Communications and Media Manager at The Principia

Des Peres, Missouri, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

02 Jan, 26

Salary

74000.0

Posted On

04 Oct, 25

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Writing, Editing, Media Relations, Digital Strategy, Collaboration, Project Management, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Brand Standards, SEO, Content Creation, Audience Insights, Crisis Management, Content Strategy, Engagement Metrics, Communication, Inclusivity, Innovation

Industry

Description

Title: Communications and Media Manager Department/Location: Marketing / Communications, St Louis, MO Position Type: Full-Time, 12-month Summary The Communications and Media Manager advances Principia by leading multichannel campus storytelling and media relations to expand reach, improve reputation, and strengthen brand engagement. Reporting to the Director of Content and Communications, this role plays a critical part in shaping and delivering cohesive content strategies across multiple platforms. The Manager works with campus leaders, marketing directors, and creative partners to deliver brand‑aligned content across owned, earned, and paid channels. This role serves as the day‑to‑day press contact—proactively pitching stories, responding to inquiries, and coordinating coverage—while maintaining a robust content pipeline and contributing to a integrated editorial calendar that supports enrollment, advancement, and overall brand awareness. Success in this role requires strong writing and editing skills, media relations expertise, digital strategy, collaboration, and project management, along with data‑driven decision‑making and adherence to brand and accessibility standards. Who We Are At our award-winning Early Childhood through grade 12 Principia School in St. Louis, Missouri, and top-ranked Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, Principia faculty and staff make up a close-knit community of educators, coaches, and professionals taking a distinct approach to education—blending academic excellence with Christian Science-based character education. Principia’s team of over 500 employees supports not only Principia School and Principia College, but also a worldwide network of alumni and friends.  Principia employees are part of an engaging academic community preparing students to be tomorrow’s leaders, thinkers, and changemakers. We strive to create a collaborative and inclusive environment [https://www.principia.edu/debm] where everyone feels they belong and are valued. Primary Responsibilities Manage campus-focused storytelling and media relations, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, brand voice, and strategic goals. * Develop and manage a robust content pipeline and integrated editorial calendar, writing, editing, and curating compelling content that connects the field, external media, and the public to Principia’s mission, programs, and people. * Collaborate with designers, photographers, and campus partners to produce high‑quality, brand‑aligned print and digital content. * Serve as the primary press contact, proactively pitching stories, responding to media inquiries, coordinating coverage, and escalating sensitive or crisis-related issues to the CMCO and Director of Executive Communications. * Partner with School and College Marketing Directors and other campus leaders to surface and prioritize stories that reflect Principia’s distinctive educational approach and support enrollment and advancement. * Execute multichannel promotion strategies across web, email, social, and select paid placements—optimizing headlines, SEO, and multimedia for reach and impact. placements—and optimizing headlines, SEO, and multimedia for maximum impact. * Track and analyze engagement metrics for communications and earned media; use insights to refine strategies and test new formats. * Ensure compliance with brand standards, editorial style, accessibility, and rights/permissions across all communications. * Collaborate with content creators and communications professionals institution-wide to maintain consistency and share best practices. * Apply audience insights and feedback to strengthen storytelling relevance and engagement. * Stay current with trends and best practices in media relations, campus communications, and higher education storytelling. Core Competencies * Team players:  Ability to collaborate and partner with peers and senior leaders is critical, with an ability to listen, give and receive feedback, and be comfortable exchanging ideas and speaking candidly in a professional and collegial manner * Results Driven and Productivity: Ability to prioritize and deliver results in a high-volume environment * Project Management: Monitors status of projects, thoroughly deals with project details, holds project owners and participants accountable, delivers clear, accurate depiction of status * Inclusive: Demonstrates awareness and respect for cultural differences, actively seeks to understand diverse perspectives, and supports cross-cultural interactions. Fosters an inclusive environment where individuals of all backgrounds feel valued and respected. * Innovative: Presents a problem-solving mindset that helps our team come up with creative solutions to challenging issues, with a mentality of self-improvement and organizational excellence; meets challenges with resourcefulness; generates suggestions for improving work; develops innovative approaches and ideas * Dependability: Works within deadlines and under occasional heavy workloads * Planning and Organizing: Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; manages multiple projects and tasks simultaneously * Quality: Demonstrates attention to detail, accuracy, and thoroughness Minimum Qualifications * Student of Christian Science preferred * Supportive of Principia’s guiding statements as articulated here https://www.principia.edu/about/guiding-statements [https://www.principia.edu/about/guiding-statements] * Six years of progressively responsible professional experience in communications/marketing/journalism with a strong record of writing and editing across web, email, and print for varied audiences * Demonstrated ability to craft clear, concise, brand-aligned content; portfolio of 5–10 representative writing samples that show consistent voice and storytelling across channels * Proven success partnering with stakeholders to translate complex information into engaging content that supports institutional goals * Fluency with Microsoft 365; working knowledge of a web CMS (e.g., Drupal), digital publishing workflows, and basic Adobe/production tools (e.g., Acrobat, InCopy/Canva/Adobe Express) * The statements above describe the general nature and level of work but are not a complete list of responsibilities and are subject to change at the discretion of Principia. Compensation and Benefits We offer a competitive starting salary range for this position: $66,000–$74,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. In addition to salary, our comprehensive total rewards package includes: * Generous Employee Tuition Discount: Enjoy a 90% discount on tuition (pro-rated for part-time staff) for your eligible children enrolled from Pre-K3 through College (infant and acorn programs excluded). * Relocation: Principia provides a relocation imbursement of up to 12% of your annual salary, when moving from outside a radius of more than 50 miles. * Professional Development: Access to learning opportunities, training programs, and career growth support. * Comprehensive Benefits: Learn more about all our benefits here [https://www.principia.edu/jobs/highlights], including comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans, paid time off, a 403(b) retirement plan with Principia matching, and more. Equal Opportunity Principia, a mission-driven institution, believes every person has the right to an equitable and respectful educational environment and workplace. Principia does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender (identity or expression), sexual orientation, family status, disability, age, or military or veteran status. In hiring, admissions, and related decisions, Principia—as an institution with a religious mission—gives preference, where appropriate, to Christian Scientists.

Responsibilities

Manage campus-focused storytelling and media relations while ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and brand voice. Develop and manage a robust content pipeline and integrated editorial calendar to connect the field, external media, and the public to Principia’s mission and programs.