Public Relations Coordinator

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for a Public Relations Coordinator position within the department of Marketing, Insights, and Communications.

The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment.  The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO).  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic.  This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.  A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees and dependents upon eligibility
• Up to 50% tuition remission for spouses upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

Pay Range: $21.00 to $25.75/hr

The University of St. Thomas has provided a salary range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The specific salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

JOB SUMMARY

This is an entry-level role for a motivated and organized communicator who loves identifying, telling and promoting stories to build the reputation of a mission-driven organization.

The Public Relations Coordinator supports the university’s efforts to promote its academic programs, events, initiatives, and faculty expertise to local, regional, and national audiences. This position reports to the Director of Public Relations, working closely to elevate the university’s public profile by contributing to media relations plans, tracking and reporting earned media results, and develop content for owned and social media platforms.

This role resides within the university’s PR & Communications team within the larger Marketing, Insights & Communications (MIC) department and contributes to integrated communications projects that maximize visibility for critical university initiatives. This individual will also collaborate with other key stakeholders across the university (faculty, staff and students).

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Earned media research – Using resources such as media databases, the PR coordinator will target the right storytellers by researching and identifying strategic media outlets and journalists whose coverage aligns with the university’s key initiatives and priorities. This position also will help keep the department running smoothly by staying up to speed on local media coverage trends and personnel changes and meticulously maintaining and updating media lists.
 

Earned media relations – The PR coordinator will elevate the university’s profile by assisting in the responses to daily incoming media inquiries. This includes monitoring incoming requests to the official media relations email inbox, helping to identify the most appropriate spokespeople, arranging and facilitating interviews and (when appropriate) declining opportunities. This role also occasionally proactively pitches stories based on breaking news and long-term plans, with oversight from the Director of Public Relations. As such, it is critical for this individual to maintain important relationships with members of the local media. On occasion, the coordinator may be tasked to amplify key initiatives through press logistics and writing release content.
 

Earned media reporting – In addition to assisting in responding to media inquiries, the PR coordinator will drive visibility through media tracking by monitoring coverage, analyzing reach and sentiment and reporting insights to guide future strategy. The PR coordinator also will contribute to the production of coverage reports of high priority projects.
 

Thought leadership support – This position will build strong relationships internally by partnering with faculty, staff and students to help uncover expertise and human-interest stories. In doing so, this position will assist in developing and maintaining a roster of faculty and staff subject matter experts across the university who can provide insightful perspectives on current news cycles. The coordinator will also help spot and shape newsworthy stories by proactively identifying stories, programs and events that elevate the university’s reputation.
 

Owned and social media content support – The PR coordinator will regularly write and create posts for the St. Thomas Newsroom highlighting earned media results that also will be promoted on the university’s institutional social media accounts. This position also will assist in posting, updating and reordering content on the St. Thomas Newsroom website to keep it timely and engaging. The coordinator may also contribute content repurposing and amplification, adapting PR content for use across web, email, newsletters and internal channels to ensure stories reach multiple audiences.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School diploma or the equivalent
• Four years of administrative support experience, preferably in Higher Education

Preferred Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, journalism and mass communications, or a relevant field and one to two years of professional communications experience to include the following: coordinating responses to inbound media inquiries, researching media outlets and building media lists, working with spokespeople, monitoring media coverage.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates must apply online at https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/. Follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes creating or updating an applicant profile, uploading a resume, and completing a job specific application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

Official job posting is available at www.stthomas.edu/jobs.