Director, Media Relations

California State University, Fullerton•Fullerton, CA

19h

About The Position

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) is a leading public university known for its strong academic programs and commitment to student success. As one of the largest campuses in the CSU system, CSUF fosters innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. The university values teaching, research, and service, creating an environment where students, staff, and faculty can thrive. Joining CSUF means becoming part of a dynamic team dedicated to making a meaningful impact. We continuously seek individuals from various career disciplines that share the University’s mission and core values. We warmly welcome you to consider joining the Titan Community where minds expand and opportunities flourish. Strategic Communications and Brand Management plays an integral role in helping to shape and strengthen the institutions brand and advance in a wide range of institutional effectiveness. We are a team of creative, thoughtful, and empathetic storytellers that take pride in representing the university’s image and reputation through inspiring and motivating stories of our exceptional faculty, staff, students, alumni, and donors. We seek an exceptional individual to join our Strategic Communications team as the Director, Media Relations (Administrator II). The ideal candidate in this role should have a positive attitude, an active, energetic mind, and a leadership style that is characterized by highly ethical practices and a commitment to inclusivity, openness, flexibility, integrity, and kindness.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing from an accredited four-year college or university, or a related field.
Seven to ten years of public relations experience.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal and soft skills.
Excellent writing abilities, including providing three to five examples of successful news pitches or news releases.
Ability to translate technical or scientific language into consumer-friendly messaging that resonates with journalists.
Experience working with a collaborative team that relies on coordinated workflows to achieve owned and earned media goals for an institution or organization.
Successfully led media outreach campaigns that enhanced institutional reputation and be able to provide three to five examples of such work.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily and is required for employment.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Experience working in higher education.
Demonstrate a strong news sense and seasoned judgment regarding sensitivities.
A model communicator and public relations professional with experience leading and coaching staff.
Accustomed to working closely with peers and leadership to determine appropriate responses or promotional outreach strategies that support public engagement and reputational objectives, while achieving media mentions and audience outreach goals at the campuswide, local, regional, national, and international levels.
Established strong personal relationships with reporters and media outlets, including maintaining regular calls, meetings, and check-ins.
Experience with innovative media collaborations that highlight thought leadership—such as administrator and faculty expertise, as well as student experiences.
Proficient with journalist engagement and media analytics tools (e.g., Meltwater, Muck Rack, Cision) and reporting.
Experience pitching and managing stories with ethnic media outlets and tailoring messaging for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

Manages the university’s external strategic media relations under the guidance of the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and the Chief Communication Officer.
Coordinates media outreach that safeguards and strengthens the university’s public reputation through external and earned media, ensuring all practices align with public relations and higher‑education industry standards.
Oversees a team responsible for the university’s reputational management and development, primarily through earned media and news coverage.
Serves as a key adviser on issues management.
Leads the creation, implementation, and oversight of a comprehensive strategic media plan that reflects the university mission and values, establishes clear media objectives, reports regularly on progress through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), modernizes media engagement practices, and prepares leadership and faculty for media interviews and public engagement.
Leads and advises on media outreach efforts that elevate the university’s educational and research priorities, campus services, and community.
Provides strategic guidance that reflects an understanding of public higher education, CSUF’s mission and audiences, its role within the California State University system, and its relationships with agencies, business partners, and community organizations in Southern California.
Other duties as assigned.