Director of Strategic Communications & Media Relations

Responsibilities

• Strategic Communications and Institutional Positioning: Develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive institutional communications strategy aligned with the College's mission, vision, strategic priorities, and growth objectives. Strengthen the College's public image and competitive positioning within the local, regional, and national higher education landscape. Identify opportunities to elevate the College's reputation, academic programs, student success stories, institutional accomplishments, and community impact. Ensure consistency in institutional messaging, voice, and brand identity across all communications channels. Serve as a strategic communications advisor to the President and senior leadership on institutional messaging, public positioning, and emerging issues.
• Media Relations and Public Engagement: Establish, cultivate, and maintain productive relationships with local, regional, and national print, broadcast, and digital media outlets. Proactively pitch compelling stories that highlight the College's accomplishments, leadership, students, faculty, alumni, partnerships, and institutional impact. Develop and distribute press releases, media advisories, official statements, opinion pieces, and other external communications. Coordinate media interviews, press conferences, public announcements, and institutional media appearances. Identify and pursue opportunities for the President and other institutional leaders to contribute to public conversations on higher education, economic mobility, workforce development, and issues affecting historically Black colleges and universities. Serve as a primary institutional media contact and coordinate timely, accurate, and appropriate responses to media inquiries.
• Executive Communications and Presidential Visibility: Support the President's public communications through the preparation of speeches, talking points, presentations, opinion pieces, official statements, and other strategic messaging. Develop communications initiatives that strengthen the President's visibility as an institutional, educational, and community leader. Identify speaking engagements, media opportunities, and public forums that advance the College's strategic interests. Ensure presidential communications consistently reinforce institutional priorities and articulate a compelling vision for the College's future.
• Content Development and Digital Communications: Oversee the creation of compelling written, visual, and multimedia content that communicates the College's distinctive value and institutional impact. Collaborate with appropriate departments to strengthen storytelling across the College's website, social media platforms, newsletters, publications, and other digital channels. Develop and maintain an institutional editorial calendar aligned with major initiatives, announcements, campaigns, and events. Highlight student achievement, faculty excellence, alumni success, philanthropic support, academic innovation, and community partnerships. Monitor communications trends and emerging platforms to identify innovative opportunities for expanding institutional reach and audience engagement.
• Brand Management and Institutional Storytelling: Help shape and communicate a clear, compelling, and consistent narrative about the College's history, present accomplishments, and future direction. Position LeMoyne-Owen College as an institution that contributes meaningfully to the educational, cultural, social, and economic vitality of Memphis and beyond. Collaborate with enrollment management, institutional advancement, athletics, academic affairs, and other departments to ensure coordinated institutional messaging. Promote the College's distinctive identity as Memphis' only historically Black college and its role in expanding educational access and economic opportunity. Support communications initiatives that enhance student recruitment, alumni engagement, community partnerships, and philanthropic investment.
• Crisis Communications and Reputation Management: Develop and maintain proactive crisis communications protocols and response strategies. Advise institutional leadership on communications related to sensitive issues, emerging challenges, and matters affecting institutional reputation. Prepare timely, accurate, and appropriate communications during institutional crises or other significant developments. Monitor media coverage, public sentiment, and emerging issues that may affect the College's reputation. Ensure institutional responses reflect transparency, professionalism, sound judgment, and alignment with the College's values.
• Institutional Collaboration and Special Initiatives: Partner with campus departments to coordinate communications surrounding major institutional events, announcements, partnerships, and strategic initiatives. Support communications for fundraising campaigns, institutional advancement activities, community engagement initiatives, and major institutional milestones. Collaborate with external communications consultants, creative professionals, and media partners as needed. Provide communications guidance and support to departments to improve the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of institutional messaging. Perform other related duties as assigned in support of the College's mission and strategic priorities.
• Vendor Management and External Communications Partnerships: Manage relationships with external vendors, consultants, agencies, and service providers supporting the College's communications, public relations, marketing, branding, digital media, and creative initiatives. Oversee the selection, coordination, and evaluation of external communications partners to ensure services align with institutional priorities, brand standards, and strategic objectives. Develop clear scopes of work, project expectations, timelines, deliverables, and performance standards for contracted vendors. Monitor vendor performance to ensure quality, accountability, timely execution, and measurable results. Coordinate with institutional leadership and appropriate departments to manage vendor contracts, budgets, expenditures, and procurement processes in accordance with College policies. Ensure external partners maintain consistent institutional messaging, visual identity, and brand integrity across all communications platforms and projects. Identify opportunities to maximize the effectiveness of external resources, eliminate duplication of services, and ensure the College receives appropriate value from its communications and marketing investments. Serve as the primary liaison between the College and external communications vendors, ensuring effective coordination, responsiveness, and accountability.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in managing strategic communications, public relations, and media engagement. Higher education or non-profit experience highly preferred.
• Demonstrated success in building a comprehensive communications strategy that increases visibility.
• Experience serving as a communications advisor to executive leadership.
• Experience managing media relationships and securing positive media coverage.
• Experience in crisis communications and reputation management.
• Experience supervising communications projects, vendors, agencies, or consultants.
• Experience working across multiple stakeholders and departments.

Preferred

• Experience in higher education communications.
• Experience at an HBCU.
• Experience supporting a president, or senior executive.
• Existing relationships with local, regional, and national media outlets.
• Experience managing communications during organizational crises.
• Experience supporting fundraising and advancement initiatives.
• Experience developing communication campaigns that drive recruitment, engagement, and donor support.

Benefits

• LeMoyne-Owen College offers an attractive benefits package, including health, vision, and dental benefits. The College pays for Life Insurance, STD/LTD, and paid time off.