Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a proactive university news bureau that identifies, prioritizes, and promotes stories highlighting USC's academic excellence, groundbreaking research, faculty expertise, student success, philanthropy, and institutional impact.
• Identify and elevate timely stories that showcase the university's people, ideas, discoveries, and achievements to strengthen USC's reputation and inspire pride across the Trojan community.
• Establish editorial priorities and oversee a strategic media content calendar to ensure timely, coordinated storytelling aligned with university priorities and major news opportunities.
• Lead the creation and execution of integrated communications campaigns across multiple platforms, including websites, social media, digital publications, video, photography, and traditional media.
• Stay current on emerging communications trends, technologies, and best practices to continually enhance communications effectiveness.
• Develop and manage a university-wide faculty experts' program and speakers' bureau to connect journalists with USC subject matter experts and position faculty as trusted thought leaders.
• Serve as a trusted communications advisor to university leadership, providing strategic counsel on media opportunities, messaging, reputational issues, and proactive communications planning.
• Lead media preparedness initiatives, including media training and coaching for university leadership, faculty, and subject matter experts.
• Develop proactive media strategies around major institutional initiatives and high-profile events, including preparations for LA28 games and other opportunities to elevate USC's visibility.
• Partner with schools, academic units, and university leaders to identify newsworthy achievements and translate complex topics into compelling stories for external audiences.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or a combination of education and experience equivalent to the required degree.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in journalism, public relations, media relations, or strategic communications.
• Management experience leading communications, journalism, or public relations teams.

Preferred

• Seven (7) or more years of communications leadership experience.
• Experience leading communications or media relations within a higher education or other complex organization.
• Experience developing strategic communications initiatives that strengthen organizational reputation and engage diverse audiences.
• Experience building or leading proactive media relations programs, newsroom operations, or editorial content strategies.
• Experience developing executive communications, thought leadership, or faculty/expert visibility initiatives.
• Experience leading integrated communications strategies across earned media, digital communications, social media, and multimedia platforms.
• Experience using media monitoring, media database, and analytics platforms (e.g., Meltwater, Muck Rack, Cision, or similar tools).