The Placement Exchange Job Board

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $70,000 - $80,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Executive Director, Communications and Creative Services, the Writer, Editor and Content Manager (Manager) contributes to strategic content development and content engagement for the School of Professional Studies (SPS) across web, print, digital, advertising, social, video and email channels. The Manager coordinates with leadership from the School's administrative affairs, student affairs, and academic programs departments to develop, align, and ensure consistency in messaging, while managing a team of freelancers.

 As a lead content creator across SPS, the Manager participates in key projects contributing to goal attainment for strategic, tactical, and operational efforts such as marketing, advertising, and communications campaigns, as well as academic programming. The Manager creates and assigns content projects that promote the identity, mission and goals of SPS, while articulating the core value propositions of the school's unique, complex, and evolving programs and initiatives. The incumbent also leverages website expertise to propose and execute strategies that showcase program content in innovative ways. Target audiences include prospective students, current students, alumni, advisory boards, the University, and external audiences such as corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies that are in alignment with career trajectories for SPS students and alumni. The growing set of SPS offerings including cross-disciplinary MS Degrees, Post-baccalaureate Studies, Pre-Graduate Certificate Programs, High School Programs, and the American Language Programs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead writer and editor for original and existing content creation for a wide variety of mediums including web, printed brochures, SPS website and microsites, press releases, and email messages to prospects, students, and alumni
• Help establish and manage the strategic content calendar that meets program communication goals
• Lead collaborative projects to craft communications plans showcasing each program's strengths, outcomes, strategic advantages, and student and alumni feedback, engaging qualified prospects on topics that speak to their needs and interests for academic program pursuits
• Develop and maintain expertise in website capabilities, site hierarchy and content elements
• Manage website updates and contribute to website maintenance and redesign projects through crafting new and revising existing web content in consideration of SEO best practices, integrating keyword content while maintaining an appropriate and consistent style, tone, and focus that is in alignment with school identity, mission, and goals
• Contribute to creating and editing content directed at constituent groups including internal communication to the University, SPS current students and alumni, advisory boards, and external audiences in employment sectors relevant to SPS students and alumni, ensuring promotion of clear, consistent, and unified messaging reflecting SPS's strategic vision
• Review market and institutional research, economic data, trend information and other relevant material to inform and influence rich content and messages
• Performs other duties as assigned or requested

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent related experience required
• 3 years of related experience
• A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted to be considered for the position

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with an emphasis on communications, and/or journalism
• Experience working with faculty and administrators at a major research university
• Experience utilizing collaborative project management tools
• Experience with Drupal CMS
• Basic HTML skills
• Experience working with vendors, consultants, and agencies that serve in partnership and support roles to extend and/or accelerate internal resources and capabilities

Other Requirements

• This role requires an individual who combines the skills of a seasoned writer and editor with the organization and tactical execution of an experienced project manager to create the most effective, targeted content and deliver it with power and elegance
• Ability to produce stellar and effective written materials in a variety of formats
• Experience writing and editing press releases, feature stories, reports and correspondence, copy for online and print publications, and content for event promotion
• Well-versed in AP, Chicago, and MLA styles
• Adept at frequently switching writing styles and to meet aggressive deadlines
• Extremely organized, motivated, with the ability to function successfully independently as well as in teams in a highly-matrixed environment, receiving direction from and providing support to multiple sources
• Demonstrated ability in project management, handling multiple projects simultaneously
• Portfolio/writing samples demonstrating content development and editing expertise

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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