Media and Internal Relations Coordinator

Description:

Job Description

The Media and Internal Relations Coordinator manages media inquiries from news outlets to the school division, identifies, researches, and pitch stories that reflect the division's mission to targeted news outlets, writes media advisories and news releases, and supports internal communications. This role requires using media strategy with all media relations, responding quickly to reporters, meeting deadlines daily, high-quality writing and pitching skills, excellent organizational ability for media tracking and analytics, and a can-do attitude. This role involves relationship building internally and externally, adhering to division protocols to plan logistics and obtain approvals, and proactive coordination with the news media, schools, and departments. Work is performed under general supervision and involves considerable knowledge of the school division's organization, policies, and regulations and an ability to exercise tact and sound judgment in working with reporters and colleagues across all departments and schools.

This position reports to the Executive Director of Communications.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in journalism/English/public relations/mass communications or a related field.

Experience: Three or more years of training and experience in public relations, media relations work, or journalism preferred. Experience working with journalists/media relations is essential.

Key Competencies

• Knowledge and experience with public education, the news media, local government, and current events.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking and judgment skills.
• Superb verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Good judgment and the ability to act quickly and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong ability to identify news opportunities for ACPS stories, establish relationships with reporters, and pitch story ideas that are timely and interesting to the media and reflect the mission of ACPS.
• Research skills and ability to produce creative, innovative stories for media pitching, publications, and other materials.
• Ability to organize and manage small events to recognize employees or media briefings to share positive news from school divisions or individual schools for local news outlets.
• Comfortable using software to monitor news coverage and media impressions, track media inquiries, and research analytics to report on news coverage.
• Experience with employee or internal communications in a school division setting, including with developing messaging and materials to school and department staff and assisting with human resources recruitment and retention campaigns.
• Proactive approach and good people skills for anticipating challenges and time-sensitive needs and working cross-departmentally to achieve results with communications projects.
• Attention to detail and a sound sense of urgency to prioritize and promptly implement projects.
• Possesses an equity mindset, with the ability to pitch news stories about and for diverse audiences.
• Proven track record in producing positive earned news and social media.

Essential Functions

• Write communications plans or media relations portions of comprehensive communications plans to showcase ACPS educational programs and specific campaigns to create change in key issue areas.
• Develop media strategy for broader school division communication campaigns and goals.
• Research news opportunities and potential ACPS story ideas for media pitches and events.
• Work with the communications team and division leaders on media strategy and planning to ensure a strategic approach and consistency in messaging and outreach.
• Attend all evening School Board meetings in person, held approximately twice each month, to work with any reporters present and manage media on-site at occasional events or briefings held during the school year.
• Respond quickly to incoming media requests and, working with department leadership, coordinate with department content experts and school leaders according to protocol to schedule and staff interviews and school visits.
• Draft responses for all media inquiries, liaise with subject matter experts to approve them, and take the lead in ensuring all deadlines are met for media outlets. Handle any follow-up questions or need for visuals that come from media inquiries, interviews, and events.
• Support the division's social media assets with posts, storytelling, and two-way engagement, and share positive news coverage via social media and on the ACPS website.
• Serve as the lead contact for the media database vendor and stay current on training and new outreach tactics offered to the division; maintain and update media lists weekly to ensure news contacts are current and targeted.
• Write messaging and content for news releases, media advisories, op-eds, media relations web pages, and newsletters. Coordinate within the communications team as the primary staff member responsible for distributing all media materials through the media database software platform.
• Help prepare school division spokespeople for media interviews and write talking points for division leaders, as needed.
• Manage the process to track all incoming media inquiries daily; monitor news coverage weekly; support weekly newsletter to senior leadership team; and prepare analytics, regular reports, and Board Briefs on media relations.
• Coordinate logistics and serve as staff liaison for reporter visits, interviews (by phone, virtual, and in person), and school division media briefings in coordination with the Chief of School and Community Relations and Executive Director of Communications.
• Disseminate information to the public and school division staff.
• Collaborate with administrators and other staff members, as appropriate, in publicizing and promoting performances, exhibitions, displays, dedications, or special programs sponsored by the schools and open to the public.
• Serve as a writer/editor for media relations materials.
• Generate school news round-up summaries for local news media and highlight positive stories in the internal newsletter.
• Handle specific internal communications functions targeted to staff, such as the VIP employee relations program, including program management, employee outreach, and recognition events and communications.
• Support internal and media communication needs of the Office of Human Resources, Department of Financial Services, and Department of Technology Services on key issues such as the budget process and timeline, major technology changes for staff, and programs for employee wellness.
• Working with communications team colleagues to help determine appropriate communications for target audiences.
• Partner with the Capital Improvement Planning (CIP) communications specialist on writing media materials related to the CIP budget process and disseminate these to the press in coordination with the Department of Facilities.
• Provide communications support for community meetings and events, as well as those of the division and School Board meetings, as required.
• Assist with emergency and crisis communications to keep local news outlets informed with regular updates on emergencies that may affect schools and families .
• Some evening and weekend work is required.
• May perform other additional duties or tasks as designated by the supervisor.

Clearances

• Criminal Justice Fingerprint/Background Clearance.
• Tuberculosis Skin Test.

Public Health Compliance

• Must follow safety and health protocols.

WP

Primary Location:
Central Office
Salary Range:
$75,014.40 - $92,236.80 / Support SUP-35
Shift Type:
Full-Time