Writer

We have two (2!!) great job opportunities in our Office of External Relations at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. My team (Communications) is hiring a writer to cover engineering, education, and health and human services, along with general university stories. This half-time position comes with full U-M benefits. It would be an excellent gig for someone looking to balance freelance work with something more steady. We are especially interested in applicants with journalism and/or higher ed writing experience. The work is varied and interesting, and requires strong interviewing, journalistic writing/storytelling and editing skills. It is a hybrid position, with some on-campus time required, including weekly in-person meetings with the rest of the editorial team. Afterwards, you can go for a walk around the beautiful Henry and Clara Ford Estate or on our Environmental Interpretive Trails.

Also, our Marketing team is hiring a Marketing Cloud Specialist (see link in comments). You would be doing the important work of helping to recruit graduate students into our excellent programs. You'd be joining a really fun and dedicated group that, along with my team and our web and government relations team, make up an office full of supportive, talented colleagues.

I truly enjoy working at UM-Dearborn and genuinely appreciate the strong community we have both in our office and across campus. If you think you might enjoy this as well, and feel you are a fit for either position, I encourage you to apply!

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How to Apply

In one PDF, submit a cover letter briefly summarizing your interest in this position and your most relevant qualifications, along with your resume and five writing samples that you feel best demonstrate your fit for this role.

Job Summary

The Writer is an integral part of the university's Communications Team, finding and telling the stories of our students, faculty, staff, leadership and alumni for Reporter (our twice-weekly faculty/staff e-news) and our News site, as well as for specific departments and units. Our approach is journalistic and story-centered. We welcome applications from like-minded writers, with clips to demonstrate. 

The Writer will report to the Director of Communications and be part of a team of committed and creative professionals: a Senior Writer/Managing Editor, a Digital Media Manager and a Photographer. The Communications Team is part of the Office of External Relations, which also includes the Marketing, Web Services and Government Relations teams. All teams collaborate closely with one another. 

The Writer must have demonstrated talents for producing high-quality written work on deadline, gathering complex information and translating it clearly and accurately for a variety of audiences, synthesizing feedback from multiple sources, and producing content that is engaging, easily understood and can be used across platforms. A successful candidate will be self-motivated, curious, flexible, versatile, highly collaborative, deadline- and detail-oriented, and an excellent time manager. 

This position covers the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Education, Health and Human Services, in addition to general university news. Accordingly, we are especially interested in hearing from writers who are well-versed in faculty research, engineering, computer science, health and human services, and/or education, while also able to cover other topics. Writers who demonstrate an ability to quickly learn about these areas will also make strong candidates. Professional journalism experience and/or experience storytelling for higher education strongly preferred. 

Visit umdearborn.edu/news to learn more about the types of stories we cover and our storytelling approach.

Responsibilities*

• Regularly identify, pitch and write stories about the work of UM-Dearborn faculty, staff, students, leadership and alumni, including faculty and student research, academic projects, university programs and initiatives, student support programs and profile pieces
• Shepherd the story approval process: review the story with sources to ensure accuracy, clarify information as needed, secure any necessary additional approvals and respond to edits from the Reporter editor (Director of Communications), while meeting deadlines
• Carefully proof stories, ensuring clean copy and adherence to AP and UM-Dearborn style before submission
• Coordinate with the staff Photographer and story sources to schedule, review and select images
• Regularly contribute to Reporter standing sections: Events, Good News, Good to Know (brief campus updates)
• Post stories and images to the News website
• Assist the Marketing Communications Coordinator (a member of the Marketing Team) in preparing the twice-weekly e-news and serve as backup for this duty when needed
• Along with other team members, carefully proof the e-news before publication
• Brainstorm and coordinate social media content with the Digital Media Manager
• Support special projects with units across campus, including Institutional Advancement, Marketing and Office of Research
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications*

• A bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years professional writing experience, ideally as a journalist and/or university communicator. Candidates who do not meet the education and experience requirements will not be considered
• Outstanding writing, proofreading and editing skills with a proven ability to create content that engages a variety of audiences
• Ability to analyze and synthesize information quickly and accurately and to communicate complex and nuanced information in a straightforward,compelling way
• Ability to build productive, collaborative relationships with staff, students, faculty, university leadership and alumni
• Ability to work efficiently and meet deadlines, while balancing competing priorities and tackling multiple assignments
• Knowledge of grammar usage and editorial style guidelines (AP style preferred)
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Proficiency with website content management systems and e-newsletter platforms
• Comfort with digital platforms and self-motivation in learning new tools/techniques and troubleshooting
• Openness to constructive edits and feedback, and willingness/ability to provide constructive edits and feedback to others
• Ability and willingness to use discretion and diplomacy when dealing with confidential or sensitive information or situations
• Must be self-motivated, curious, flexible, versatile, highly collaborative, deadline- and detail-oriented, and an excellent time manager

Desired Qualifications*

• A demonstrated ability to write about faculty research or other technical topics in a clear and compelling manner for a lay audience
• Familiarity with Canva and/or basic photo editing software
• Basic understanding of photo composition principles
• Ability to recognize media outreach opportunities
• Ability to work with a videographer to produce video stories
• Ability to script short videos and/or contribute to collaborative scriptwriting and brainstorming on short video content

Why Work at U-M Dearborn?

The University of Michigan-Dearborn is a vibrant and diverse community, centrally located within one of America's largest business regions. The area provides a variety of urban, suburban, and rural environments within a reasonable commute, including Detroit, its suburbs, and Ann Arbor.

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan-Dearborn offers a comprehensive benefits package, effective on your first day to help you and your family stay well, and plan for a secure future.

Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions after 12 months of eligible service
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance, along with prescription drug plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Eligibility for benefits is based on your job group, your appointment percentage and the length of your appointment. Learn more about employee benefits and eligibility from the UM Human Resources Benefits and Wellness webpage.

Additional UM-Dearborn benefits include:

• Employees may be eligible for tuition reimbursement. Learn more about the tuition reimbursement policy.
• Eligible UM-Dearborn dependents may receive a 50% tuition and fees scholarship towards undergraduate courses. Learn more about the Dependent Tuition Scholarship from the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships webpage.
• No charge for all faculty and staff parking permits. Learn more from the Parking Transportation webpage.

Information about our mission, values and leadership can be found at: https://umdearborn.edu/about-um-dearborn/mission

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Work Schedule

The writer will be expected to work a minimum of 3 days per week on a regular schedule, to be determined with the supervisor. A 4 or 5 day schedule is preferred and may be required during busy times of the academic year. There will be room for flexibility as needed and appropriate for the team's work flow.

This position is hybrid and will require some dedicated time on campus. Only local candidates and those willing and able to work a hybrid schedule (not fully remote) will be considered for this position.