Manager, External Relations

Northwestern University; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 76,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Tuition benefits

Paid vacation and holidays

Parental leave

Retirement savings options

Wellness programs

Job summary

Northwestern University’s Kellogg Communications is seeking a Manager, External Relations in Evanston, IL to lead media relations strategies and measurement across enterprise priorities.

The role guides narratives, counsels faculty and leadership, and collaborates with Marketing, social media, and content teams to amplify coverage of key announcements such as Class Profile and Employment Report. Evening and weekend hours may be required.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.

Responsibilities

• Shape media relations strategies and lead execution to advance Kellogg priorities.
• Build partnerships with faculty, leaders and students to secure participation in external relations efforts.
• Provide counsel to Kellogg faculty, leadership and students engaged in media activities.
• Lead research to inform media inquiries, reporter relationships, and speaking engagements.
• Collaborate with social media and marketing to amplify coverage of Kellogg content and announcements.
• Develop narratives and messages for institutional announcements (e.g., Class Profile, Employment Report).

Skills

Media strategy

Journalist relationships

Writing & editing

Project management

Communication with leadership

MS Office Suite

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

PowerPoint

MS Office

Job description

Department: Kellogg Communications

Salary/Grade: EXS/8

The Manager, External Relations helps develop and leads execution of communications strategies to advance Kellogg's reputational and strategic priorities. The core focus of this role is on developing and executing media relations strategies that enhance Kellogg's reputation on the enterprise level and in priority industries and academic areas. The Manager navigates a complex organization to form relationships with key Kellogg sources and subject matter experts. The Manager develops and manages measurement strategies to assess media relations success, shapes narratives and messaging to guide external communications and provides strategic counsel and coaching to school faculty and leadership. The Manager plays important roles on key cross-departmental integrated marketing and communications initiatives, including Kellogg's content platforms, prospective student marketing efforts and issues management activities.

Please note: Evening and weekend hours are occasionally necessary when workload or event coverage requires it.

Please Note: A well-qualified candidate within this department or unit has been identified and will be considered for the position alongside other qualified candidates identified through a competitive recruitment process. The University reserves its right to give priority consideration to internal qualified candidates.

Specific Responsibilities

External Relations:

• Help shape strategies to advance Kellogg reputational and strategic priorities through proactive and reactive media relations; lead execution of those strategies, cultivating fruitful relationships with reporters in business school and top tier media.
• Build productive partnerships across Kellogg - with a focus on forming trusted relationships with faculty, school leaders and students - to generate strong participation by Kellogg sources and subject matter experts in external relations efforts.
• Provide counsel and support to Kellogg faculty, leadership and students participating in media and other communications activities.
• Lead research to aid the external communications team in making strategic decisions regarding media inquiries, reporter relationships, speaking engagements and award submissions.
• Partner with social media coordinators, Director of Enterprise Communications, Marketing and other marketing and communications colleagues to ensure that media coverage as well as owned content is amplified and used as broadly as possible to advance multiple Kellogg objectives.
• Develop narratives and key messages to support key institutional announcements, including Kellogg's Class Profile and Employment Report. Act as an essential player in bringing institutional announcements like Class Profile, Employment Report and Super Bowl to fruition via cross-team efforts involving media relations, owned content, design/creative and social media.

Media Reporting & Analytics:

• Lead development of media measurement and reporting strategies in partnership with Communications team leadership. Drive weekly and monthly media reporting and measurement aligned with the external communications team's and Kellogg's strategic goals.
• Train and manage Senior Communications Coordinator as they drive much of the execution of media analysis and reporting
• Craft visually effective reports and presentations for school leadership regarding media relations activity and performance.

Team Management:

• Help recruit and serve as manager for a Senior Communications Coordinator, guiding that team member's development and shepherding their focus on media relations
• Recruit, retain and develop interns serving the external communications team.
• Manage the day-to-day workflow of intern team, serving as ongoing manager and mentor.

Integrated Marketing & Communications Activities:

• Partner with IMC colleagues to advance and support integrated marketing and communications initiatives including Kellogg's content strategies, prospective student outreach and issues management activities.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Strong media strategist and critical thinker with demonstrated track record of securing impactful media results to advance organization objectives
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate fruitful relationships with high priority journalists
• Proven ability to navigate complex organizations and to build internal partnerships that support communications efforts; experience building productive partnerships with faculty is ideal
• Strong organizational, project management and workflow coordination skills
• Excellent writer with keen attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to perform high-quality work in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines
• Communicates effectively and professionally one-to-one, in groups and with leadership
• Self-starter who takes initiative, takes ownership of role and responsibilities and proposes new ideas and solutions
• Firm knowledge of social media
• Exceptional fluency in MS Office suite (including Power Point), English-language grammar and Associated Press style rules

Preferred Qualifications

• 3-5 years' experience in a communications or public relations role.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Familiarity with higher education environments.

Target hiring range for this position will be $76,000 - $83,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parentalleave;tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.