Communications Information Specialist

University of New Hampshire

9d•$57,590 - $102,850•Onsite

About The Position

Under the general supervision of the associate dean and director of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES) and the communications director for the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA), the Communications Information Specialist will support the research, teaching and outreach communications missions of the station and college. The Communications Information Specialist will help lead these efforts through content production for storytelling across a variety of content types, including but not limited to articles, social media posts, news releases, directed emails, sound bites, photography, social media quality video, and basic graphic design. The individual would lead the development of a strategic media plan for the NHAES and assist in the development and implementation of the strategic media plan that supports and advances the college's research, teaching and outreach visibility. Through their efforts, the Communications Information Specialist will play a critical role in strengthening the impacts of research and connections among UNH scientists and programs with state and regional communities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or news media.
Three years of directly related experience (science writing, social media, web or other content categories).
Effective writing skills with attention to audience, tone and nuance.
Demonstrated experience with social media.
Up-to-date knowledge on current trends within scientific communication and higher education.
Effective interpersonal skills.
Knowledge of agricultural, natural resource, and environmental science fields.
Knowledge of the State Agricultural Experiment Station and land-grant university systems.
Experience with updating a Drupal website and with design tools such as InDesign, Photoshop and Canva, and video editing software.
Knowledge of higher education and new/emerging trends in communication.

Responsibilities

Identifying, producing and effectively disseminating strategic communications (news stories, directed emails, web content, video, photography, social media content) that aligns and enhances the station and college goals to promote faculty, staff, student and programmatic successes/achievements. This includes managing and/or gathering information about recently completed and ongoing research using the NHAES published manuscript database; NHAES annual progress and final project reports; annual COLSA faculty publication and works-in-progress reports; direct interactions with scientists, staff, post-doctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and the public, and other methods that may be useful. In addition to producing and disseminating communications on a regular basis to specific target stakeholder groups and the general public, there will be periodic contributions to THRIVE, the COLSA's biannual print publication.
Assisting in the development and execution of a strategic media plan, with a focus on elevating the research, teaching and outreach of the NHAES and college. This includes partnering with the University's office of Communications and Public Affairs and UNH Cooperative Extension, pitching stories and regularly interacting with local and national reporters, collaborating with relevant state and federal government agencies and developing informational content that is pertinent to these groups, among others. Collecting information relevant to assessing the impacts of these efforts.
Lead the strategic growth and development of the NHAES statewide outreach presence. This would include the management of research field days at UNH farm facilities, organization of research communication events around the state and via virtual forums, trade show participation, and other in-person or virtual events that strengthen the NHAES research outreach mission across diverse communities in New Hampshire.
Research, propose and initiate new traditional and digital media strategies to improve communications among scientists, students and college units with internal to UNH and external to UNH stakeholder groups (for example, alumni, corporate and nonprofit partners, government agencies and delegations, regional associations, and others).
Other related duties as assigned that help advance the communications and outreach missions of the NHAES and COLSA.