Position Summary

The College of Engineering is seeking candidates for a Communications Manger II who will play a pivotal role in enhancing the visibility and reputation of the college by strategically disseminating information and fostering strong relationships with key stakeholders. They are responsible for developing and executing comprehensive communication strategies in alignment with the college and university's strategic plans. This includes elevating the college's media presence through collaboration with MSU University Communications and various media outlets.

As the lead content developer and public relations representative, the Communications Manager will craft compelling narratives across various platforms, from press releases and research articles to social media and special projects. They work closely with faculty and staff to translate complex information into engaging content for diverse audiences. Additionally, they manage the dissemination of news and storytelling through digital platforms and collaborate with analytics teams to leverage data for optimization.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Builds college brand, voice, and reputation through dissemination and communication with key audiences and in alignment with college and university strategic plans
• Elevates college media presence by strengthening relationships and offering strong story ideas to MSU University Communications and local, regional and national media
• Develops public relations opportunities through relationships with faculty, staff, students, alumni, media and MSU colleagues
• Serves as lead content developer and public and media relations representative for the college
• Drafts and edits content for press releases, research articles, feature stories, talking points, scripts, website content, social media, and special projects
• Interfaces with faculty and staff to gather and translate complex information into compelling content representing all areas of the college for all audiences
• Manages dissemination of news and storytelling through content management systems for college website, intranet site, and social media
• Collaborates with college social media team to establish and maintain social media calendar
• Collaborates with college analytics team to understand and leverage traffic and engagement data for website, intranet and social media
• Maintains tracking and reporting systems for projects and initiatives and establishes new tracking and reporting systems as needed
• Serves as communications representative at select events such as commencement, symposiums, competitions, industry shows, and other on-campus events
• Manages interaction with freelancers and service providers involved in content development and dissemination
• Utilizes digital platforms to complete work and advance college communications efforts (i.e., Sitecore, Drupal, Cision, Sprinklr, Airtable, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Constant Contact, and Zenfolio)
• Presents project outcomes to college leadership and administration
• Adheres to established protocols, processes, and best practices, and helps establish them as new initiatives develop
• Researches and reports out on communications efforts of peer institutions
• Participates in University Communications Network (UCN) meetings and events
• Manages special projects as assigned by supervisor
• Supervises student employees
• To respect and live MSU’s core values of accountability, recognition, inclusion/input, service, effective communication, and ethical practice.
• Other duties as assigned

Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Journalism, Telecommunications, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, or related field; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in public and media relations; composing, editing and publication production; news, broadcasting, and print media; and/or marketing, advertising, and creative services; graphic design; word processing; desktop publishing; web design; presentation; spreadsheet and/or database software; public presentation or radio production; or computer programming/technology; and/or experience in a field related to are of employment; may require management and supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

Adept at working collaboratively and building rapport with a diverse population of faculty, staff and students; demonstrated commitment to MSU's core institutional values, including strengthening a climate of respect, caring, diversity, equity, and inclusion; commitment to teamwork; problem solving; excellent judgment; experience with Microsoft Team and Office 365 a plus.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

A complete application will consist of:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Published writing samples for each of the following: 1) feature story, 2) research story, 3) press release, and 4) social media post
• Names and contact information for three professional references

Special Instructions

Schedule: M-F 8-5 and special events

Work Location: Maximum 3 days remote, Minimum 2 days on-campus, On-campus as needed

Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5

Website

https://engineering.msu.edu/

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Bidding eligibility ends May 14, 11:55 PM