Assistant Director of Media Relations and Issues Management

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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Penn State's Office of Strategic Communications (the University's central public relations and marketing division) is seeking a seasoned public relations professional with experience in crisis communications to join its issues and crisis communications team as an Assistant Director of Media Relations and Issues Management. Reporting to the team's senior director and working closely with Strategic Communications' leadership, the person in this position will research, plan, execute, and evaluate communications focused on crisis and issues management.

This is a hybrid position that allows for remote work; however, an on-site presence at University Park campus is required on a regular basis.

This individual will be part of a talented team that provides leadership advice, guidance, and materials on issues of critical reputational importance to the University. The successful candidate will be a strategic leader who can proactively identify issues and assess their potential impact; respond to reputational challenges; provide direction and leadership to others; and develop and implement a communications strategy that is aligned with institutional priorities and provides accurate messaging on behalf of Penn State.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Working with others across the University to proactively and reactively identify and address issues; conduct research; and craft key messages, fact sheets, FAQs, communications plans, timelines, and op-eds.

• Developing and implementing an issues management strategy that proactively identifies challenges on a local, regional, national, or global scale and can potentially impact the University or its constituents.

• Creating communications plans, associated materials, and media responses and providing updates, summaries, and post-event analysis and recommendations.

• Monitoring news media, social media, and the web to identify issues and evaluate public/media perceptions.

• Using strong analytical and issues-management skills to identify options, recommend tactics, and draft clear, concise responses and briefing communications for University leadership and others.

• Working with news media and social media platforms to provide appropriate information and responses to inquiries and online conversations related to reputational topics and institutional priorities.

In addition to working effectively with diverse stakeholders, the ideal candidate must be highly organized; pay strong attention to detail; be able to manage multiple priorities; and possess a solid work ethic, sound judgment, and strong problem-solving skills.

The ideal person for this position will:

• Have superior writing, editing, and oral presentation skills.

• Be able to multi-task in a fast-paced environment and respond quickly and professionally under pressure and in crisis situations.

• Have the creative and political acuity to develop messaging and tactics suitable for executive-level communications.

• Be able to work independently and as part of a team.

• Have the ability to consistently reinforce University messages across all media and audiences.

• Be adept at working with colleagues at all levels across the University to address, develop, support, and implement messaging and positioning for Penn State.

Education and Experience:

Minimally requires a bachelor's degree or higher plus eight years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A degree in communications, public relations, journalism, English, or similar discipline is preferred. Experience in public and media relations, including crisis communications, is required.

About Penn State's Office of Strategic Communications:

As Penn State's central public relations and marketing division, Strategic Communications is a fully integrated, award-winning, best-in-class marketing, and public relations division defined by innovative strategy and breakthrough creative driven by measurable goals. We advance the University by strengthening and protecting the institution's reputation in regional, national, and international spheres of influence in ways that serve recruitment, resource, and leadership goals.

Spanning Penn State's large-scale enterprise-including 20 campuses across Pennsylvania, more than 90,000 students, and an alumni base exceeding 700,000-Strategic Communications' work encompasses all forms of communications and engagement, ranging from branding, marketing, and trademark and event management to internal communications, proactive and social media, research communications, and crisis and issues management. We've attracted talented and diverse team members from private and public sectors at all levels of our division, giving us the ability to build a strategic program of excellence recognized throughout the University.

Strategic Communications values and reflects Penn State's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and our DEIB committee is actively involved in providing staff programming that helps incorporate DEIB principles into the fabric of our communications.

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades is:

Salary Structure - additional information on Penn State's job and salary structure.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: