Employment Opportunities
Media and Communications Strategist
Legal Internships and Externships
Media and Communications Strategist—Washington, DC, Office
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is pleased to announce a job opening for a Media and Communications Strategist in the Department of External Relations, which is responsible for the AAUP’s communications with members, leaders, and the public. The department and the Media and Communications Strategist also provide staffing for the AAUP’s two sister organizations, the AAUP-CBC and the AAUP Foundation. This is an exciting opportunity at a critically important time for the AAUP and in the academy. We invite you to join us in our vital work to defend and advance the academic freedom, shared governance, due process rights, and economic security of the profession. This position involves building and maintaining positive public relations between the AAUP and its two sister organizations and the news media, AAUP chapter staff and leaders, members, and the public.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Primary responsibility for outreach to the media, including writing media releases, story pitches, and op-eds; maintaining and building relationships with reporters; and training other staff and members to be spokespeople.
• Primary responsibility for logistics of the media program, including sending out media releases, maintaining a media database, tracking coverage, and fielding incoming media queries.
• Primary responsibility for designing and implementing a social media strategy aimed at raising awareness of AAUP activities and engaging members and prospective members. This includes maintaining Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for the AAUP; making recommendations about other social media use; analyzing performance data; and creating, editing, distributing, and optimizing relevant text, graphic, and video content.
• Maintaining the media sections of our websites, including selecting and posting news items.
• Helping plan digital organizing campaigns aimed at engaging and growing the membership, supporting chapter ground campaigns, and/or influencing policymakers.
• Providing guidance to chapters on communications and messaging.
• Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
• Experience and demonstrated skill in media relations and social media strategy.
• Self-starting, with ability to manage projects with minimal supervision and handle multiple priorities and tasks in a deadline-driven environment.
• Three to five years of work experience in media relations, strategic communications, or related field required. Five plus years preferred.
• Superior written and oral communication skills.
• Computer proficiency, including working familiarity with MS Office suite and the ability to learn to edit and post on WordPress and Drupal websites. Experience working with the Meltwater media suite preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MA in related field preferred.
• Work experience with membership organizations, advocacy organizations, labor unions, and/or higher education environment preferred.
Compensation
Salary range: $60,000 for minimum qualifications. Higher salary for preferred qualifications. Generous benefits package.
Position Classification
This Media and Communications Strategist position is categorized as an associate position in the Department of External Relations and is part of the staff union bargaining unit. This is an exempt position and not eligible for overtime pay.
To Apply
To apply, e-mail a résumé with cover letter to comms-search@aaup.org. Please put your name in the subject line of the e-mail. No phone calls, please. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled.
The AAUP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, or other characteristics unrelated to professional performance.
Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
Legal Internships and Externships
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is seeking qualified interns or externs for summer or the academic year.
The intern and extern positions will be in a legal department currently staffed with two lawyers and one paralegal and involves significant in-house legal and other support work for the Association. The legal office files amicus briefs in higher education cases of national significance, provides legal information on a wide range of issues to staff and members all over the country, and acts as a resource on higher education issues. Staff and volunteer lawyers are experts in such areas as academic freedom, discrimination, affirmative action, intellectual property, and employment. Interns and externs can expect to be asked to research and write on a variety of legal issues including First Amendment, higher education, collective bargaining, election, tax, labor, personnel, financial, and contract issues.
Past legal interns have helped research and write amicus briefs in the federal court system, updated a multi-state survey on faculty handbooks as employment contracts, and researched and written legal outlines and fact sheets on topics such as “Faculty and Defamation Suits,” “Faculty and Family Leave Issues,” and “Academic Freedom and the First Amendment.” Externs should be in their second or third year of law school and be available to work approximately fifteen hours per week. Summer internships are available to students who have completed their second year of law school. AAUP legal staff will work with interested applicants to arrange for public interest stipends, academic credit or pro bono credit from their law school.
Qualified applicants will possess excellent analytical skills
- strong writing and research skills
- interest in higher education issues
- enthusiasm and initiative
To apply for an externship or internship position, please send a cover letter, resume, official transcript and writing sample to:
AAUP – Legal Department
ATTN: DC Internship Program
1133 19th St. NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20036
legal.dept@aaup.org (If applying by email, please address the Subject line as: “DC Internship + Your Name”)
For more information, please see AAUP’s Legal Program.
Join the AAUP
As an AAUP member, you join forces with colleagues who care about academic freedom and shared governance. You help protect quality higher education and shape the future of our profession. In addition, there are practical benefits such as discounts, insurance programs, and a subscription to Academe
magazine.
Start a Chapter
Active AAUP chapters serve the profession on more than 500 campuses by supporting principles and programs that vitally affect the quality of higher education and professional life. Find out how you can start a chapter at your college or university.
Nondiscrimination Policy
The AAUP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, or other characteristics unrelated to professional performance. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
National AAUP Benefits
Employment at the national AAUP offers many benefits, including
- a collegial workplace;
- a convenient, Metro-accessible location in downtown D.C.;
- generous health, dental, and vision insurance;
- generous amount of annual leave, plus holidays; and
- employer-matched retirement contributions.
