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Job Title

Associate Director for Student Media

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Student Life

Proposed Minimum Salary

$7,250.00 monthly

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Who We Are

The Student Life department strives to enhance student’s opportunities to participate fully in the University experience. We do this by providing students with information, services, programs and involvement opportunities that facilitate responsible life choices and promote awareness of self and community. Each of the program areas within Student Life has a specific mission, but one common goal: to provide education, outreach, and support. Learn more about our various program areas at https://studentlife.tamu.edu/.

What We Want

The Associate Director of Student Media provides strategic leadership, administrative oversight, mentorship, and advising of the student-led publications. The Associate Director must be knowledgeable enough to keep the unit innovative, financially stable, and educationally committed. The Associate Director is responsible for providing leadership for the Student Media Office, advancing the mission of Student Life and Student Affairs, and will provide advising and mentorship for The Battalion, Maroon Life magazine, and The Aggieland Yearbook student publications. This position is important to creating a strong culture and skills in journalism, media productions, editorial leadership, and serves as a liaison between Student Media and the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University. In addition, the Associate Director has primary responsibility for managing the financial aspects of the individual components/organizations that make-up Student Media by leading a student-led business team, cultivating and maintaining advertising opportunities for all platforms of Student Media, assisting with fundraising efforts as needed and handling day-to-day business operations including circulation, distribution, technology needs, etc.

Responsibilities

+ Management and Leadership: Serves as a part of the Student Life leadership team. Prepares unit’s portion of the annual report as well as any assessment projects . Represents the department in appropriate activities on and off campus in addition to participating in state, regional, and national organizations. Oversees all aspects of assigned program areas including supervision of any staff . Drives a slow-moving vehicle for work events.

+ Advertising, Sales, Distribution and Business Processes: Help the student-led business team coordinate the sale of advertising and yearbooks, including billing, collection, distribution, and inventory control. Makes contact with current advertisers and potential advertisers for The Battalion and thebatt.com; works with third-party contractor for a dvertising sales in the Aggieland; works with portrait company to monitor sales, gather student data to market portraits and the yearbook; and ensures that invoices are produced, and bills are paid in a timely manner. Establishes advertising rates and sales prices for Student Media products annually, or as necessary, with input from students and peers around the country. Prepares and maintains the annual budget.

+ Strategic Unit Direction: Work collaboratively with on and off campus partners to grow the role of Student Media across a number of media platforms. Unit growth with align with the strategic vision of a broad learning laboratory for journalism education across campus. Long goals include creating a robust Student Media that provides all students with varied journalism exposure through a multiplatform experience. Serve on working groups, task forces, and other institutional groups that align the mission of Student Media to the academic experience in a practical skill-based approach.

+ Student Media Business Operations: Oversees daily production of The Battalion online at www.thebatt.com, weekly print edition of The Battalion, at least five times a year for Maroon Life magazine, and the yearly production of the Aggieland yearbook; work with the student staff in news, advertising, production, and distribution to assure timely and efficient use of personnel and materials.

+ Budget Management: Oversee a multi-faceted budget that serves primarily an online newspaper presence but includes print and yearbook commitments and pulls in revenue from multiple funding sources. Oversee student leaders with decisions regarding allocations and expenses. Oversee the coordination and collaboration of the monthly reconciliation process between student leaders and department staff. Oversee the annual budgeting process. Manage products and events in TAMU online store on behalf of student leadership. Initiate, monitor, maintain , and evaluate all contractual obligations associated with The Battalion, Maroon Life, and the Aggieland . Assists with fundraising and development efforts as needed .

+ Student Organization Advising: Serves as an advisor and financial advisor to three student organizations: The Battalion newspaper, the Aggieland yearbook and the Maroon Life magazine . Attend and maintain required student organization advisor training. Work with journalism advisors in the oversight and support of student editors and other o rganizational leadership positions as requested . Provide direct advisement and support to the student business manager(s), student advertising agents, and a student street team.

+ University/Division/Department Duties: Serves on university and other committees and task forces as well as in a volunteer capacity in support of the Division and Department. Works collaboratively with the Department of Communications and Journalism in support of the learning laboratory, internships, or other initiatives linking the academic experience to the student organization operation/activities. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Education & Experience:

+ Bachelor’s degree in applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.

+ Eight years of progressively responsible management experience, including some supervision of full-time staff.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

+ Working knowledge of computers, and pre-press and printing processes; working knowledge of online and multimedia platforms; able to relate effectively and readily to students.

+ Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.

Preferred Education & Experience:

+ Master ’s degree in education, journalism or related field.

+ Experience Advising student media groups at the secondary or college level

+ Involvement in relevant national student media advising groups

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

+ Experience in journalism/mass communications as well as media business, advertising sales, fundraising, marketing and working with clients through an advertising relationship; experience in Adobe Suite.

Why Texas A&M University?

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration.  Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you.  Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.

+ Medical, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/medical/) prescription drug, dental, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/dental/) vision, life and AD&D, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/life-add/) flexible spending accounts , and long-term disability insurance (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/long-term-disability/) with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

+ 12-15 days (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/index.html) of annual paid holidays

+ Up to eight hours of paid sick leave (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/sick.html)  and at least  eight hours of paid vacation (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/vacation.html)  each month

+ Automatic enrollment in the  Teacher Retirement System of Texas (https://www.trs.texas.gov/Pages/Homepage.aspx)

+ Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time (https://flourish.tamu.edu/wellness-release-time/)

+ Professional Development: All employees have access to free  LinkedIn Learning (https://linkedinlearning.tamu.edu/)  training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more

+ Educational release time and tuition assistance (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/employee-tuition-assistance)  for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

+ Living Well, (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/) a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all pers p ectives, talents & lived experience s . Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our corevalues which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service .

What You Need To Know

Salary: $87,000/year

Cover Letter/Resume: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended and will help in our review. You may upload them on the application under the CV/Resume section.

Additional Details: Drives a slow-moving vehicle for work events.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume’ or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

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/Veterans/Disability Employer.