Senior Writer

Position Summary

The Senior Writer is a creative journalist and brand storyteller responsible for developing engaging, mission-aligned content that strengthens UTampa's reputation, enrollment marketing and alumni engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively identify story opportunities by engaging with faculty, staff, students and alumni.
• Conduct interviews and background research to develop accurate, engaging and brand-aligned content.
• Write feature stories, news briefs, and profiles for the UTampa Journal, the UTampa Digital Newsroom, newsletters and other University communications.
• Work with Advancement team to identify and tell stories focused on donors, giving and donor impact.
• Ensure all written content is clear, compelling and consistent with UTampa's editorial voice, style guide and brand standards.
• Collaborate closely with the Editorial Director, Director of Digital Strategy and Experience, Director of Brand and Creative Services, and Social Media Manager to align written content with visual storytelling and digital engagement strategies.
• Promote UTampa's identity and reputation through storytelling that reflects its values, mission and strategic goals.
• Champion inclusive storytelling by amplifying diverse voices and perspectives that reflect UTampa's vibrant community.
• Work closely with the Editorial Director to align content with editorial calendars and institutional priorities.
• Participate in editorial planning meetings and contribute creative ideas for future coverage.
• Collaborate with designers, photographers and videographers to support multimedia storytelling.
• Track readership, engagement and reach metrics for published content to assess effectiveness and inform strategy.
• Contribute data and performance insights to the division's editorial dashboard and quarterly reports.
• Ensure all content supports institutional messaging and enhances audience engagement.
• Meet established deadlines with 95% on-time content delivery across assigned projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, marketing, communications, English or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional writing experience, preferably in higher education, media or brand storytelling.
• Philanthropic writing experience a plus.
• Strong portfolio of published work demonstrating storytelling ability across multiple formats.
• Excellent writing, editing and interviewing skills with mastery of AP Style.
• Familiarity with digital publishing best practices, SEO and accessibility standards.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Experience Using Content Management Systems (Adobe Experience Manager Preferred).
• Familiarity with analytics tools and social media content strategy.