Responsibilities

• Lead the successful day-to-day operations of the Media Relations unit to strengthen FIT's reputation as a global leader in creative education.
• Contribute to the proactive planning and implementation of communications strategies for key leadership, initiatives, events, and academic programs.
• Identify compelling stories for external audiences and bring them to life, in collaboration with key faculty, administrators, and industry partners.
• Initiate innovative approaches to institutional visibility via earned and owned media, moving new and existing audiences to action.
• Oversee high-profile event publicity, imagery, and logistics; play an integral role in talent relations.
• Consistently seek out opportunities to develop team talent, streamline departmental efficiencies, instill best practices, and manage and direct project timelines.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with colleagues, industry partners, and the media.
• Initiate and maintain a pitch calendar for the FIT news bureau, proactively securing thought leadership placements.
• Serve as the lead communications partner to the FIT Foundation, supporting advancement goals through events, programs, outbound communications, and other initiatives as needed.
• Collaborate closely with external partners and donors, in alignment with the Foundation and other stakeholders.
• Create distribution plans for earned and owned media.
• Develop messaging aligned with institutional goals and data, and in response to issues impacting higher education.
• Develop communications tools and resources that can be utilized by a range of internal stakeholders to enhance their work in driving external engagement.
• Leverage social media platforms, contributing to content, curation, engagement strategies, and analytics.
• Develop reports to analyze and track earned and owned media results, while staying current with higher ed trends and emerging opportunities.
• Lead media cultivation efforts across the Media Relations department.
• Continuously refine and instill best practices.
• Provide direction to staff on daily operations and long-term strategic priorities; oversee performance, workload, and professional growth.
• Evaluate and enhance the unit's processes and procedures to maximize operational efficiencies.
• Exercise high-level judgment consistently to manage reputation, provide solutions, and develop crisis communications responses as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5-10 years of relevant experience.
• Experience leading proactive and reactive media outreach and managing social media platforms.
• Demonstrated sound and strategic judgment, with the ability to synthesize complex information, assess risk, and prioritize responsibilities in fast-paced environments.
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills and strong analytical skills.
• Superior judgment and the ability to synthesize information and prioritize responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Creative, detail-oriented, highly organized.
• Experience collaborating with diverse teams from globally recognized brands and/or institutions.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex projects.
• Highly motivated with enthusiasm for the creative industries.

Preferred

• Experience managing employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Benefits

• Retirement Plans
• Health Care Plan and Dental Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Account
• Commuter Benefit Plan
• FIT Tuition Exemption Program
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Personal, Sick and Holidays)
• 4-day Summer Workweek
• Qualifying Employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program