Communications & Mktg. Officer - Engineering

Organizational Summary:

Located on the Tampa campus, the College of Engineering Communications and Marketing Department provides support for six academic departments, 12 major research institutes, faculty, and students in the College of Engineering through a multitude of services including, communications, marketing and branding, multimedia design services, writing, social media, media relations, website development and management, events and conferences planning. In addition to the Associate Director of Communications and Marketing, the department comprises of a Communications & Marketing Officer, and a Social Media & Events Coordinator.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Communications for the College of Engineering, the Communications and Marketing Officer serves as a key contributor to the college’s strategic communication efforts. This role requires strong training and experience in both written and oral communication. Responsibilities include developing editorial content by interviewing faculty, students, and partners; writing news and feature stories; and producing copy and design elements for marketing and promotional materials across print and digital platforms. The position also supports the creation and presentation of content for websites, publications, photography, videography, and other multimedia formats to enhance the college’s visibility and engagement.

• Editorial Content Production: Identify compelling stories that highlight faculty research, student achievements, industry partnerships, and other initiatives that elevate the visibility of the college. Develop and write high‑quality editorial content, then adapt and distribute it across the college’s website, newsletters, social media channels, and other print and digital platforms to strengthen the college’s brand and engagement.
• Photography & Videography: shoot photo and/or video content and edit to accompany stories for use on the website, social media, and other promotional use. Assignments may also include event coverage, headshots, b-roll, video interviews, and others.
• Develops graphics and print materials based on templates for college promotional materials (i.e. newsletters, flyers, brochures, banners, branded merchandise). This position requires use of Adobe Creative Cloud programs such as Photoshop and InDesign to edit existing templates, and advanced skills for occasional PowerPoint design.
• Manage, track, and improve the college’s LinkedIn, YouTube, and other professional social media accounts.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

This position requires a bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, or similar fields and at least two years of related work experience in public relations, communications, or marketing roles.  Appropriate graduate coursework may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience

Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree.
• Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
• SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
• (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
• (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;
• (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;
• (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
• (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
• Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
• Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Requirements

Preferred Qualifications: At least three years of experience in higher ed and/or directly related industries is preferred. Strong demonstrated writing and editing skills, particularly for newsletters, website, news releases, and experience translating (sometimes technical) academic research into stories with mainstream appeal is also preferred.

Writing samples will be required to demonstrate the ability to write for audience (samples of web content, news releases, or feature stories preferred).  Knowledge of current Web and Creative Cloud tools is required, as is proficiency in Microsoft Office programs.  The ability to work collaboratively in a