Corporate Communications Manager

Description

Job Title : Corporate Communications Manager (Applicants are required to submit a cover letter)

Reports to : VP, External Affairs

Status : Full-Time / Exempt

Salary Range : $80,000.00 - $85,000.00

Position Overview :

The Corporate Communications Manager creates and oversees corporate projects for WETA, overseeing the writing, editing, design and production of highly visible and valuable station resources that demonstrate the value of WETA to a wide variety of stakeholders.

Reporting to the Vice President for External Affairs and working closely with constituents throughout the organization, the Corporate Communications Manager promotes the value proposition of WETA and empowers other internal communicators to present polished, brand consistent, and compelling work.

Primary Responsibilities :

• Research and write internal and external communications for WETA leadership, including event remarks, drafted speeches and testimony, updates for staff, and summaries of our institutional accomplishments.
• Collaborate with fundraising departments on creating strong core materials making our case for support. Provide feedback and editorial guidance on telling our philanthropic story compellingly, such as by providing key messaging, reviewing materials for consistency and tone, proactively sharing assets, researching and collecting stories of impact, and alerting colleagues to useful and important new programming or institutional updates.
• Serve as project director and editor of the WETA Report to the Community, the polished annual publication, for digital and print publication.

Lead a team of writers, reviewers, researchers, editors and designers on this elaborate project.

• Write and update corporate press materials, which include the WETA overview, fact sheet, timeline of key moments in WETA history, guide to WETA productions and presentations, highlights of station activities in the community, annual financial report, WETA trustee affiliations and executive bios, and overview of related public media organizations.
• Work with the WETA Magazine editor and the publisher to provide copyediting rounds, research and process support on the magazine redesign, and contribute to the editorial calendar and planning.
• Copyedit and proofread publications, presentations, press releases, invitations, and other collateral.
• Organize and manage photo shoots for individuals and to document events, research photo resources, and carefully track rights and usages.
• Contribute to the shared brand asset management system and provide guidance for other users on key changes in usage policies for specific WETA programming.
• Research and maintain rolling records of awards, corporate changes, and programmatic highlights to add to our historical archive and identity documents.
• Develop and write briefings for executives and talent for high-visibility activities and events such as the Television Critics Association Press Tour and screenings of WETA productions.
• Manage hiring, deliverables, scheduling and invoices of vendors such as photographers and freelance writers.
• Develop and evangelize the WETA Language Style Guide, ensuring that WETA messaging is clear and consistent and addresses common writing and language questions.
• Ensure that all aspects of projects stay on schedule and that the projects come in on deadline and on budget.
• Perform other duties as assigned that contribute to the work of the department and success of the company.

Additional Skills and Qualifications :

• Demonstrated interest in public media, communications, public affairs, humanities and / or drama and arts.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum five years' experience in corporate communications, including message development, writing for internal and external stakeholders across platforms, creating digital and print publications, writing remarks and key executive communications, and collaborating with design and other vendors.
• Excellent writing, editing and design skills. Ability to collaborate with content generators to refine work while retaining the voice and substance of the original draft.
• Familiarity with membership or educational organizations and public broadcasting programming desirable.
• Multitasking and strong attention to detail essential; tenacity with deadlines, flexibility with assignments needed.
• Discretion, judgement, and sensitivity to corporate issues and stakeholder reactions.
• Ability to both identify larger strategies and to implement them in fine detail.

Applicants are required to submit a cover letter.

Location :

WETA and NewsHour Productions are Washington, DC established media and news organizations. We are a largely local workforce based out of the Campbell Place office in Arlington, VA.

WETA and NewsHour Productions value employee flexibility when possible. Most positions based in our Arlington, VA office will be onsite or hybrid, depending upon the role.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

WETA and its subsidiary NewsHour Productions LLC serve local and national public media audiences by producing and distributing content of intellectual integrity and cultural merit.

• Through broadcast, digital and community services, the organization offers compelling, diverse programming on five television channels, including primary channel WETA PBS, and on WETA Classical, the exclusive home for classical music in the nation's capital;
• produces a portfolio of national television productions, including PBS NewsHour, recognized globally for bringing balanced, in-depth news coverage to all Americans;

creates impactful documentaries with longtime production partners Ken Burns and Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; features a variety of content offerings on weta.

org, WETA Passport, the PBS Video App and the WETA Classical App; and serves communities near and far with education and engagement initiatives that contribute to the company's mission of public service.

Please also see our Benefits : Benefits WETA

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

WETA / NewsHour Productions is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment of any kind.

Fostering a culture of mutual respect is a top priority and something we take very seriously.

Employment at WETA / NewsHour Productions is based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, age, ethnicity or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sex (including pregnancy), physical, mental or sensory ability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and / or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

We are also committed to demonstrating fair and equitable systems, practices, and processes related to how we recruit, develop, retain, promote, reward, compensate, and terminate talent.

We know that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is fundamental to the success of our business and our people, and we will continue to recognize it as part of our guiding principles.