maintenance and regular review of crisis communications plans, protocols and messaging resources for university emergencies, emerging issues and sensitive situations.
• Coordinates communications execution during crises and emerging issues in collaboration with the Chief Marketing Officer and university leadership.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for media relations during crises, emerging issues and sensitive situations, coordinating inquiries, responses and information flow as appropriate.
• Monitors emerging issues and recommends communications approaches, messaging, timing and response needs.
• Collaborates closely with Web, Content, Creative, Design, Social Media, Brand, Marketing and Analytics teams to ensure communications activity is coordinated across the department.
• Works with cross-functional teams to align storytelling, messaging, content development, audience strategy and distribution across earned, owned, social and digital channels.
• Participates in integrated planning for major university initiatives, campaigns and institutional priorities.
• Helps ensure communications plans can be effectively supported and reinforced across the university’s broader marketing and digital ecosystem.
• Supervises professional staff responsible for media relations, editorial and storytelling, internal communications and e-communications.
• Assigns and reviews work, establishes priorities and performance expectations, provides coaching and professional development, and completes performance evaluations.
• Builds a collaborative team environment centered on empowerment, support, accountability and shared achievement.
• Encourages professional staff to exercise expertise and sound judgment within established priorities and standards.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Employee tuition assistance for master’s and doctoral programs.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance.
• ETAMU contributes to employee health and basic life insurance premiums.
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays, plus up to eight hours of paid sick leave and vacation each month.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), with optional additional retirement plans (ORP).
• Physical wellness program and wellness release time for eligible employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level