Senior Specialist, Communications

Company Description

About Adtalem Global Education

Adtalem Global Education is a national leader in post-secondary education and leading provider of professional talent to the healthcare industry. Adtalem educates and empowers students with the knowledge and skills to become leaders in their communities and make a lasting impact on public health, well-being and beyond. Through equitable access to education, environments that nurture student success, and a focus on expanding and diversifying the talent pipeline in healthcare, Adtalem is building a brighter future for communities and the world.

Adtalem is the parent organization of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain University, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Walden University.

Visit Adtalem.com for more information, and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Adtalem believes in a culture of collaboration, creativity, and innovation, which thrives when we can work flexibly. Depending on your location, this role may be hybrid or remote.

• HYBRID – If you reside within 50 miles of Adtalem offices in Chicago, IL, Columbia, MD, or Washington DC this role is hybrid, requiring office presence three days a week (Tue, Wed, Thu), with the rest of the workweek spent working from home.

Job Description

Opportunity at a Glance

Adtalem Global Education is looking for a passionate and highly driven senior communications specialist with excellent strategic communications, media relations, and extensive writing skills. A self-starter and out-of--the-box thinker, the senior communications specialist will leverage existing media relationships and cultivate new contacts across various sectors in national and local media. The ideal candidate must have expertise in writing compelling media pitches, press releases, crafting talking points, building media lists, blog posts, op-eds, and more. The projects you lead will support business growth objectives by enhancing the image and reputation of Adtalem and its family of institutions.  

Reporting to the senior public relations manager, this position collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to design and execute media relations strategies that will generate brand awareness, enhance brand reputation, and mitigate risk. This team member is required to translate complex information into clear and digestible messages for external audiences.

Responsibilities.

• Executes the day-to-day PR/communication activities, including media outreach, pitch development, maintaining media lists, media monitoring, media tracking, and research.  
• Compile and distribute the daily media monitoring report to key leaders across Adtalem, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of information shared. 
• Draft communications materials, including key messages, talking points, media briefs, press releases, and pitches.  
• Build and maintain relationships with the media, including local and nationwide journalists.  
• Track and report KPIs, updating metrics in the quarterly report.  
• Respond to and manage inbound press inquiries promptly.  
• Contribute to regular internal and external meetings to ensure efficient and productive interactions; produce resources including agendas, project trackers, recaps, etc. 
• Develop timely public relations and communications content. 
• Cultivate relevant, engaging content that elevates our brand and strengthens our reputation. 
• Partner with the corporate communications team to drive engagement and ensure consistency of messaging across channels and audiences. 
• Incorporate and proliferate consistent brand messages across all communications initiatives. 
• Support media relations team by drafting and/or editing pitches and other communications. 
• Completes other duties as assigned

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Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism, or a related field 
• 5-7 years of experience in related positions, public relations required. 
• PR agency and higher education PR experience highly desired. 
• The ideal candidate has strong media contacts and can cultivate new relationships with journalists.  
• Must be proficient in conceptualizing and executing media pitches.   
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills, and knowledge of AP style required.  
• Outstanding computer skills including Microsoft Office applications, media relations, and media monitoring software (Meltwater, Cision).  
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.  
• Strong organizational, logistical, and planning skills with the ability to