Responsibilities

• Media Outreach
• Help build and maintain ACLS press lists, draft pitches, and support the CCO in securing media coverage;
• Track and log ACLS media coverage and mentions, contributing to ACLS earned-media goals;
• Cultivate relationships with relevant journalists and media outlets toward increasing favorable coverage for ACLS, its work, and impact;
• Work closely with CCO in developing, executing, and refining earned media strategy that includes focus on higher education media, as well as philanthropy, general news, policy, culture, and other outlet categories relevant to ACLS activities and impact;
• Collaborate with ACLS program and fundraising teams to develop earned media strategies;
• Write, distribute, and manage responses to press releases and targeted pitches on ACLS, its work, and its impact including competition calls for applications, award announcements, advocacy statements, and grant announcements on the PRNewswire platform;
• Monitor and strategize around editorial calendars for key media targets;
• Collaborate with the CCO in developing other media outreach content including op-eds, talking points, briefing documents, and background research; and
• Track and report on community engagement metrics for earned media and work with CCO on ways to improve metrics, as well as coverage frequency and quality.

Requirements

• 3+ years experience in media relations communications, content marketing, editorial, or journalism, ideally in a mission-driven or higher education context
• Fluent with third-party marketing tools including Cision, WordPress, Mailchimp, Sprout Social, Microsoft Office, Teams
• Strong writer and editor with ability to produce clear, concise, accurate, and on message content across different formats
• Sharp editorial eye with a keen understanding of news cycles and of what makes a story newsworthy
• Experience crafting strong, compelling pitches and building press relationships
• Ability to produce clear, accurate, on-message content across different formats including web, social media, print, and more
• Highly agile, with ability to produce content quickly and shift priorities as needed in a fast-paced environment
• Strong experience as a cross-functional collaborator with demonstrated ability to work across units, subject-matter experts, and partners
• Highly organized (we love spreadsheets!) with strong attention to detail. Must be able to build, track, and adjust cross-departmental project timelines; meet deadlines; and build and refine processes and systems for the Communications Team and organization staff
• Experience using DSLR cameras and capturing basic event photography

Preferred

• Familiar with the higher education landscape is a plus

Benefits

• ACLS offers a comprehensive benefits package; including medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and disability insurance; generous time off benefits; a retirement savings plan, including employer contributions; and professional development support.