Public Relations/Media Relations Consultant

The Office of Communications at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering is seeking an established independent contractor (or part-time staff) with excellent writing skills, professional journalism experience and at least two years of agency/in-house, hands-on media relations and social media experience.

As the Public Relations Consultant, the individual will work closely with the Executive Director of Communications and will be responsible for writing and editing press releases, providing writing and editing support for alumni and student pieces, assisting the EDC with speech writing, providing strategic messaging to support social media presence and recommendations for Samueli speaker's bureau. Other writing and editing tasks may be required as deemed appropriate.  

The contractor must be familiar with AP style writing, is a great writer/editor, and has a track record of pitching stories to both trade and general media. Current media contact is a must, especially in higher ed and science/tech. Effective and experienced social media content generation is also a must. Previous science/engineering reporting is preferred. 

Estimated hours are 20-30 per week. As an independent contractor, you will need to provide UCLA proof of general liability insurance and be responsible for providing your own work environment to successfully accomplish the position's objectives.

While UCLA is currently working remotely, this person should be a Los Angeles area resident prepared to collaborate with the EDC on campus in Westwood (as needed once Covid restrictions are lifted.) The Public Relations Consultant will also collaborate with others on the Communications team and colleagues at the school. 

This is a fast-paced environment, requiring handling of exciting yet difficult engineering-related research breakthroughs, and multiple internal and external communications projects with utmost professionalism and discretion. The ability to multitask, stay organized, adapt and learn quickly while maintaining excellent communication and producing solid work on deadline is a must.