Senior Writer and Editor

Title:Senior Writer and Editor

Position Purpose:

The Senior Writer and Editor serves as managing editor for Bates Magazine and provides leadership and expertise in strategic storytelling. This highly skilled writer and editor will have deep experience and will collaborate with the Senior Communications and Editorial Director to develop a fresh tone for BCMs writing in all formats and styles (print and digital persuasive and journalistic). The Senior Writer and Editor in collaboration with the Senior Communications Director will ensure that all written content aligns with institutional priorities while maintaining the highest editorial standards and cultivating a commitment to creativity and innovation.

Job Duties:

Editorial and Content Leadership:

• Write edit and proofread high-quality content including feature stories news stories institutional messaging web articles social media posts and marketing materials.
• Uphold and uphold the colleges editorial voice and standards across platforms.
• Work with the Senior Director of Communications and Editorial to plan and oversee an editorial calendar that aligns with institutional priorities.
• Using college style guides and The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style provide copyediting proofreading and fact-checking support for content produced by BCM and occasionally content generated by campus clients and internal communications.

Managing Editor of Bates Magazine:

• In close collaboration with the Senior Communications Director and the Creative Director oversee editorial planning story development production and distribution of Bates Magazine.
• Collaborate with photographers designers writers and freelancers to produce a visually compelling and editorially excellent publication.
• Coordinate with campus partners to identify story ideas and ensure alignment with strategic communications goals.
• Manage production timelines budgets and vendor relationships related to the magazine.
• Create and maintain relationships with Bates alumni parents and friends through Bates Magazine responding to story ideas reader feedback and general outreach.
• Oversee and update Bates Colleges style guide as needed.
• Supervise a part-time Class Notes Editor.
• Lead the development and continued management of a digital storytelling platform that showcases written and multimedia features including content from Bates Magazine and Bates News and other editorial products video photo galleries and more that support the Bates brand.

Strategic & Collaborative Work:

• Partner with colleagues in Advancement Admissions and the Dean of the Facultys office to develop content that supports fundraising alumni engagement institutional reputation and faculty morale.
• Manage the news writer and copywriter; assign and review their work and provide mentorship and guidance.
• Support the Director of Photography and Video in evaluating and responding strategically to campus photo needs.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

Bachelors degree in English Journalism Communications or related field.

Experience

• 7 years of writing and editorial experience with at least 2 years in a lead or managing editor role.
• Experience overseeing production workflows and managing editorial teams or contributors.
• Familiarity with higher education communications preferred.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite especially InDesign preferred.
• Understanding of digital publishing and audience engagement strategies preferred.

Skills and Knowledge

• Commitment to equity inclusion and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
• Superior writing ability and strong expertise in journalistic writing and news reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to write in various storytelling styles from in-depth profiles and campus life features to academic-focused news stories to to social media posts.
• Expertise in developing story ideas that strategically support institutional goals.
• Ability to anticipate and identify communication needs.
• Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with a wide variety of college constituencies.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships.
• Knowledge of the structure culture and operations of a college or university environment preferred.

Benefits:

Bates College offers competitive salaries excellent benefits (health dental sick leave 24 days of vacation 2 personal days 13 paid holidays dependent care subsidy free parking access to library and athletic facilities & more) and a supportive collegial environment in a drug and smoke-free workplace.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color national or ethnic origin religion sex sexual orientation gender identity or gender expression age disability genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students in the administration of its education policies and programs or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty staff students contractors visitors and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the colleges policies compliance with applicable laws statutes and regulations (such as Title VII Title IX and ADA/Section 504) and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow Title IX Officer or via email at .

About Bates:

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college attracting 2000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1855 Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender race religion or national origin.

Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces intellectual trends demographic changes and technology that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Bates has highly competitive admissions graduates over 90 percent of its entering students and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.

The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community Maines second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65000. Bates is located on a beautiful 133-acre traditional New England campus in Lewiston an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate a lively arts scene and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland 140 miles north of Boston and 350 miles north of New York City.