Public Relations Specialist

Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion, IN

Full-time

Marion, IN

Educational Services

About the position

The Public Relations Specialist at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) plays a crucial role in enhancing the university's brand and communicating its news effectively. This position is responsible for developing high-quality, timely content that strategically conveys news and feature stories aimed at increasing external brand awareness, boosting internal morale, and encouraging student enrollment. The specialist will utilize storytelling techniques to engage various audiences across multiple platforms, including blogs, university magazines, email campaigns, video scripts, and other marketing initiatives. This role is integral to the Marketing Department's Communication Team, executing the content and communication strategy while ensuring a consistent voice across all mediums. In this position, the Public Relations Specialist will create content for both internal and external communications, overseeing the process from conception through execution and distribution. Building relationships with external audiences and stakeholders is essential for promoting awareness and publishing news stories. Collaboration with internal stakeholders is also key to enhancing communication and fostering morale among students, staff, faculty, administration, and alumni. The specialist will discover and highlight newsworthy accomplishments within the IWU community, crafting compelling narratives for publication across various channels. Additionally, the role requires maintaining consistency in voice and tone across all marketing content, adhering to the university's style guide and guidelines. Candidates for this position must possess a strong Christian commitment and align with the standards outlined in the IWU Community Lifestyle Statement, reflecting the university's mission and values.

Responsibilities

• Creates content for internal and external communications from conception to execution and distribution
• Develops relationships with external audiences and stakeholders to promote awareness and publish news stories
• Collaborates with internal stakeholders to increase communication and build morale among students, staff, faculty, administration, and alumni
• Discovers newsworthy accomplishments among students, staff, faculty, administration, and alumni and writes compelling stories to publish across a variety of mediums
• Serves as a gatekeeper for consistency in voice and tone across marketing content, including maintaining the University's style guide and adhering to its guidelines

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in marketing, communications, public relations, writing, English or a related discipline
• Five (5) years of experience writing, editing, and strategic communication experience in a professional setting, preferably in higher education
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures
• Experience or knowledge in copywriting and editing required
• Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format
• Effective storyteller capable of capturing an organization's voice and leveraging narrative strategy to accomplish goals
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of internal and external media communications for marketing purposes
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills with knowledge of grammar and style guidelines
• Strong project management, collaboration, and organizational skills
• Understanding of and commitment to the spiritual mission of IWU