Director of Strategic Communications & Media Relations: University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Knoxville, TN (Hybrid)

$80K/yr – $94K/yrDirector/Executive6+ years expFull time

Posted 15 hrs ago

Job Summary

Lead and shape strategic communications and media relations for UTIA, directing a high-performing team, guiding crisis management, and translating complex research into accessible public messaging.

  • Build relationships with executive leaders, media, and external stakeholders.
  • Set strategy, measure impact with analytics, and foster accountability and innovation.
  • Oversee writing, editing, and rapid response in a fast-paced environment.

Job Description

Requirements

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications or related field
  • Experience: 6+ years of experience in communications and media relations work.
  • At least two of those years in a leadership position.
  • Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Expert level knowledge and leadership in strategic communications, media relations, and public affairs.
  • Proven ability to build relationships with executive leaders, media, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.
  • Strong ability to lead a high performing communications team, foster collaboration, and support a culture of accountability and innovation.
  • Experience leading crisis communications and issues management.
  • Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to translate complex academic or scientific information for public audiences.
  • Knowledge of media analytics and communications measurement tools.

Preferred

  • Master’s degree in communications, and/or journalism field preferred.
  • Relevant work experience preferred.
  • Advanced knowledge of analytics and media effectiveness measurement tools.
  • Knowledge of digital asset management systems.
  • Exceptional knowledge of video production for news and social media.
  • Knowledge of agriculture and natural resources.
University of Tennessee logo

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville. Founded in 1794, it is the flagship institution of the statewide University of Tennessee system with nine undergraduate departments and eleven graduate departments and hosts more than 26,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. In its 2009 ranking of universities, U.S. News & World Report ranked UT 118th among national universities and 52nd among public institutions of higher learning. Its ties to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, established under UT President Andrew Holt and continued under the UT-Battelle partnership, have positioned the University as co-manager and allow for considerable research opportunities for faculty and students enjoyed by few other institutions of comparable standing.Also affiliated with the University are the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy, the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, and the University of Tennessee Arboretum, which occupies 250 acres of nearby Oak Ridge, Tennessee and features hundreds of species of plants indigenous to the region. The University is a direct partner of the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the only Level I trauma center in the East Tennessee region and a self-proclaimed 'teaching hospital' due to its aggressive medical research programs and position as the primary career destination for most medical school graduates of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center at Memphis.

Founded in 1913
USA
6K employees (267 in marketing)

Salaries

Posted range

$80K/yr – $94K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all University of Tennessee salaries

Funding

Total Funding
$19.3M
Last Raise
$523.8K
Grant, 1 years ago

Funding History

  • Oct 2024
    Grant
  • Sep 2024
    Grant • $523.8K
  • Sep 2024
    Grant • $50K

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
2M
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$310K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
55.2%
Direct
39.2%
Referral
4.6%
Social
0.6%
Paid
0.3%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~6K

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