Content Specialist, Cockrell School of Engineering

Job Posting Title:

Content Specialist, Cockrell School of Engineering

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Hiring Department:

Cockrell School of Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Are you a creative, curious, and compelling storyteller? We want you to help the Cockrell School of Engineering bring the student experience, alumni journeys, and groundbreaking research to life across our digital platforms.

If you thrive on finding the heart of a story—whether in a student’s late-night innovation, an alum’s game-changing career, or a research breakthrough that needs a pop-culture twist—this role is for you.

Where you’ll work: As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders. 

UT Austin provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)

• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options

• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with 7.75% employer matching funds

• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)

• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses

• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning, plus professional conference opportunities

• Tuition assistance

• Expansive employee discount program, including athletic tickets

• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums witha staff ID card

• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin Cap Metro buses with a staff ID card

Position Purpose

The Content Specialist will be responsible for creating, curating, and adapting compelling stories that align with the organization's brand, values, and marketing and communications objectives. This position requires a passion for storytelling and copywriting, a strong understanding of shaping narratives for target audiences, and a knack for making complex engineering topics clear, engaging, and inspiring. The specialist is an integral part of the marketing and communications team. As part of the team, they develop core narratives then adapt them into varied formats, styles, and tones for distinct audiences. They also collaborate with our design and distribution teams who share the content outward and provide performance metrics. Stories the specialist will craft help the team meet our goals, from graduate student recruitment to faculty research visibility to alumni engagement and more.

Responsibilities

• Write for Digital Audiences – Create compelling, concise, channel-optimized content for our website, social media, video, and email communications—ranging from human interest features to scripts to research and thought leadership pieces.

• Find & Craft Stories – Conduct interviews with students, alumni, and faculty to unearth and develop engaging stories for digital channels.

• Storyboard & Script Video Content – Work with our video and social experts to outline and script short-form stories for social media, website, and YouTube.

• Collaborate with Experts – Partner with our research teams to translate engineering concepts into relatable, engaging narratives.

• Ensure Consistency – Maintain a consistent brand voice while editing and tailoring stories for different audiences and formats.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or related field.

• Seven years of experience in journalism, content marketing, or crafting digital communications.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a keen eye for detail and tone.

• Strong experience in tailoring content for different audiences using insights provided.

• Experience in both writing and multimedia content creation.

• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines.

• Creative thinking and problem-solving abilities with a passion for crafting compelling narratives.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with WordPress or other CMS, email platforms, and social media tools.

• Familiarity with graphic design tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite).

• Experience working in a non-profit, higher education, or agency environment.

Salary Range

$60,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Event working hours will vary depending upon need, with some occasional early, evening, and weekend shifts work required

Work Shift

• Standard work schedule is Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

• Periodic work outside of normal business hours, including evenings and weekends, may be required.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• Letter of interest

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.