Public Relations Manager

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Be You.

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business is a top-ranked graduate business school within an extensive multi-discipline university, dedicated to advancing the understanding of management through research and providing the highest quality education. Fuqua attracts and develops leaders who thrive on differences in people and experience, have the ability to bring out strength in others, can move teams toward a common purpose, and who inspire organizations to win in the right way. We measure our graduates’ success by their impact on workplaces and the world around them, their relationships and their reputations. Our community is made of high-achieving students and faculty from around the world who share those values.

Fuqua’s Public Relations Manager (level 12) helps tell all of those stories by supporting the school’s media and public relations activities. This role creates content and manages tactics that showcase our programs and community to external audiences, particularly in earned and owned media. The right candidate will help make information about our school and our people stand out in today’s cluttered social and traditional media environment.

Reporting into the Director of Strategic Communication, the Public Relations Manager is a member of a dynamic team that includes experts in social media and faculty communications. Strategic Communication is a key function within the school’s Global Marketing department which includes colleagues focused in digital strategy, brand management, and market intelligence. We are passionate about the work we do and our team as a whole.

The Public Relations Manager is an excellent writer, an amplifier and someone who excels in providing the media the information they need quickly, accurately and with the appropriate collaboration needed across different experts within the school. The right candidate will tell stories about our community and develop the best strategy for amplification through media relations, social media and digital channels. The position works closely with the Director to help amplify key school leaders in both the media and social media channels. This role is also responsible for co-producing a podcast featuring faculty research and managing our student blog properties, sourcing and editing content, helping in publication and ensuring we are meeting our established publishing cadence.

Major Responsibilities:

• Works with external audiences including local, applicant, national, and international media on a variety of institutional topics or stories about our community
• Develops processes and manages recurring media requests regarding admissions data, career data, application deadlines, student profiles, etc.  
• Manages student blogs and faculty research podcast
• Manages media requests about the school or leadership that come in reactively
• Manages applicant media profiles
• Serves as a brand journalist
• Supports Fuqua’s social media channels
• Executes communications plans to increase awareness of the school's programs, unique culture and industry depth; proactively builds and nurtures internal and external relationships to ensure success
• Coordinates with staff running paid, earned, owned and shared media activities to achieve school and program goals and ensures channel health/integrity across multiple school content platforms
• Supports the Director on institutional messaging for stakeholder groups and responses to emerging issues, and supports Fuqua’s associate deans in different channels as appropriate
• Develops metrics and tracks results
• Other duties as assigned as new tactics and opportunities emerge in an ever-evolving communications landscape.

Be Bold.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education/Training

Work requires the ability to perform creative writing and related activities such as conducting interviews and research, and copy editing normally acquired through attainment of a bachelor's degree in Journalism, English or a related discipline.

Experience

Work requires two years of directly related writing experience.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Preferred Qualifications 

• Demonstrated media relations experience
• Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills
• Demonstrated news judgment
• Demonstrated ability to identify enterprise stories

• Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple projects at once
• Demonstrated attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
• Demonstrated project management skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in social media
• Strong interpersonal communication skills: mature judgment, high ethical standards, willingness to learn and innovate, political acumen, tact, confidentiality and diplomacy in handling various matters
• PR campaign experience and knowledge of domestic and international business and/or higher education markets highly desirable
• BA/BS degree, plus a minimum of three years working in journalism, public relations, communications or media relations

Choose Duke.