The Assistant Director of Public Relations and Editorial Content will produce and edit stories and assist with public and media relations. The position will report to the Director of Public Relations and Editorial Content.

Essential Functions

• Edits, writes, and produces content for the Foundation news page appropriate for inclusion in Rutgers Today and on social media. Stories should highlight Rutgers’ academic excellence, building community, and commitment to the common good.
• Applies keen news judgment and strong writing and editing skills.
• Identifies, produces, and assigns stories that highlight the university’s values, mission, and the achievements of its alumni, donors, faculty, staff, and students.
• Works collaboratively with all UCM team members and communications partners across the university to identify stories that can be told on a variety of platforms, including news sites and social media, and promoted widely, including through external media.
• Serves as assistant editor of the Foundation’s news page and as backup to the Director of Public Relations and Editorial Content.
• Manages the daily editorial and production duties on deadline and working with complex subject material.
• Prepares media pitches and coordinates with the Director on media outreach
• Assists Director in responding to media queries and managing crisis communications, particularly in the Director’s absence.
  
  

Competency Aptitudes

Leadership

• Responsible for complex projects with guidance by leadership
• Develop comprehensive project leadership (own all project components)
  
  

Autonomy

• Create, manage, and execute critical elements for the department/project/program
• Perform project analysis; devise and implement process improvements to optimize outcomes
  
  

Complexity

• Scope of work is highly visible and is pan-University or pan-foundation
• Subject matter expert of department/project/program operations
  
  

Strategy

• Assist with strategy development, projects, and proposals
• Begin leading strategy sessions
• Responsible for operational tasks for the project/program/program
  
  

Journalistic and PR

• Quickly conceive, report, write, edit, and post online news and feature stories and press releases in a journalistic style
• Pitch stories to reporters and editors and online news organizations, as well as field and respond to calls from the media
• In-depth knowledge of news organization and their inner workings, as well as public and media relations practices
  
  

Education/ Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and/or experience plus. Must have a minimum of two years of experience reporting, writing, and editing news stories and feature articles, preferably for a news organization or higher education communications office. Experience for not-for-profit, educational, retail, and/or corporate setting will be considered. Candidates must have a substantial collection of appropriate, bylined writing samples for review.

Mental Demands

Clarity of focus while juggling complex projects or deadlines.

Working Conditions

This position requires little physical effort. Occasionally, but rarely, will work evenings, weekends, or odd hours for news coverage requirements. Occasional travel to Camden and Newark campuses. Typical working conditions have an absence of disagreeable elements.

Workplace Arrangements

This is classified as an office-centric hybrid position. Colleagues working under an office-centric hybrid arrangement have a primary workstation in a university or foundation location and are in the office between one and five days a week. The frequency with which they are present in the office depends on their role and function and the interdependency of other functions.

Benefits

• Office-centric hybrid work schedule
• Comprehensive medical
• Comprehensive no cost dental, and no cost vision insurance for employee and dependents
• 403(b) plan with matching employer contribution
• Accrual of three weeks of annual vacation time, in addition to two personal holidays and three administrative leave days each year
• Nine holidays, as well as four floating holidays
• Parental leave
• Significant tuition reductions
• Professional development is highly valued at the Rutgers University Foundation, where employees are encouraged to look across the organization to develop new skills and abilities for professional career progression
• $40 monthly cell phone reimbursement
  
  

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is Foundation policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants. The Foundation prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, familial status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, and any other characteristics protected by applicable state, federal and/or local laws. Equal employment opportunity applies to hiring, placement, transfer, promotion, demotion, recruitment, advertising or solicitation for employment, treatment during employment, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, selection for training, layoff, or termination.