Communications Specialist (Staff Writer/Reporter)

18-Mar-2024

Faculty of Arts & Sciences - Office of the Dean

87143BR

University Job Title

Communication Specialist, FAS Dean's Office

Bargaining Unit

None - Not included in the union (Yale Union Group)

Compensation Grade

Administration & Operations

Compensation Grade Profile

Supervisor; Senior Associate (23)

Wage Ranges

Click here to see our Wage Ranges

Searchable Job Family

Comm-Editing-Tech B, Communications/Editing/Teaching

Total # of hours to be worked:

37.5

Work Week

Standard (M-F equal number of hours per day)

Work Location

Central Campus

Worksite Address

1 Hillhouse Avenue
New Haven, CT 06511

Position Focus:

Reporting to the Assistant Dean for Faculty Development and Outreach, the Communications Specialist (Staff Writer/Reporter) is responsible for identifying and producing compelling news and feature stories about the people of Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), which is home to more than 40 departments and programs — spanning the divisions of Humanities, Social Science, and Science — that provide instruction to the students of Yale College and Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Working collaboratively with FAS faculty and staff; members of the FAS Dean’s Office; and counterparts from across the Yale campus to produce feature stories, news stories, faculty profiles, and other original content that highlights research and teaching taking place across the FAS for general readers, members of the FAS and University, donors, and other key audiences.  

The incumbent will coordinate directly with FAS academic departments to stay apprised of FAS faculty scholarship, activities, and achievements, and identify stories relevant to the mission and stated priorities of FAS and the university. They will conduct interviews and background research in order to produce news stories for publication on the FAS website and other university platforms. In addition, the Staff Writer/Reporter will manage the FAS’s online newsfeed, pursue opportunities for cross-promotion of FAS-produced content on other platforms or social media channels, and will edit the work of student and freelance writers. 

This role primarily involves planning, drafting, formatting, proofreading, and editing of news content. The ideal candidate will be an experienced writer/journalist with a wide-ranging curiosity, an eye for good stories, an understanding of higher education, and exceptional writing and editing skills who can manage multiple assignments simultaneously.

While the position will focus on developing news content related to the FAS, there will also be opportunities to create content or copy for video, podcasts, and social media, as well as other communications-related duties, including speechwriting, correspondence, and talking points for the FAS Dean and the FAS Dean’s Office, as needed.

Essential Duties

1. Write and edit news and features stories, web spotlights, media releases, web content, and a wide array of other content of interest to the FAS's target audiences, including current faculty, prospective faculty, media, donors, alumni, and others. 2. Conduct outreach to FAS departments with the goal of collecting, curating, and writings stories about FAS faculty scholarship, teaching, and accomplishments. 3. Identify and pitch stories that fit into content strategy and/or advance strategic priorities. 4. Develop and exercise a keen understanding of the multiple audiences and contributing University offices involved in a given project to ensure that individual news stories are rolled out within a structure planned in advance and with appropriate communication among key stakeholders. 5. Update, create, and publish news-related content for the FAS Dean's Office website, and updates site as needed. May assist with developing content strategy. 6. Proactively research and suggest content to support and reinforce the FAS's communication goals. 7. Support short and long-term communication planning; work with colleagues across the FAS and Yale to identify, evaluate, and measure the impact of the FAS's communications strategies. 8. Assist with preparing content for video, podcasts, social media, speeches, letters, talking points, presentations, and other documents for the FAS Dean and the FAS Dean's Office. 9. Assist with coordinating with the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, Office of Development, Alumni Association, and others to organize messaging and dissemination of news, and on occasion, assist the FAS Director of Special Media Projects. 10. May supervise the work of administrative staff or student workers.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and four years of related experience.

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Superior written and oral communication skills; proven ability to articulate ideas in verbal and written communications to a variety of audiences and stakeholders. Ability to write clearly, elegantly, concisely, quickly, and effectively. Ability to adapt writing style to a variety of audiences and publications. Superior editing and proofreading skills and experience.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Demonstrated knowledge of digital content production and best practices. Proven experience proofreading news and feature articles for general audiences. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of best practices for conducting interviews and background research.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and donors. Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to develop and execute strategic projects. Self-starter with strong work ethic, ability to meet deadlines, and manage multiple projects. Ability to work both collaboratively and independently in a productive manner.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Demonstrated experience updating website content using a content management system. Strong computer skills including experience using Microsoft Word and familiarity with research using computer databases and web-based resources.

Required Skill/Ability 5:

Flexibility, good judgment, and ability to maintain confidential information. Ability to handle challenging and complex situations and create thoughtful, informed, and institutionally aligned responses.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

5+ years of journalism experience and/or experience writing in a nonprofit or higher education setting. Familiarity with practices and trends in higher education a plus.

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

The University maintains policies pertaining to COVID-19. All faculty, staff, students, and trainees are required to comply with these policies, which may be found here:
https://covid19.yale.edu/health-guidelines

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

EEO Statement:

University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Additionally, in accordance with Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment, and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus