Director of Public Information

POSTING INFORMATION

Internal Title

Director of Public Information

Position Type

Classified

Faculty / Non-Faculty / Administration

Non-Faculty

Pay Band

7

Level

1

Department

Office of Marketing and Communications

Job Purpose

The Director of Public Information plans and manages the College’s public relations and media relations functions within the Office of Marketing and Communications and serves as a member of the Crisis Communications Team. Acts as chief College spokesperson and works directly with the Vice President of Marketing and Communications, the Executive Director of Strategic Communications and other senior administrators to develop and disseminate content to members of the media and the public that is consistent with the College’s mission, values, and strategic priorities.

Develops and maintains a comprehensive database of local, regional, and national media contacts and proactively and regularly communicates with members of the media to promote positive stories about and coverage of the College, its people and programs. Works with other campus units to plan and implement media events and initiatives and conducts media training for faculty and staff. Directs the development of news releases and media alerts and disseminates as appropriate. Contributes articles and other content to the office’s digital and print publications, including The College Today, Faculty & Staff News, and College of Charleston Magazine. Tracks and reports on all media pitches, mentions and placements using appropriate software tools.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or related field and a minimum of 2 to 3 years of experience in managing a comprehensive media/public relations program. A minimum of 5 years with leadership experience is strongly preferred. Experience in media relations and crisis management, including demonstrated ability to develop positive relationships with members of the news media. A portfolio of work samples demonstrating proficiency with journalistic and public relations techniques, including writing and editing. Prior journalism experience is strongly preferred. Candidates with an equivalent combination of experience and/or education are encouraged to apply.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Mastery of journalistic and public relations practices and techniques, including strong writing, editing, and proof-reading skills and deep knowledge of AP Style and modern news-gathering practices. Ability to support the planning and production of media relations and public relations events and initiatives. Ability to write press releases, news and feature stories for a variety of digital and print platforms. Ability to cultivate and maintain successful working relationships with media representatives and the public. Ability to work well with others in a team environment under deadline pressure. Strong initiative and ability to complete assignments without close supervision. Understanding of modern strategic communications techniques. Familiarity with emergency notification systems such as Everbridge; media monitoring tools such as Meltwater; student achievement platform Merit Pages; and online publishing platforms such as WordPress.

Additional Comments Regarding Position

Some travel and evening and weekend work required to facilitate media inquiries and stewardship at events, and to conduct outreach to regional and national media outlets. The position serves as part of an on-call staff rotation for after-hours campus emergencies and time-sensitive media requests. Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, 2-3 writing samples, and a sample of a recent press release written for distribution to the media.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please complete the application to include all current and previous work history and education. A resume will not be accepted nor reviewed to determine if an applicant has met the qualifications for the position.

*Salary is commensurate with education/experience which exceeds the minimum requirements.

Offers of employment are contingent upon a successful background check.

All applications must be submitted online https://jobs.cofc.edu.

Salary

*$56,210 - $70,000

Posting Date

03/19/2025

Closing Date

04/09/2025

Benefits

• Insurance: Health/Dental/Vision
• Life Insurance
• Paid Leave: Sick/Annual/Parental
• Retirement
• Long Term Disability
• Paid Holidays
• Free CARTA Bus Service
• Employee Tuition Assistance Program (ETAP)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Full Benefits Package – Click Here

Open Until Filled

No

Posting Number

2025026

EEO Statement

The College of Charleston is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of sex, gender (including gender identity and/or expression), pregnancy, race, religion, color, national origin, age, disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, and other classifications protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. For more information, please visit eop.cofc.edu.

