Senior Manager of Communications and Media Relations

General Notes

The university provides employees a competitive benefits package that includes health insurance (premiums covered 100% for full-time benefits-eligible employees), retirement plans, and paid leave, in addition to other programs and services. We offer robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning, professional conference opportunities, an expansive employee discount program, including athletic tickets. Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with a staff ID card. Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with a staff ID card. For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards

Purpose

The Senior Manager of Communications and media relations is a key member of the Marketing and Communications Team at the College of Education. This role supports the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications in developing and executing strategic communication initiatives that enhance the college’s reputation, engage stakeholders, and promote its mission of advancing education and research. The position focuses on media relations, storytelling, and integrated communications across digital and traditional platforms. The selected individual should have a strong background in content creation for colleges/universities, speech writing, and storytelling for a wide range of audiences within higher education or a similar organization. This role will be critical in sharing the voice of the dean, shaping the college’s brand voice, engaging our target audiences, and creating compelling narratives that resonate with our stakeholders. 

Responsibilities

• Content Development: Create compelling stories highlighting faculty research, student success, alumni success, donor impact, and community engagement. Oversee production of newsletters, web content, and content for social media campaigns. Manage editorial calendars and coordinate with internal stakeholders.

• Media Relations: Serve as the primary liaison for media inquiries related to the College of Education. Develop and maintain relationships with local, state, and national media outlets. Draft press releases, media advisories, and statements for leadership. Monitor media coverage and prepare regular reports on impact and reach. Work with University Marketing and Communications to coordinate media outreach.

• Strategic Communications: Collaborate with the Senior Director to implement communication strategies aligned with college priorities. Support crisis communication planning and response. Ensure compliance with university brand standards and messaging guidelines.

• Leadership and Collaboration: Supervise staff or interns as assigned. Work closely with faculty, staff, and university communications teams to ensure consistent messaging.

• Event and Campaign Support: Provide communication support for college events, conferences, and initiatives. Assist in planning promotional campaigns for academic programs and fundraising efforts.

Required Qualifications

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

• Minimum 5 years of experience in media relations, public affairs or strategic communications.

• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills; demonstrated ability to write engaging and persuasive content.

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience with higher education or nonprofit communications.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field.

• Experience with crisis communication and issues management.

• Knowledge of analytics tools for media and digital performance.

• Photo journalism and/or video journalism skills

Salary Range

$80,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Typical office environment

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• Letter of interest and 3-5 writing samples to be fully considered

• 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 the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. 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 UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, 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 before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.