Democracy Fellow Media Specialist

Working Title: Democracy Fellow Media Specialist

State Role Title: Institutional Employment / Federal Work Study

Position Type: Institutional Employment

Position Status: Part-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt: Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Office of the President Unit

Department: 100191 - JMU Center for Civic Engagement

Pay Rate: Hourly

Specify Range or Amount: $14.00

Is this a JMU only position? N/A

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? N/A

Beginning Review Date:

About JMU:

Located in the heart of Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

General Information:

The James Madison Center for Civic Engagement is seeking creative and imaginative students interested in developing their professional storytelling, graphic design and media management skills to further the Madison Center's brand in support of the university's civic engagement mission (see: jmu.edu/civic).

The Democracy Fellow Media Specialists tell the story of civic engagement, civic leadership and civic discourse at JMU. These Fellows will shape the brand strategy, voice, and day-to-day management of a high profile and highly visible social media account, website, and podcast. Media Specialists participate in all student staff meetings and support projects across both the democracy and facilitation cohort tracks, creating visual content to promote and elevate the brand of the center. The Media Specialist receives hands-on leadership, project management training, and professional media mentoring by the Center's Communication Fellow/Presidential Engagement Fellow, Madison Center's faculty and staff, and from continuing education opportunities. All Fellows must have a commitment to non-partisanship when representing JMU and the Madison Center.

Democracy Fellows are the working heart of JMU's civic engagement mission. Fellows work in teams to develop programming for campus in support of voting, civic discourse, and civic leadership, including work on democracy and immigration issues, voter education, leadership through difficult conversations, and more. The Madison Center is home to several significant programs at JMU, including Constitution Day, the Better Conversations Together program, and Dukes Vote. Democracy Fellows also have the opportunity to be on stage and in private networking meetings with high profile speakers and campus leaders during major events.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Research and develop professional student-oriented and non-student oriented social media strategies based on emerging trends in higher education social and the broader social media space

Develop media content including graphics, posters, and short-form videos.

Provide pre- and post-production assistance and editing of department podcasts.

Regularly update and review social media insights

Assist with other miscellaneous social media responsibilities, including but not limited to copywriting, post curation, writing alt-text for images, managing the social media calendar, comment moderation, etc.

Assist in Dukes Vote voter registration drives and campus events like the town hall series, educational tabling, election day programming, facilitating civic engagement events, workshops and forums for JMU students, faculty and staff, and community partners and other events with campus and off-campus partners.

Serve as a student ambassador during high-profile events at JMU.

Attend all-staff and project meetings weekly to connect, bring ideas and grow as a team.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Interest in social media management

Strong understanding of social media platforms and best practices

Experience creating short form video content, Instagram stories and posts, event posters and other media.

Strong organizational and time management skills

Ability to work collaboratively and build relationships with students, faculty and staff

Ability to work independently and meet deadlines

Commitment to nonpartisanship and appreciating differences when representing the Madison Center

Knowledge of the value of civic engagement, voting, and civic discourse

Additional Posting Information:

All Fellows will participate in a training and orientation retreat August 18-19. This position will work an average of 6 hours a week during the academic year with a mix of staff meetings, office work hours and event coverage. A flexible schedule is necessary to cover campus events that occur during the week, evenings and weekends.

Your cover letter should describe your interest in the Democracy Fellows program, and what skills, knowledge, and experience you bring to the program.

The required portfolio should include 2-3 examples of previous media/graphic design work (e.g. e-portfolio, class projects, Instagram feed of personal work, etc.)

Conditions of Employment:

Students must be degree-seeking students, enrolled on at least a half-time basis (6 credits for undergraduate and 5 credits for graduate).

Students must have a 2.0 or better cumulative GPA.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are a student with a disability and need assistance please contact the Office of Disability Services at (540) 568-6705 or disability-svcs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the Office of Disability Services, located in the Student Success Center, Suite 1202 and they will be happy to assist you.