Director of University News and Media Relations

For questions regarding this position, please contact: James Tobin, jtobin@montana.edu, (406) 994-2343.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Communications and serving on the University Communications leadership team, the Director of University News and Media Relations leads the university’s central news operation and helps ensure that MSU’s impact, public value, and service to Montana and beyond are communicated clearly and effectively. The director leads the MSU News Service, a team of six professional communicators responsible for identifying, writing, editing, and distributing news about the university’s students, faculty, staff, research, creative activities, outreach, and service to communities.

The director also cultivates relationships with journalists, coordinates media relations, supports public information planning, and helps prepare MSU for effective communications during campus emergencies. In close coordination with the Vice President for Communications, the director serves as the main contact for journalists seeking information and expertise from the university and as an MSU spokesperson on delegated matters. MSU operates under a shared services model for communications, with University Communications staff, services, and budget centralized for efficiency. The director works with other University Communications leaders to strengthen the value, responsiveness, and effectiveness of that model.

Responsibilities

• Leads the Montana State University News Service and supervises six staff members.
• Manages the selection, assignment, writing, editing, and distribution of MSU news content and public information content, including press releases, feature stories, university magazine content, announcements, statements, and internal communications.
• Provides editorial direction for the MSU News Service, including setting coverage priorities, assigning coverage areas, maintaining editorial standards, and ensuring accuracy, clarity, timeliness, and consistency.
• Advances the university’s reputation through journalistic storytelling that highlights excellence in teaching, research, outreach, creative activity, and service.
• Works with faculty, staff, administrators, colleges, departments, and units to identify newsworthy accomplishments, emerging issues, and public communication opportunities.
• Builds and maintains productive relationships with local, state, regional, and national media outlets.
• Responds to media inquiries and coordinates university media relations in close consultation with the Vice President for Communications.
• Serves as a university spokesperson on assigned or delegated matters, in coordination with and under the direction of the Vice President for Communications.
• Provides the Vice President for Communications and other campus leaders with background information, talking points, media strategy, and briefings on situations involving media interest, emerging issues, and news coverage that may affect the university.
• Coordinates public information efforts and media relations during campus incidents or crises, under the direction of the Vice President for Communications and in coordination with appropriate university officials.
• Works to ensure University Communications and appropriate campus partners are prepared to support public information needs during emergencies.
• Coordinates campus media training, including group training and one-on-one media preparation for university personnel.
• Oversees the staff member primarily responsible for presidential communications and provides editorial guidance on presidential messages, remarks, and related communications.
• Administers the News Service budget, manages resources responsibly, and oversees freelance writers or contracted contributors as needed.
• Provides professional development, coaching, annual reviews, and day-to-day leadership for News Service staff.
• Establishes workflows, cross-training, and continuity practices to ensure timely News Service and media relations support during staff absences, vacancies, emergencies, or periods of elevated demand.
• Coordinates with other University Communications directors and staff in planning and implementing university communication strategies.
• Administers and recommends updates to media-related practices and policies under the direction of the Vice President for Communications.
• Works with legal counsel and other university officials on privacy, public records, FERPA, Clery Act considerations, personnel confidentiality, and other sensitive issues as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and at least seven years of progressively responsible experience in journalism, media relations, public relations, strategic communications, institutional communications, or a related field — or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Excellence in writing, editing, and news judgment.
• Significant experience developing, assigning, editing, and publishing news or public information content for multiple audiences.
• Experience leading projects, coordinating complex work, and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced communications environment.
• Experience supervising professional staff, including assigning work, establishing priorities, and providing performance feedback.
• Experience adapting news or public information content for websites, newsletters, social media, or other channels.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism with sensitive, high-profile, or time-sensitive information.
• Experience using content management systems, email newsletter platforms, media databases, media monitoring tools, or communication analytics.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in higher education communications.
• Experience as a working journalist.
• Experience serving as an organizational spokesperson.
• Experience in crisis communications, emergency communications, or public information during incident response.
• Experience working with senior leaders, faculty experts, researchers, or subject-matter experts to communicate complex information clearly to public audiences.
• Experience as an editor or senior editorial leader for a major publication, news product, newsletter, or organizational communication channel.
• Familiarity with Montana’s media landscape, public higher education, or land-grant universities.

Skills

The successful candidate will have:

• A thorough understanding of media relations, journalism standards, public information, and crisis communications.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills to produce clear, accurate, engaging, and timely work and help others do the same.
• An understanding of how journalistic storytelling can strengthen public understanding of a university’s teaching, research, outreach, and service.
• Skill in identifying and elevating stories that demonstrate MSU’s impact, value, and service to Montana and audiences beyond the state.
• Confidence in communicating and representing the university’s position to the media and the public when delegated to do so.
• Ability to provide thoughtful advice and counsel to university leaders on media strategy, public information, and communication issues.
• Ability to develop and implement media relations practices, news priorities, and unit goals in collaboration with the Vice President for Communications.
• Ability to build productive working relationships with senior administrators, deans, directors, faculty, staff, and communication colleagues across the university.
• Leadership skills to guide a team with clarity, fairness, accountability, and respect.
• Responsible stewardship of university resources, including staff, budgets, and time.

Position Special Requirements

• Must be able to respond outside normal business hours occasionally when circumstances require.
• Provide three published writing samples with your application, with a preference toward more recent writing samples. Ensure that any links provided do not require subscriber access to read the writing samples.
• This is a full-time, on-site position based at the Bozeman, Montana campus.

Physical Demands

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. This position has supervisory duties.