SENIOR WRITER & PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER

University of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

UCLA Samueli seeks a seasoned Senior Writer/PIO to lead media relations, craft compelling content, and elevate the school's profile through proactive outreach and strategic storytelling.

You will collaborate with senior leaders and the Communications team, manage media pitches, and coordinate messaging across traditional and digital channels. Evening/weekend events may be required to facilitate coverage.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of full‑time journalism and media-relations experience.
• Strong relationships with science/tech reporters regionally and nationally.
• Superior newsroom writing and editing in AP Style.
• Experience leading high‑profile media events and handling inquiries.
• Ability to measure media-relations metrics and ROI.
• Advanced social media knowledge to strengthen school branding.
• Ability to work under deadlines in a fast-paced team setting.
• Evening/weekend event availability.
• Experience in PR agencies, in-house comms, or nonprofit sectors.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a strategic media-relations plan for UCLA Samueli.
• Build and maintain media lists and pitches from faculty and activities.
• Coordinate with CMO and communications team on content and messaging.
• Draft speeches, talking points, and press materials for leadership engagements.
• Manage UCLA Samueli's speaker's bureau and proactive PR initiatives.
• Post content on main social channels to ensure consistent external messaging.

Skills

Media relations

Journalism writing

AP Style

Event management

Social media usage

Team collaboration

Strong media pitching

Education

Bachelor's Degree in journalism/communications

Job description

Position Summary

In collaboration with the Assistant Dean, Chief Marketing Communications Officer (CMO) and other members on the school's Communications team, the Senior Writer and Public Information Officer (PIO) will leverage their substantial media relationships and the school's media-monitoring platform to develop a strategic media relations plan with minimal supervision. This includes developing and maintaining the general/trade/topic-specific media lists for UCLA Samueli, finding compelling news-worthy pitches from research and other school activities, working with traditional and digital-media journalists to identify story ideas suitable for our faculty and/or students, positioning select faculty experts as go-to sources for target media outlets, formalizing a proactive and strategic program designed to generate consistent and positive external news coverage, etc. UCLA Engineering faculty are at the forefront of many exciting research areas, including robotics, artificial intelligence/machine learning, computational medicine, climate change, sustainability, quantum computing, data sciences, cryptography and many other emerging technologies. The PIO will gain a deep understanding and knowledge of target journalists' beats and faculty expertise to identify opportunities for media briefing and interviews on an ongoing basis.The Senior Writer/PIO is a seasoned communications professional responsible for writing and editing electronic publications, web content and social media posts. Additional writing duties in support of the Communications team include web features, event invitations, research press releases, op-eds, student and alumni profiles, monthly e-newsletters, marketing materials, presentations, school announcements and other content as directed by CMO. The PIO will assist CMO in drafting speeches and talking points for both internal and external speaking engagements of key school leadership.The PIO will coordinate with the Communications team to post on the school's main social media channels, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to ensure proactive and consistent messaging throughout the school. Working with CMO, the PIO will also be responsible for developing and implementing a proactive public-relations program, including a UCLA Samueli speaker's bureau, to raise visibility for the Dean and other key leadership in the school.UCLA Samueli is embarking on a strategic plan to grow the school, with an emphasis on attracting top faculty from diverse backgrounds around the world and setting the standard for undergraduate and graduate engineering education in an equitable and inclusive way. This position is expected to play a key role in the success of that strategic plan by elevating the school's brand among its many constituents.

Salary & Compensation

UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits.

Qualifications

• A minimum of five (5) years of full‑time professional experience in journalism and media relations, with demonstrated success in working with print, broadcast and electronic news outlets (Required)
• Strong relationships with mainstream science and technology reporters, both regionally (Los Angeles) nationally and internationally. (Required)
• Superior newsroom writing (AP Style) and editing skills; proven track record of translating technical and scientific research into compelling content for general audiences. (Required)
• Experience spearheading high‑profile media events and fielding a large number of incoming media inquiries. (Required)
• Expertise in identifying, capturing and delivering media relations metrics to demonstrate ROI. (Required)
• Advanced knowledge of working with social media to build and strengthen School brand. (Required)
• Ability to think creatively and critically; prioritize workload efficiently in the face of competing deadlines and fluctuating priorities; effectively work with a team in a fast‑paced setting with a positive, can‑do attribute and impeccable professionalis (Required)
• Ability to attend evening and weekend events occasionally to facilitate media coverage and other communication needs. (Required)
• Experience working in PR agency, in‑house communications, and/or nonprofit with ability to handle high pressure and deadline‑driven tasks. (Required)

Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations

• Bachelor's Degree journalism, communications or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience (Required)

Special Conditions for Employment

• Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.
• Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.
• Age Requirement: Candidate(s) must be 18 years or older to be eligible to be hired.

Schedule

8:00am to 5:00pm

Union/Policy Covered

CM-Comms, Mktg, & Sales Profs

https://universityofcalifornia.marketpayjobs.com/ShowJob.aspx?EntityID=38&JDName=Media%20Communications%20Specialist%203%20CM%20(40817051)