Duties: The Communications Manager facilitates and supports strategic media relations and media outreach initiatives that develop public understanding and support for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's artistic contributions to the university, the local community and the field nationally. Publicity initiatives will focus on Center performances and events as well as the accomplishments of the faculty, students and alumni of the School of Music, the Department of Theatre and the Department of Dance. This position is part of a larger plan to raise the national and international profile of performing arts academic units to attract the best faculty, students, and visiting artists to the programs. Particular attention will be paid to identifying and developing opportunities to fully utilize technology to strengthen the Center's and the resident unit's communications plans. Generate coverage of and public interest in the Center's performances and events. Develop story ideas, pitching and coordinating coverage of performances and events at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and serve as primary departmental point of contact for all day-to-day internal requests, including providing press and institutional materials, participating in strategic messaging and facilitating internal communications with the Director and Associate Director. Write press releases for the Center, as assigned. Incorporate the resident academic units off stage activities into the overall news circuit of the Center. Create and implement strategies to build the reputations of the resident units and support recruitment of faculty and students by pitching stories to both scholarly/trade and popular media outlets, creating promotional publications, writing for various University publications, watching industry trends and creating electronic and other new media support. Write press releases for resident academic units, as assigned and work closely with School of Music. Communications Coordinator to ensure proper coordination of communications materials. Integrate the use of the Center's website and other online communication tools into communications strategies. Support content development for the engagement pages of the Center's website, craft copy for all electronic communications including web pages and Center e-newsletters/e-engagement messages, and collect content of the website to ensure all material is accurate and up to date. Oversee production of videos to be used for engagement pages and other interactive media outlets. Provide a high level of customer service to all Center stakeholders. Respond to press requests and respond to patron inquiries that come through the website, schedule and provide coverage of press table at performances and events, and interface with the Development Department and Cultural Participation to ensure a shared pool of information about the Center and its activities and successes. Supervise Communications Coordinator and student worker(s) and recruit and supervise student bloggers.

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in journalism, English, marketing, communications or related field required. 5 years direct experience in media relations and/or public relations required. Experience in performing arts, higher education and thorough knowledge of news values and marketing preferred. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Excellent written and oral communications skills. Knowledge of AP style. Excellent organizational skills and the ability to work under tight and changing deadlines.