Job Title
Outreach Program Coordinator
Agency
Texas A&M Agrilife Research
Department
Soil & Crop Sciences
Proposed Minimum Salary
Commensurate
Job Location
College Station, Texas
Job Type
Staff
Job Description
Responsibilities:
- Selects project highlights and updates and develop stories by interviewing participants, partners, or team members, and writing/editing stories in accordance with journalistic standards.
- Assists with developing and producing materials for outreach activities (e.g., flyers, brochures, invitations, advertisements, newsletters, fact sheets, speeches, reports, and other deliverables for the project).
- Write and produce social media content, new releases, and web content and develop occasional graphic materials
- Proofs, edits, and updates information for project website.
- Assists with editing and submission of academic journal articles, technical reports, new releases, web content and other outreach deliverables
- Assists in developing and implementing the overall project outreach and coordination plans.
- Assists in planning, implementing, and promoting special events, programs, and training events.
- Prepares and coordinates publications with printers.
- Prepares presentations and displays. Works with agency and partners to ensure consistent branding and messaging.
- Responds to inquiries from public and team members appropriately.
- Evaluate project efforts’ reach and impact, including web and social media metrics, number of articles, presentations and events, and other information need for project reporting.
- Explore and develop, as appropriate or needed, other outreach tools, such as story maps and graphics.
- Maintain working relationship with AgriLife team, project partners, and advisory boards as well as work with Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications and other organizations and outlets as appropriate or needed.
- Assist outreach team with planning, scheduling, and tracking outreach deliverables and deadlines.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Strong public engagement and storytelling skills and ability to translate complex scientific information in an engaging way for a general audience.
- Meticulous editing and fact checking skills and good news judgement.
- Knowledge of various editing styles.
- Working Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator).
- Strong interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills and ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to occasionally travel for reporting.
- Ability to pick up and move boxes of materials as needed in office or for events
Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Knowledge of water, agricultural, environmental science, and other natural resources concepts
- Knowledge of social media and website metrics and other tools for evaluating outreach efforts’ impact
- Experience designing and laying out documents, preferably in InDesign or Publisher
- Experience with recording and editing audio and video
- Knowledge of ArcGIS StoryMaps
Detailed Job Description:
Manages internal and external outreach and fiscal aspects of a USDA NRCS grant titled “Texas Climate-Smart Initiative” or TCSI under the direction of the Principal Investigators (PIs) of the project (i.e., J. Howe and N. Rajan) and the ALEC team leadership (i.e., H. Leggette and D. Wald).
Develop and implement an internal plan for project activities among team members, partners, and participants. Assist PIs and project manager schedule and coordinate project activities. Attend events and be knowledgeable about project activities in order to be able to direct questions generated internally or externally to appropriate personnel.
Develop and implement a plan for external outreach to highlight project activities and promote project. Write and produce stories for web or external news agencies about project. Write and produce social media content. Maintain website content.
Assist with production of recruitment and participant educational materials. Plan and organize kick-off and training events around the state as needed.
Assist PIs and program manager with other miscellaneous project activities as needed.
Required Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, Agricultural Communications, or similar field with at least 2 years of experience. Education beyond the Bachelor’s degree can substitute for years of experience.
Preferred Education and Experience:
Master of Science degree preferred. Background in agricultural production, climate-smart agriculture, and/or agricultural economics is highly desirable. Demonstrated experience in writing and editing news and longform journalistic stories, magazines or other publications, technical academic editing and coordinating outreach for an entity.
Please attach to your completed application:
Resume/CV
List of References (3) with daytime phone number and email address
Submit three to five writing samples (attachments and/or web links) and any other appropriate samples, i.e., photography, graphic design, videos, etc., as it might relate to this job description.
All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.
