Director of Media Relations, Deputy University Spokesperson in London

About Fordham
Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its nine colleges and schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom. The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program (EAP); tuition remission; and generous time off. Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Fordham’s Director of Media Relations promotes the University in national, international, local, and industry media—including print, broadcast, digital, podcasts, and emerging platforms—as part of a comprehensive media relations program to advance and protect its worldwide institutional reputation. As the University’s primary contact for media relations, the Director is responsible for day-to-day proactive and reactive media engagement, reports to the Associate Vice President of University Communications, supervises an assistant director, and serves as a key member of the crisis communications team.

• Identifies newsworthy stories and develops compelling pitches regarding Fordham staff perspectives, faculty experts, faculty research, student and faculty accomplishments, and University programs and events, and conducts strategic media outreach to secure favorable coverage.
• Fields and navigates incoming media requests, coordinates responses, and oversees in-person and virtual interviews, as well as filming.
• Maintains relationships with the student press and serves as a key point of contact for all engagement and inquiries.
• Monitors and escalates potentially controversial topics or coverage in the media and supports issue mitigation and responses.
• Manages and maintains faculty expert, statement, and messaging database.
• Oversees production and edits news and earned media reporting to be shared across the University community.
• Participates as a member of the crisis communications team, providing on-call emergency support as needed.

This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The University may assign additional related duties as necessary.

• Supervises the work of other Fordham employees who are individual contributors.
• Responsible for hiring, training and developing, managing performance and administering corrective action.
• Has significant input in compensation decisions.

• Works with the AVP and outside public relations counsel to create and execute impactful media relations plans.
• Partners with broader University Marketing and Communications colleagues to develop and execute 360 communications programs.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with media contacts and internal clients.
• Attends University events and facilitates media access to campus events and facilities.
• Counsels and supports staff and faculty members with editorial and media relations guidance.

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Minimum 7 years of media and/or media relations experience.
• Minimum 4 years of people manager experience.

• Demonstrated media savvy, media placement ability, and relationships across top-tier and industry outlets; media placement portfolio required, and visual storytelling examples are a plus.
• Strong writing skills across a variety of formats, including talking points, holding/reactive statements, and media pitches.
• Deep understanding of the evolving media industry and issues impacting higher education.
• Familiarity with media measurement platforms and data analysis.
• Successful candidates should possess a basic understanding of and commitment to the values that underpin Jesuit education.

• None specified.

• Required Documents: Resume, Cover Letter, Media File
• Optional Documents: Supplemental questions you will be required to answer on the application (No action is needed on this page)

Fordham University is committed to excellence and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds. Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.