Senior Writer/Editor

Senior Writer/Editor

George Mason University’s, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), invites applications for the Senior Writer/Editor position. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

About the College of Humanities and Social Sciences:

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) is at the very center of the university’s mission to serve as a hub of intellectual dynamism and diversity, a locus of local and global civic engagement, and an access point to excellence for individuals of all backgrounds. As one of the largest colleges at Mason, CHSS employs more than 700 faculty and staff, delivers critical courses for the university community (from Mason Core and 100-level classes to advanced seminars), and offers an expansive range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary degree programs (18 undergraduate majors, 69 minors, 13 graduate certificates, 8 master’s degrees, 10 doctoral degrees, and 22 accelerated master’s degree pathways).

At CHSS, the liberal arts tradition of studying human minds, beliefs, languages, cultures, histories, societal structures, and forms of creative expression drives our community forward in advancing cutting-edge research, impactful service, and critical competencies for today’s global and knowledge-based economy. Moreover, the work of CHSS was instrumental in Mason’s attainment of the R-1 Doctoral University (Highest Research Activity) classification.

The Senior Writer/Editor will extend the college’s reputation as a vibrant, vital college that supports research and teaching in the humanities and social sciences by telling the CHSS story.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, Strategic Marketing and Communications, the Senior Writer/Editor will research, write, edit, and distribute external and internal communications including news stories, articles, annual reports, emails, constituent profiles, speeches, scripts, press releases, and social media etc.

The ideal candidate is an outstanding writer and editor, a great communicator, an enthusiastic team player with good people skills, and able to work with a high degree of independence to produce results on deadlines. The successful candidate will have the vision, talent, creativity, and energy to amplify the value of a humanities and social sciences degree and build on Mason’s and the CHSS’s legacy of excellence.

Responsibilities:

• Write and edit print and electronic communications for CHSS website, Horizon magazine, Annual Report, monthly e-newsletter, and other channels;
• Write event scripts, speeches, and talking points for college-wide in-person and virtual events;
• Construct compelling narrative and storytelling, with awareness of the target audience;
• Produce and deploy monthly e-newsletter, CHSS Digest, and report on results;
• Responsible for editing and revising content as necessary to ensure consistent quality in digital and print written materials, including proofreading, fact-checking, typographic/grammatical correctness, appropriate formatting, and completeness;
• Craft marketing copy for a variety of channels including social media, emails, websites, and more;
• Maintain university branding and editorial standards in all materials;
• Collaborate with all programs across CHSS and schools across Mason to write and develop value-added materials;
• Responsible for supporting strategic communications efforts to ensure visibility, engagement, and content relevance across the college and beyond, connects with key constituents and internal stakeholders to identify communications needs, conduct interviews, and plan content;
• Coordinate with graphic designers, web developers, photographers, videographers, and print vendors on the production and publication of collateral materials; and
• Contribute to all aspects of projects and responsibilities of the CHSS Marketing and Communications team.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in communication, English, journalism, or creative writing, or equivalent training/experience in media relations, public relations, communication, English, or related areas;
• Demonstrated relevant experience (generally 5-7 years) as a writer and editor of a variety of marketing communications, with examples or portfolio of prior work;
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and fact-checking skills with the ability to disseminate information to diverse audiences;
• Experience in managing, organizing and prioritizing multiple concurrent projects effectively to meet internal and external deadlines; excellent research and time management skills;
• Demonstrated experience creating written content, and strong editing skills to spot and correct errors;
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively; experience working with communications and marketing teams and vendors;
• Excellent attention to detail; organized and process-oriented;
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; and
• Fluency in tools for web publishing and content/project management platforms.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education;
• Advanced degree preferred; and
• Additional education in a social sciences discipline.

Special Instructions to Applicants  

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number 03102z at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information, and three writing samples of relevant work.

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.