Description

McDaniel College, is a four-year, independent college of the liberal arts and sciences offering over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the original “Colleges That Change Lives,” McDaniel emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop the unique potential in every student. Represented by the Green Terror, over 20 athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. A student-centered community of 1,600 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students offers access to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., plus a European campus in Budapest, Hungary.

McDaniel College invites applications for a Copywriter and Assistant Editor. At McDaniel College, we value our employees by offering our full-time employees tuition remission, 403(b) retirement accounts, paid time off, medical insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and paid parental leave. Visit the college guidebook for more details. 

This position has a budgeted hiring rate of $55,000. The position is classified as A3. The A3 salary band for all full-time, 12-month positions at the college with this classification have a minimum rate of $45,000 and a maximum rate of $70,312. For benefit purposes only, the workweek is estimated to be 35 hours per week. The actual schedule for exempt positions may vary based on the workload and responsibilities assigned.

The Copywriter and Assistant Editor play a critical role in conceptualizing, crafting, and editing high-quality, persuasive, engaging written content for the college through a variety of print and digital media. This individual reports to the Senior Editor & Writer and works collaboratively within the Office of Communications and Marketing to further the college’s brand reputation with an emphasis on translating academic work for non-academic audiences, compelling storytelling, marketing copy, and web content. This individual supports colleagues within the divisions of Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management & Marketing through regular editorial reviews. This role is best suited to writers who can manage multiple projects simultaneously, enjoy strategic, creative, and collaborative work, and are interested in exploring a wide range of communications and marketing styles.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Identifying and telling engaging stories via multiple platforms of those who comprise the community that makes McDaniel a diverse, student-centered college that changes lives.
• Conducting interviews with faculty, staff, alumni, students, donors, and friends.
• Writing a wide range of college materials, including but not limited to marketing copy for enrollment marketing and advancement publications, brochures, and emails, as well as website content, news stories, and community profiles.
• Conceptualizing, strategizing, and executing the creation of multimedia institutional marketing initiatives incorporating elements such as copy, photo, video, social media, and web, including annual campaigns profiling new faculty and graduating seniors.
• Contributing strategic thinking for content planning, publications, and college initiatives.
• Collaborating with the website manager to plan and produce strategic website content and conduct regular audits to identify areas for content creation and enhancement.
• Utilizing Drupal CMS to create and edit website pages and content.
• Conducting keyword research and applying SEO best practices to optimize content for search engines.
• Adhering to the college’s editorial standards for quality and style, generally following Associated Press style and McDaniel-specific style guidelines.
• Editing written content submitted by colleagues from around campus.
• Editing daily email and text communications to prospective, admitted, and deposited students and families.
• Attending and supporting college events as needed, including those in the evening and on weekends.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, English, marketing, or related field.
• A minimum of 2-3 years of experience in writing and content creation for a variety of print and digital media.
• Higher education experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of SEO and web content best practices a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple demanding initiatives concurrently, balancing multiple priorities, working with minimal supervision and meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing content management systems and other technological communication tools and methodologies, including Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office products.
• Demonstrated ability to produce content for a wide range of audiences, in a wide range of styles across all marketing and communications channels (please include a minimum of two writing samples with your cover letter and resume).
• Strong understanding of the requirements of writing for web vs. print materials and ability to adapt writing for multiple platforms.
• Excellent project management skills; must be able to work collaboratively to complete projects on deadline and within budget.
• Excellent writing skills with expert attention to detail, often within tight deadlines.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented work style.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills as well as highly collaborative nature; ability to facilitate work with a wide range of individuals and groups from diverse campus departments.

Working Conditions

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely working in a normal office environment with minimal exposure to adverse conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal. Evening and weekend work will be required during high impact periods and/or to meet the needs of the position.       

Physical Abilities:

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Sitting for long periods of time.
• Viewing a computer screen for long periods of times.
• Limited lifting involved but not more than 25 pounds at a time   
• Driving on behalf of the college.
• Walking and standing during campus events.