Communications Specialist

Job Description:

Job Description Summary Reporting directly to the AVP of Strategic Marketing and Communications, the Communications Specialist serves as primary writer and editor for internal and external communications including press releases, newsletters, news stories, social media content, and event calendars to raise awareness of the university to internal campus community, regional audiences, and local media. This role writes, edits, and distributes campus community announcements, including but not limited to, the alumni magazine (Voice), campus community updates, and social media content. This role prepares background materials for university spokespeople and pitches faculty as experts to media outlets at the local, regional, and national levels to support reputational branding efforts. Additionally, the Communications Specialist is expected to manage and update the faculty experts guides, media lists, and media placement reports. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's Degree 5 years of experience in news and feature writing. Knowledge of regional news media and what constitutes a story of media interest. Familiarity with AP/Chicago style. Sound professional judgement and decision making. Sound news judgement. Ability to meet tight deadlines and respond appropriately to time-sensitive issues. Preferred Qualifications Ability to connect faculty excellence and research and university initatives to news trends where La Verne faculty/staff can be quoted/referenced. Ability to stay up-to-date on developing higher education trends and communication strategies. Availability to work occasional nights or weekends. Ability to meet tight deadlines while also being flexible enough to multitask and quickly address unanticipated media inquiries or events.