In this high impact role reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer and serving as a member of the Marketing division’s leadership team, the Director of Communications is responsible for advancing the institution’s reputation with key audiences through a portfolio of earned media and owned channels including the online Newsroom, social channels, alumni magazine, blogs and more. This role will lead an internal team, freelancers and agency partners to produce and amplify distinctive stories highlighting the achievements of faculty, students, alumni and staff that serve as brand proof points. The ideal candidate brings a wealth of experience navigating higher ed or similar organizations and collaborating with expert colleagues. In addition, s/he will be an innovator with a track record of success producing stories in multiple formats (text, video, etc.) paired with creative distribution tactics to build online audiences.
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Integrated Communications Planning & Execution
Define and implement an integrated communications plan with key editorial themes and content programming for platforms including the online Newsroom, blogs, media pitches and campaigns, alumni magazine, social channels, etc. Identify opportunities to repurpose content across channels to maximize depth and breadth of coverage and develop staff to produce for multiple channels.
Establish channel strategy understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different media so that the best one may be utilized for each story.
Develop and maintain a functional editorial calendar that integrates efforts across channels, creating visibility and accountability for colleagues and content producers.
Assign stories and inform their visual outcome online (use of infographics, side bars, videos, etc.) folding social media and search engine optimization best practices in from the start to drive traffic and engagement.
Cultivate relationships with expert colleagues ranging from faculty to administrative leadership to career services professionals, highlighting their achievements and stories as Bentley proof points.
Ensure all content is “on brand,” edit stories and serve as the “last pair of eyes” to see everything that appears on our platforms, or empower the right people to be that set of eyes in your stead.
News & Media Relations
Generate media opportunities for the institution in collaboration with agency partners, colleagues and communications team. Drive the development of compelling narratives aligned with the PreparedU Project, an initiative addressing the preparedness of college graduates, fielding research and identifying key messages to garner media coverage. Oversee the development of and/or draft associated releases, news announcements, op-eds, articles, pitches, blog posts, rich media assets, and briefings.
Direct agency partners and media relations team in the monitoring of current events and news that is most relevant to Bentley constituents, anticipating PR and media opportunities that position the institution well. Oversee the development of relationships with writers, reporters, influencers and others who cover topics relevant to Bentley’s mission.
Oversee content programming media partnership with Bloomberg Radio, identifying themes and associated guests for segments related to how business and higher education work together to better prepare college graduates.
Manage a pipeline of institutional spokespeople, collaborating with faculty and administrative leadership to increase recognition of their accomplishments and secure coverage in journals, international, national, and regional press.
Leverage “inbound” best practices to reduce dependence on media for exposure, attracting audiences to content in the Newsroom, blogs and social media, etc.
Oversee and direct strategic media relations and responses during campus crisis or emergency situation involving the institution. Oversee communication team members’ involvement on Crisis Communications task force ensuring team is prepared to execute crisis communications plan if needed.
Review, analyze and report media relations outcomes, setting team and institutional goals for key metrics, and use that data to inform future media relations efforts.
Digital Publishing: Newsroom, Social Media, Native, Video, etc.
Provide strategic direction and oversee programming that expands the institution’s presence – and associated online readership – through owned channels (the Newsroom, social channels, etc.) and earned/paid channels (third-party native sites like Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, etc.).
Define an approach to amplifying and repurposing original content, news coverage, etc. across channels based on an established channel/audience strategy.
Oversee the institution’s official social media accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, aligning social media manager’s editorial calendar with communications plan and channel/audience strategy.
Bring storytelling to life in new formats including video, podcasting, etc. coupled with creative distribution tactics to reach new audiences.
Print Publishing
Responsible for editorial oversight of Bentley Magazine, developing editorial agenda in concert with University Advancement. Plan and oversee content development for three publications/year, managing publication editor to ensure issues are on brand, meet audience interests and are well-integrated among alumni-driven publications.
Collaborate on the development of the PreparedU book, working closely with CMO, President Larson, writer and publisher to craft a compelling narrative and associated communication plan
Team Management
Supervise and support agency partners, in-house and freelance media relations professionals, writers, editors, content producers, setting priorities and monitoring progress towards established goals.
Create development opportunities for internal staff with a focus on shifting to sustainable inbound practices including blogging, social media, etc. to build readership that’s not media-dependent.
Serve as an arbiter of communication trends and best practices in higher education, monitoring the media and communication landscape.
Establish and document best practices in constructing stories for traditional and digital publishing environments with standards for grammar, messaging, writing, and style.
Build and manage a network of freelancers and contributors to supplement in-house talent
Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience Requirements)
Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, English or related field required; 10+years experience in an integrated communications, media, or PR role with progressive responsibility and exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience managing and building a high-performing team with external collaborators and freelancers. Able to hire, train, supervise, motivate, support, and lead staff and to handle personnel matters creatively and diplomatically.
Skilled at collaborating with institutional colleagues, demonstrating curiosity and initiative in developing content sources and stories.
Experience pitching, crafting, and placing content externally through op-ed or article development, guest blogging, etc.
Experience producing content for the web, as well as channel-specific knowledge (blog, SlideShare, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.).
Skilled at building audiences either online or offline.
A dual-minded approach: You’re highly creative and an excellent writer but can also be process-driven, think scale, and rely on data to make decisions.
Well-organized, effective, and creative multi-tasker, time-manager, and problem solver, who is also customer service-oriented, pays attention to detail, is able to manage complex projects and works with a sense of urgency.
Able to introduce editorial production best practices, creating efficiencies across the team.
The ideal candidate knows when a story is best told in video, or when it should be text, or when it should be neither and be left to a chart or graphic.
Actively engaged in expanding skills, and aware of industry trends and emerging technologies.
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