Director, Media Relations

Job Title

Director, Media Relations

Classification

Administrator II

Auto Req. ID

555981

Salary Range

Classification Range $5,053 - $16,221 per month

(Hiring range depending on qualifications, not anticipated to exceed $9,800 - $10,800 per month)

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Why CSUF

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) is a leading public university known for its strong academic programs and commitment to student success. As one of the largest campuses in the CSU system, CSUF fosters innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. The university values teaching, research, and service, creating an environment where students, staff, and faculty can thrive. Joining CSUF means becoming part of a dynamic team dedicated to making a meaningful impact. We continuously seek individuals from various career disciplines that share the University’s mission and core values. We warmly welcome you to consider joining the Titan Community where minds expand and opportunities flourish.

Department

Strategic Communications and Brand Management plays an integral role in helping to shape and strengthen the institutions brand and advance in a wide range of institutional effectiveness. We are a team of creative, thoughtful, and empathetic storytellers that take pride in representing the university’s image and reputation through inspiring and motivating stories of our exceptional faculty, staff, students, alumni, and donors. We seek an exceptional individual to join our Strategic Communications team as the Director, Media Relations (Administrator II). The ideal candidate in this role should have a positive attitude, an active, energetic mind, and a leadership style that is characterized by highly ethical practices and a commitment to inclusivity, openness, flexibility, integrity, and kindness.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Director of Media Relations manages the university’s external strategic media relations under the guidance of the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and the Chief Communication Officer. This role is critical in supporting the President’s Office and extended cabinet by coordinating media outreach that safeguards and strengthens the university’s public reputation through external and earned media, ensuring all practices align with public relations and higher-education industry standards.

The Director oversees a team responsible for the university’s reputational management and development, primarily through earned media and news coverage, and serves as a key adviser on issues management. In collaboration with university leadership, the Director leads the creation, implementation, and oversight of a comprehensive strategic media plan that reflects the university mission and values, establishes clear media objectives, reports regularly on progress through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), modernizes media engagement practices, and prepares leadership and faculty for media interviews and public engagement.

The Director leads and advises on media outreach efforts that elevate the university’s educational and research priorities, campus services, and community. The Director’s strategic guidance reflects an understanding of public higher education, CSUF’s mission and audiences, its role within the California State University system, and its relationships with agencies, business partners, and community organizations in Southern California. Other duties as assigned.

Inclusive Leadership Statement

Inclusive Leadership Statement is required below, please be sure to address the following as a minimum. Please add additional information as you see necessary and applicable:

• What does inclusive leadership mean to you.

• A description of your experiences working with individuals with a different perspective.

• A description of how issues of inclusivity have impacted you personally or professionally.

Essential Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing from an accredited four-year college or university, or a related field is required. The candidate should have seven to ten years of public relations experience and demonstrate strong interpersonal and soft skills. The position requires excellent writing abilities, including providing three to five examples of successful news pitches or news releases. The candidate must also have the ability to translate technical or scientific language into consumer-friendly messaging that resonates with journalists. Experience working with a collaborative team that relies on coordinated workflows to achieve owned and earned media goals for an institution or organization is essential. Additionally, the candidate should have successfully led media outreach campaigns that enhanced institutional reputation and be able to provide three to five examples of such work.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily and is required for employment. CSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to complete the background check satisfactorily may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was conditionally offered the position.

Preferred Qualifications

A master’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred. Experience working in higher education. The candidate should demonstrate a strong news sense and seasoned judgment regarding sensitivities. The position requires a model communicator and public relations professional with experience leading and coaching staff. The candidate should be accustomed to working closely with peers and leadership to determine appropriate responses or promotional outreach strategies that support public engagement and reputational objectives, while achieving media mentions and audience outreach goals at the campuswide, local, regional, national, and international levels. Established strong personal relationships with reporters and media outlets, including maintaining regular calls, meetings, and check-ins. Experience with innovative media collaborations that highlight thought leadership-such as administrator and faculty expertise, as well as student experiences-is desirable. The candidate should be proficient with journalist engagement and media analytics tools (e.g., Meltwater, Muck Rack, Cision) and reporting. Experience pitching and managing stories with ethnic media outlets and tailoring messaging for diverse audiences is also preferred.

License/Certifications

A valid California driver’s license and/or reliable source of transportation.

Special Working Conditions

Notice of Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender or Sex and Contact Information for Title IX Coordinator

Benefits at a Glance

• An array of health plans that include prescription drug coverage
• Dental and Vision coverage
• Income protection benefits including life insurance and disability
• Retirement plan through CalPERS
• Tuition waiver for employees and dependents if eligible
• FlexCash (in lieu of health and dental)
• Employee Assistance Programs
• 15 paid holidays

See our CSUF Benefits website for additional information.

Additional Information

California State University, Fullerton is committed to fostering an environment where students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. We welcome individuals ready to make an impact on student and staff success to apply and become part of the Titan Community. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Cal State Fullerton is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination based on regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, or any other protected status.

As of January 1, 2022, the CSU Out-of-State Employment Policy prohibits the hiring of employees to perform CSU-related work outside the state of California.

The scope of responsibilities for this position includes the making or participating in the making of decisions that may have a material financial benefit on the incumbent. Therefore, you will be required to file an initial “Conflict of Interest Form 700: Statement of Economic Interests” within thirty (30) days from date of hire and on an annual basis; and complete the CSU sponsored ethics on-line training within thirty (30) days of appointment, and at least once during each consecutive period of two calendar years following the appointment.

The person holding this position is considered a limited mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and must comply with the requirement outlined in CSU Executive Order 1083, revised July 21, 2017.

This position is designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA) position under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. CSAs are responsible for reporting allegations of Clery Act Crimes reported to them or that they witness. CSA training is required.

Multiple positions may be hired from this recruitment based on the strength of the applicant pool.

If you are applying for a staff position, please note that you are not eligible to work concurrently in a staff position and an Academic Student position such as a Graduate Assistant, Teaching Associate, Instructional Student Assistant, or Student Assistant position.

Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.

Employee/applicant who applies for a position may be required to successfully complete job-related performance test(s) as part of the selection process.

Online application/resume must be received by electronic submission on the final filing date by 9:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time)/midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Applicants who fail to complete all sections of the online application form will be disqualified from consideration.

California State University, Fullerton is not currently sponsoring any new H-1B petitions for staff, management, or faculty positions.

Advertised: Mar 12 2026 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: Mar 26 2026 Pacific Daylight Time

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• Cal State University (CSU) Fullerton

• 657-278-2200

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