Responsibilities

• In collaboration with the Assistant Dean, Chief Marketing Communications Officer (CMO) and other members on the school's Communications team, the Senior Writer and Public Information Officer (PIO) will leverage their substantial media relationships and the school's media-monitoring platform to develop a strategic media relations plan with minimal supervision.
• This includes developing and maintaining the general/trade/topic-specific media lists for UCLA Samueli, finding compelling news-worthy pitches from research and other school activities, working with traditional and digital-media journalists to identify story ideas suitable for our faculty and/or students, positioning select faculty experts as go-to sources for target media outlets, formalizing a proactive and strategic program designed to generate consistent and positive external news coverage, etc.
• The PIO will gain a deep understanding and knowledge of target journalists' beats and faculty expertise to identify opportunities for media briefing and interviews on an ongoing basis.
• The Senior Writer/PIO is a seasoned communications professional responsible for writing and editing electronic publications, web content and social media posts.
• Additional writing duties in support of the Communications team include web features, event invitations, research press releases, op-eds, student and alumni profiles, monthly e-newsletters, marketing materials, presentations, school announcements and other content as directed by CMO.
• The PIO will assist CMO in drafting speeches and talking points for both internal and external speaking engagements of key school leadership.
• The PIO will coordinate with the Communications team to post on the school's main social media channels, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to ensure proactive and consistent messaging throughout the school.
• Working with CMO, the PIO will also be responsible for developing and implementing a proactive public-relations program, including a UCLA Samueli speaker's bureau, to raise visibility for the Dean and other key leadership in the school.
• UCLA Samueli is embarking on a strategic plan to grow the school, with an emphasis on attracting top faculty from diverse backgrounds around the world and setting the standard for undergraduate and graduate engineering education in an equitable and inclusive way. This position is expected to play a key role in the success of that strategic plan by elevating the school's brand among its many constituents.

Requirements

• A minimum of five (5) years of full-time professional experience in journalism and media relations, with demonstrated success in working with print, broadcast and electronic news outlets (Required)
• Strong relationships with mainstream science and technology reporters, both regionally (Los Angeles) nationally and internationally. (Required)
• Superior newsroom writing (AP Style) and editing skills; proven track record of translating technical and scientific research into compelling content for general audiences. (Required)
• Experience spearheading high-profile media events and fielding a large number of incoming media inquiries. (Required)
• Expertise in identifying, capturing and delivering media relations metrics to demonstrate ROI. (Required)
• Advanced knowledge of working with social media to build and strengthen School brand. (Required)
• Ability to think creatively and critically; prioritize workload efficiently in the face of competing deadlines and fluctuating priorities; effectively work with a team in a fast-paced setting with a positive, can-do attribute and impeccable professionalism (Required)
• Ability to attend evening and weekend events occasionally to facilitate media coverage and other communication needs. (Required)
• Experience working in PR agency, in-house communications, and/or nonprofit with ability to handle high pressure and deadline-driven tasks. (Required)
• Bachelor's Degree journalism, communications or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience (Required)