Quicklink for Posting

https://jobs.cofc.edu/postings/16472

Job Duties

Activity

Media and Public Relations

• Writes and distributes press releases and university statements to the media. Maintains a cloud-based database and compiles a monthly report that includes all media pitches and contacts and resulting outcomes/placements.
• Tracks all mentions of the College of Charleston in local, regional, national, and international media. Using appropriate media monitoring and reporting software, compiles weekly and monthly reports highlighting media mentions and placements and uses analytics to improve media pitching tactics and to expand the pool of potential media targets.
• Develops and manages an ongoing media outreach program targeting key media outlets, reporters, and news editors in specific regions of South Carolina. Organizes occasional site visits to these regions with senior College officials to foster media relationships and to highlight relevant College activities and achievements.
• Manages the College’s membership with The Conversation news website; generates pitch ideas for faculty-authored articles; conducts workshops for faculty on pitching and writing for The Conversation. Tracks published articles and readership analytics.
• Compiles a weekly round-up of news coverage featuring the College and its people and disseminates via The College Today and Microsoft Engage.
• Plans media-related events such as press conferences and proactively identifies and develops media and visibility opportunities for the College.
• Serves as primary point of contact for outside public relations vendors that support the College on national/international media pitches.
• Attends high-profile campus events to ensure effective media stewardship.
• Serves as point of contact for and helps to enforce the College’s external relations policy.
• Establishes and maintains relationships between the College, its faculty and staff, and the media by regularly communicating with media contacts to identify topics for College faculty and staff to be interviewed as subject matter experts.
• Monitors local and national news to identify opportunities for College experts to provide academic insight and commentary on timely and trending topics and responds to such requests from the media in a timely fashion.
• Develops and disseminates media tip sheets ahead of high-profile events, significant anniversaries, holidays, and other major news happenings to promote faculty experts.
• Compiles and maintains a comprehensive cloud-based database of local, regional, and national media contacts categorized by reporting beats (i.e. science, politics, crime, education, etc.). Partners with the social media manager to identify and engage with news reporters on social media platforms to generate earned media coverage of the College, its people, and programs.
• Creates and maintains a cloud-based database of key faculty and staff contacts (and after-hours contact information) who can serve as subject matter experts to the media on breaking news stories.
• Establishes a regular meeting schedule with existing and new faculty members to identify unique areas of expertise/academic specialization and to stay abreast of current research and teaching projects that might generate media interest. Advises faculty on how media relations can best promote their research and expertise to external audiences.
• Plans media strategies to coincide with overall campus marketing and communications responsibilities, including the student recruitment cycle.
• Coordinates with other government agencies and external organizations to facilitate media coverage of College partnerships, activities, and academic research.

Essential or Marginal

Essential

Percent of Time

50

Activity

Editorial Support

• Attends weekly editorial meetings. Writes news and feature articles and press releases for The College Today, College of Charleston Magazine, and other print and digital publications. Conducts interviews and writes compelling articles that showcase the College and its people.
• Pitches stories published in The College Today and College of Charleston Magazine to the news media.
• Coordinates with MarComm colleagues, including editors, social media coordinators, photographers, and videographers to gather appropriate multimedia assets for articles and media requests.
• Uploads completed and proofed articles by assigned deadlines (including headlines, excerpts, and proper SEO) to WordPress for editing and scheduling.

Essential or Marginal

Essential

Percent of Time

25

Activity

Emergency Communications

• Acts as the College’s chief spokesperson to the media, responding to or routing interview and informational requests from the news media. In consultation with the Vice President of Marketing and Communications and the Executive Director of Strategic Communications, develops and disseminates institutional messaging during campus emergencies and oversees release of information to the media and the public.
• As a member of the Crisis Communications Team, writes and disseminates messages for the Cougar Alert emergency notification system and manages other assigned responsibilities as outlined in the Crisis Communications Plan. Coordinates with the Department of Public Safety to schedule and promote testing of the Cougar Alert system once per semester.
• Alerts the Vice President of Marketing and Communications and the Executive Director of Strategic Communications to any media inquiries or news coverage that could directly or indirectly impact the College’s operations and/or reputation.

Essential or Marginal

Essential

Percent of Time

10

Activity

Media Relations Training

• Working closely with the Executive Director of Strategic Communications and the Associate Director of Public Information, promotes and conducts media pitching and training workshops for campus members at least once per semester and as requested by faculty and staff.
• Prepares administrators, faculty and staff for media interviews. Creates briefing documents for interview subjects, conducts practice interviews, and monitors media interviews with College employees as appropriate.

Essential or Marginal

Essential

Percent of Time

10

Activity

Professional Development

• Attends industry workshops, webinars, and conferences to stay abreast of best practices and emerging trends in public relations; proposes new initiatives, techniques, and tools to streamline and improve the quality of external communications and to increase earned media placements.
• Stays abreast of current best practices, tools, and trends in media and public relations by reading trade blogs and publications and attending professional development functions.
• Uses and stays current on media monitoring and reporting tools to track news coverage of the College, ROI, and to identify media outlets/reporters for story pitches and press releases.
• Serves as the in-house expert on media tracking and reporting software and conducts training with fellow staff members.

Essential or Marginal

Marginal

Percent of Time

5