Public Relations Associate (100% Fte) – Hybrid Opportunity

Job Purpose
The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the center of a world-class liberal arts education at Stanford University. The largest school encompassing the humanities, arts, social sciences, and natural sciences, H&S has 23 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. It is the university's home for fundamental and applied research.
The successful candidate will have extensive experience writing about the humanities, arts, and social sciences—for example history, philosophy, literature, art history, economics, psychology, sociology, and political science. (Please note that writing marketing materials, covering sports news, or writing about other news beats unrelated to the humanities, arts, and social sciences are not considered relevant experience for this role.) They will be responsible for writing news stories, feature stories, press releases, awards stories, Q&As, and obituaries. The writer will edit stories, web pages, the H&S e-newsletter, and other written and digital materials as needed for the school. They will also assist with media and on-campus filming requests, and other tasks related to news and public relations as needed.
This is a full-time position with benefits that requires both regular in-person and remote work. This position reports to the associate director of public relations for H&S. The writer will also work closely with the senior director of public relations, the H&S public relations team, and the Stanford News Service.
Experience writing about the humanities, arts, and social sciences is critical to this position. The successful candidate needs to be able to translate academic prose into clear and compelling stories that are accessible to a broad audience. These stories should interest and engage the general public, while reinforcing key elements of Stanford’s brand and the mission and priorities of H&S.
Prior experience with writing for higher education or nonprofits is preferred. The successful candidate will write stories about the faculty research and learning taking place in H&S for Stanford’s local and global community including current and prospective students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, fundraisers, people with an interest in Stanford, and people with a general interest in higher education.
The successful candidate must be proficient in conducting in-person as well as remote (e.g., Zoom, phone, email) interviews to write content from scratch with little supervision. They must also be able to write, edit, and repurpose existing materials for print and online communications as well as development and marketing purposes. They must be (or become) proficient with university policies regarding Stanford’s visual identity, branding, photography, trademark and licensing guidelines, and more.
The successful candidate must be detail-oriented, self-motivated, highly organized, and able to follow through on commitments while managing multiple writing tasks in an evolving environment. They must be comfortable working independently on writing assignments where they will interact with faculty, staff, and students as well as being a strong collaborator with the PR team and colleagues across the university. Strong communication skills and the ability to gain and maintain the trust of faculty and other communicators are essential for this role. They must be collaborative as well as technically savvy and able to learn new software applications quickly.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit a cover letter, résumé, and three recent writing samples about the arts, humanities, and/or social sciences. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Note: The job duties listed here are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.
CORE DUTIES*:

• Maintain high-level interactions with specialized constituents to promote departmental goals, visions, and strategies.
• Generate new content and edit existing content for print and web, including H&S printed promotional materials, web content, feature stories, and fundraising materials (white papers and proposals).
• - Other duties may also be assigned
• Identify stories and themes, and monitor editorial/publication progress.
• Manage editorial and production process that is complex in nature and reaches across organizational levels.
• Ensure that information included in publications follows policies and procedures.
• Apply advanced knowledge to determine the approach necessary to achieve department objectives.

Minimum Requirements
Education & Experience:
Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant work experience or combination of education and relevant experience. Master’s degree preferred.
Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to apply ingenuity and creativity in solving complex problems.
• Extensive experience and understanding of job-required software applications.
• Experience producing highly effective work within the deadline and cost constraints of clients.
• Exceptional attention to detail and thorough command of editorial and proofreading skills.
• Demonstrated ability to edit complex stories for both style and substance.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize and coordinate materials from multiple resources.
• Demonstrated understanding of the principles, terminology, procedures, and best practices of communications, public relations, and editorial content.
• Demonstrated ability to apply discretion and judgment in evaluating implications of information release to internal and external audiences.
• Extensive experience in planning and implementing complex publications/editorial projects.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities Preferred

• Experience using InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator preferred but not required.
• Willingness to learn new skills and applications when needed.
• Experience using Asana or a similar project management tool preferred but not required.
• Experience writing promotional materials for a university environment and fundraising materials for donors and gift officers at nonprofits.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Box, and Google Drive apps.
• Experience tailoring messages to different social media platforms preferred but not required.
• Extensive experience writing about the humanities, arts, and/or social sciences.
• Skilled writer and editor, who is familiar with Associated Press Style. Knowledge of Stanford’s internal styles preferred but not required.
• Experience working with faculty and students and familiarity with different modes of research dissemination (e.g., journals, monographs, academic conferences)
• Proficient in web content strategy and experience using a web content management system (CMS). Ability to write for the web (e.g., Yahoo! style for digital environments) and meeting accessibility standards. Ability to use data from Google Analytics. Awareness of SEO best practices preferred but not required.
• Self-reliant and able to problem-solve, but also understands it is essential to ask for help when it’s needed or if something is unclear.

Certifications And Licenses
None
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS*:

• Rarely sort/file paperwork; lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 10 pounds.
• Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks.
• Occasionally grasp forcefully, writing by hand.
• - Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of their job.
• Frequently stand/walk, sit, use a telephone, and grasp lightly/fine manipulation.

Working Conditions

• Occasional work on evenings and weekends.

Work Standards

• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu.
• Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.
• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.

The expected pay range for this position is $90,000 to $119,000 per annum.
Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.
Final offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of national criminal background check, national sex offender registry search and, where applicable, driving record.
Stanford is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Job: Communications
Location: Stanford
Schedule: Full-time
Grade: I
Job Code: 4252