Research Communications Coordinator

Florida Institute of Technology • Melbourne, FL

23h

About The Position

The Research Communications Coordinator is a cornerstone position in university communications that is responsible for/involved in several key areas: developing, reporting, and writing content, including daily and weekly research-related articles and posts, internal news articles and content for the weekly campus newsletter, and social media content, as well as news releases, longer-term, higher-word-count magazine pieces, and other material. This role also involves carrying out multimedia work, including shooting and editing short videos, occasional still photography, and other related duties as assigned. A significant part of this role is leading longer-term projects from inception through development and production to on-time delivery, primarily as the editor of the university's research magazine, Florida Tech Research (FTR). As FTR editor, this person will develop the story list in concert with their supervisor; research, report, and write the stories; work with designers and vendors on the production of the magazine; and manage the mailing and distribution process. Additionally, this position responds to media inquiries by presenting media requests to the appropriate subject-matter expert on campus (usually faculty) and scheduling interviews. If the interview is via Zoom or a similar mode, this person may have to receive and share the Zoom link. For on-campus interviews, this person would escort the reporter/TV crew to the expert's office and remain until the interview is completed. Given these research and media responsibilities, this position will work closely with faculty members to initiate and foster connections and be aware of their research and areas of expertise. Developing faculty relationships is critical.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, English, or related field
• Minimum 2–5 years of experience in the relevant area of expertise
• Previous experience in professional writing, journalism, or multimedia communications
• Advanced time management skills, anchored by the ability to handle simultaneous projects, substantial workloads, and multiple deadlines
• Well-demonstrated writing skills; thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of writing, grammar, syntax, style, and punctuation; thorough knowledge of Associated Press guidelines
• Proven initiative to follow through and complete assignments independently, while also being able to work cooperatively and productively within a team environment
• Ability to both understand complex scientific and technical topics and their significance and to present them to lay audiences with clear, compelling, non-technical writing
• Comfort with using multimedia resources, including phone and camera photography and video recording/editing
• Critical thinking and curiosity
• Interpersonal and relationship-building skills and the ability to interact with various levels of personnel and at various functions with confidence and comfort

Responsibilities

• Substantial daily, weekly, and longer-term content production
• Florida Tech Research magazine production, including story development, reporting, writing, working with in-house designers and external vendors, and other related duties.
• Assisting with media inquiries, news releases, and appearances
• Other duties as assigned

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees