College Writer & Media Relations Specialist

Knox College, a nationally ranked liberal arts college, seeks a College Writer & Media Relations Specialist to join its Communication team and help share the stories and amplify the brand of this historic College on the prairie. The College Writer & Media Relations Specialist is responsible for researching and writing high-quality content for external and internal audiences across digital and print publications, including news and feature stories; press releases and media advances; profiles of Knox students, faculty, and alumni; stories for the bi-annualKnox Magazine; and e-newsletters, among other communications. This position will also help build the College’s reputation across local, regional, national, and industry-specific media.

The College Writer & Media Relations Specialist will ensure that communications across all media support the College’s strategic priorities and key marketing messages through creativity and innovation, while maintaining a strong commitment to the authenticity and integrity of the educational program. Daily project management, ensuring key College publications and announcements are produced on time and shepherded through appropriate review processes, is expected. This position will also manage the day-to-day activities of student writers and assist with coverage of major College events.

Primary Duties:

• Write, prepare, and/or review articles and other content to be used in publications for external and internal audiences. 
• Produce and edit the monthly Gizmograme-newsletter, as well as the Knox Family Connect parent newsletter and portal. 
• Develop relationships and communicate effectively and collegially with colleagues and stakeholders across the College. 
• Write news releases, media advancers, and pitches to promote Knox College news, thought leadership, or faculty/staff/student/alumni accomplishments. 
• Create and distribute student “hometown” news stories using Merit Pages. 
• Monitor media coverage, track relevant news and trends, and develop and maintain relationships with local, regional, national, and industry-specific media outlets. 
• Conduct research for communications projects, including interviewing subject matter experts. 
• Assist with crisis communications and rapid response efforts. 
• Manage multiple, concurrent projects and assignments for timely delivery, utilizing the office’s project management system, and Make sure all work follows editorial policies and standards. 
• Participates in identifying appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) and evaluating the success of communication projects. 
• Engage in approved professional learning as needed to grow and adapt to ongoing developments within the organization and industry 
• Participate in initiatives to define/refine and communicate organizational processes, practices, and tools. 
• Hours must be flexible and may include night and weekend hours to meet deadlines and cover campus events.

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in communications, English, or journalism. 
• A minimum of three years of experience in communications or journalism, including copywriting on deadline. 
• A solid understanding of the media landscape, including how to identify newsworthy stories and build relationships with journalists. 
• Excellent writing ability; high level of attention to detail, especially in proofreading; ability to gather and synthesize a large volume of information quickly and translate it into a coherent, marketable, and newsworthy form; ability to clearly communicate College mission and messages in stories, news releases, and marketing materials is essential. 
• The ideal candidate will have a general familiarity with visual design programs, such as the Adobe Creative Suite, as well as a basic understanding of HTML or Web publishing programs; and have experience with Asana or other project management systems.

Please submit writing samples or a portfolio along with your application.

Salary Range: $57,000.00 To $62,000.00 Annually.