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Fordham University · 6 hours ago

Director of Media Relations, Deputy University Spokesperson

New York, NY

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$120K/yr - $145K/yr

7+ years exp

Fordham University is a Jesuit University located in New York, offering an exceptional education to its students. The Director of Media Relations is responsible for promoting the university's reputation through proactive and reactive media engagement, overseeing media requests, and managing relationships with various media outlets.

Higher Education

Responsibilities

Identifies newsworthy stories and develops compelling pitches regarding Fordham staff perspectives, faculty experts, faculty research, student and faculty accomplishments, and University programs and events, and conducts strategic media outreach to secure favorable coverage

Fields and navigates incoming media requests, coordinates responses, and oversees in-person and virtual interviews, as well as filming

Maintains relationships with the student press and serves as a key point of contact for all engagement and inquiries

Monitors and escalates potentially controversial topics or coverage in the media and support issue mitigation and responses

Manages and maintains faculty expert, statement, and messaging database

Oversees production and edits news and earned media reporting to be shared across the University community

Participates as a member of the crisis communications team, providing on-call emergency support as needed

Works with the AVP and outside public relations counsel to create and execute impactful media relations plans

Partners with broader University Marketing and Communications colleagues to develop and execute 360 communications programs

Cultivates and maintains relationships with media contacts and internal clients

Attends University events and facilitates media access to campus events and facilities

Counsels and supports staff and faculty members with editorial and media relations guidance

Qualification

Media relations experienceMedia placement abilityWriting skillsPeople managementMedia measurement platformsCrisis communicationsVisual storytellingData analysisHigher educationRelationship building

Required

Bachelor's Degree

Minimum 7 Years Of Media And/or Media Relations Experience

Minimum 4 years of experience as a people manager

Demonstrated media savvy, media placement ability, and relationships across top-tier and industry outlets; media placement portfolio required, and visual storytelling examples are a plus

Strong writing skills across a variety of formats, including talking points, holding/reactive statements, and media pitches

Deep understanding of the evolving media industry and issues impacting higher education

Familiarity with media measurement platforms and data analysis

Successful candidates should possess a basic understanding of and commitment to the values that underpin Jesuit education