The Senior Director of Public and Media Relations is responsible for enhancing and elevating the university’s reputation by developing and executing comprehensive external relations and communications strategies.
As the senior public information officer and spokesperson, this position is responsible for reviewing, editing, and approving accurate and timely information that reflects the university’s official positions.
The Senior Director of Public and Media Relations develops and pursues strategies and tactics that promote a positive institutional image, increase visibility and exposure, reinforces brand narratives, and increases engagement with target audiences.
The Senior Director cultivates strategic relationships with members of the public, business leaders, elected officials, members of the news media, and others.
Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Communications, the Senior Director of Public and Media Relations acts as a senior advisor to the AVP and VP of Marketing and Communications, the President, the Cabinet, the Deans, and other senior leaders.
The position directs budgets, personnel, and resources responsible for managing the university’s public and media programs.
Position Specific Responsibilities / Accountabilities
Direct and oversee the university’s public and media relations team : set objectives, manage budgets, monitor performance, and assess outcomes.
Lead a service-oriented team environment that fosters collaboration, transparency, teamwork, flexibility, and creativity.
Coach team members to maximize creativity, productivity, and effectiveness.
Review and approve public statements, news advisories, press releases, articles, and other externally focused communications.
Assure timely dissemination of university news and information by managing internal communications, editorial schedules, and production calendars.
- Serve as the university’s lead public information officer and spokesperson. Respond to, handle, and resolve inquiries, comments, and other feedback from the general public.
- Cultivate relationships with faculty and senior administrators. Provide media training, develop expert resources for the press, and coordinate and manage spokesperson resources.
- Lead issues and crisis communications planning and management. Collaborate with key external and internal contacts to ensure the university’s crisis response safeguards community members, institutional reputation, and serves the informational needs of the public.
- Maximize the university’s exposure and visibility by designing and implementing external communications strategies that : cultivate the university’s relationships with the media, engage target audiences, increase favorable news coverage, decrease unfavorable news coverage, and boost brand awareness.
Ensure efforts integrate with the goals of the university, the colleges / schools, enrollment management, and supports the university’s overall public outreach efforts.
Cultivate and steward strategic relationships with external influencers, members of the news media, elected officials, business leaders.
Seek opportunities to extend the university’s relationships to advance identified public relations objectives.
Execute communications and creative projects. Collaborate with marketing and communications colleagues, university clients, and external partners to ensure projects are completed by identified deadlines and on budget.
Assure successful outcomes by adopting best-practice project management methodologies, quality assurance metrics, and risk mitigation plans.
Ensure the integrity, high-quality, and consistency of the university’s image, tone, style, narrative, visual identity, and brand.
Advise the AVP and VP of Marketing and Communications, the President, the Cabinet, the Deans, and other senior leaders on public and media relations topics.
Serve as a media publicist for university leaders to increase their external thought leadership and promote positive university positioning.
Manage and / or produce annual reports, coverage and visibility metrics, manage the implementation of concurrent, interdependent short-, medium-, and long-term plans to build a robust, responsive, broad-based communications program.
Create, recommend, implement, and monitor compliance with the university’s public and media relations policies, protocols, procedures, and workflows.
Manage and support a data-driven and evidenced-based decision support environment. Collect, review, analyze, and evaluate data metrics and analytics.
Maintain a library and archive of relevant facts, news clippings, rankings and other fact-checking sources.
Perform other duties as assigned or requested by leadership.
Loyola Marymount University Expectations
Exhibit behavior that supports the mission, vision, and values of the university. Promote an environment that supports diversity and inclusivity.
Communicate and employ interpersonal actions that model high standards of professional, responsible, accountable and ethical conduct.
Demonstrate a commitment to outstanding customer service.
The incumbent must have the ability to supervise creative, communications and technical personnel and manage complex projects with dependencies, deadlines, budgets and outside resources.
The incumbent must possess the ability to implement marketing and communication principles and strategies in the execution of video projects.
The incumbent must have the ability to initiate ideas, develop concepts and review the effectiveness of processes to ensure professional standards and high quality.
The incumbent has the ability to assess the needs of internal clients and suggest appropriate measures to meet those needs.
The incumbent is able to work effectively and independently with internal and external constituencies. The incumbent has the ability to operate in an environment in which skilled relationship management and consensus-building is required to deliver successful outcomes.
Requisite Qualifications
Typically a Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, or related field or equivalent experience.
Master’s degree preferred. Incumbent will be expected to continue upgrading knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to keep abreast of communication best practices.
Minimum eight years’ public relations and / or media management experience in an institutional or corporate role with a record of management and supervisorial experience;
ability to work effectively and independently with internal and external constituencies and with professionals of varied disciplines to accomplish tasks and projects.
- Demonstrated experience managing and executing across multiple communications and marketing channels and media; highly developed skills in communications writing and editing;
- Highly collaborative style with experience developing and implementing communications strategies successfully; background that demonstrates relationship-building, consensus-building, flexibility, and managing through influencing;
- Evidence of high energy leadership style with a track record for leading both strategic and tactical communications efforts;
- Self-starter, able to work independently and entrepreneurially; experience creating, developing and implementing new initiatives;
- Demonstrated computer competency with common production software suites, such as photo editing software, email marketing tools, and analytics reporting software.
- Ability to produce high quality deliverables with meticulous attention to detail. Must be metrics-driven and results-oriented with demonstrated analytical skills.
- Ability to provide quick turnaround and updates for multiple requests while maintaining strong reputation of high quality work.
- Self-starter with the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a cross-functional team.
- Must be able to perform successfully in a fast-paced, intellectually intense, and service-oriented environment. Experience working successfully within a complex organization.
Willing and able to adjust to changing demands and shifting priorities.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.
HERC# #HEJ#
Reasonable Expected Salary - $125,000 - $130,000. Salary offer commensurate with education and experience.
Staff Regular
Salary range
$91,500.00 - $136,800.00 Salary commensurate with education and experience.Loyola Marymount University, a Carnegie classified R2 institution in the mainstream of American Catholic higher education, seeks outstanding applicants who value its mission and share its commitment to inclusive excellence, the education of the whole person, and the building of a just society.
LMU is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing an environment free from discrimination and harassment as defined by federal, state and local law.
We invite all persons in the full diversity of their being, life experience, and beliefs to apply. (Visit www.lmu.edu for more information.)
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