Executive Director of Media Relations

The Executive Director of Media Relations in University Marketing and Communications (UMAC) will lead and develop a team of energetic and strategic media relations professionals, issues managers and writers, in distilling, packaging and amplifying University priorities and key messages across earned media channels and audiences, resulting in broad message reach, resonance and adoption.The Executive Directors scope includes the following:Public Relations and Proactive Pitching: Lead university media relations efforts including proactive pitching as well as managing inquiries on University-level issues to drive reputation gains. Develop engaging news content, in collaboration with UMACs social media, multimedia and content strategy teams, and prioritize positive placements supporting University priorities, including our academic and research excellence and groundbreaking research. Develop a rigorous op-ed program to enhance UT Austins state and national thought leadership. Drive continued gains in placements in Tier One and other targeted media outlets. Coordinate with communicators in the colleges, schools and units to ensure a strong, centralized media relations strategy and operations, as well as clear protocols for sensitive issues that could surface in the media and need to be referred to UMAC for handling at a University level.Managing Crises and Reputational Issues in the Media: Collaborate with the Director of Issues Management to develop and refine robust crisis communications strategies, playbooks and messages to help the University prepare for known and anticipated issues and respond more effectively to unforeseen crises and threats to its reputation. Develop effective plans to shape stakeholder perceptions about the University's strategic initiatives and priorities. Elevate the crisis communication function and level of integration across centralized units to deliver more cohesive messaging for the full range of stakeholders.Leadership and Collaboration: Lead and develop a team of excellent media relations professionals to create and deliver multi-channel earned media plans that support university goals and initiatives, as well as the professional and career development goals of each individual. Serve as a member of the UMAC leadership team. Build strong partnerships and collaborate with communicators inside the vice-presidential portfolios, as well as marketing and communications leaders and other stakeholders across campus, including the Colleges and Schools, Admissions, University Development, Legal Affairs, Student Affairs, Governmental Affairs, and Research, among others.Media Training and Consultation: Develop and implement a media training program for members of University leadership and faculty and staff in support of developing brand messengers for the institution, Proactively meet with leaders and key faculty members, seizing opportunities to connect them with reporters and position them for interview success.Data Analysis, Tracking and Reporting: Work with analytics team members and other UMAC staff to create regular reports and insights about the reach and impact of media coverage of UT Austin. Leverage resulting data to refine and improve PR and social media strategies and tactics. Produce and contribute to reports for leadership that demonstrate the impact of our media relations activity.Other related functions as assigned.

Created: 2025-11-17