Copywriter and Assistant Editor

About McDaniel College:

McDaniel College is a four-year, independent college of the liberal arts and sciences offering over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the original "Colleges That Change Lives," McDaniel emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop the unique potential in every student. Represented by the Green Terror, over 20 athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. A student-centered community of 1,600 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students offers access to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., plus a European campus in Budapest, Hungary.

At McDaniel College we value our employees by offering our full-time employees tuition remission, 403B retirement accounts, paid time off, medical insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and paid maternity and parental leave. For more information about the college's benefits, please click here to review the 2026 benefits guidebook and click here to view 2026 premium rates.

This position has a budgeted hiring rate of $55,000. The position is classified as A3. The A3 salary band for all full-time, 12-month positions at the college with this classification have a minimum rate of $45,000 and a maximum rate of $70,312. For benefit purposes only, the workweek is estimated to be 35 hours per week. The actual schedule for exempt positions may vary based on the workload and responsibilities assigned.

Job Description:

The Copywriter and Assistant Editor will play a critical role in conceptualizing, crafting, and editing high-quality, persuasive, engaging written content for the college through a variety of print and digital media. This individual will report to the Senior Editor & Writer and work collaboratively within the Office of Communications and Marketing to further the college's brand reputation with an emphasis on translating academic work for non-academic audiences, compelling storytelling, marketing copy, and web content. This individual will support colleagues within the divisions of Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management & Marketing through regular editorial reviews. This role is best suited to writers who can manage multiple projects simultaneously, enjoy strategic, creative, and collaborative work, and are interested in exploring a wide range of communications and marketing styles.

Responsibilities

• Identify and tell engaging stories via multiple platforms of those who comprise the community that makes McDaniel a diverse, student-centered college that changes lives.
• Conduct interviews with faculty, staff, alumni, students, donors, and friends.
• Write a wide range of college materials, including but not limited to marketing copy for enrollment marketing and advancement publications, brochures, and emails, as well as website content, news stories, and community profiles.
• Conceptualize, strategize, and execute the creation of multimedia institutional marketing initiatives incorporating elements such as copy, photo, video, social media, and web, including annual campaigns profiling new faculty and graduating seniors.
• Contribute strategic thinking for content planning, publications, and college initiatives.
• Collaborate with the website manager to plan and produce strategic website content and conduct regular audits to identify areas for content creation and enhancement.
• Utilize Drupal CMS to create and edit website pages and content.
• Conduct keyword research and apply SEO best practices to optimize content for search engines.
• Adhere to the college's editorial standards for quality and style, generally following Associated Press style and McDaniel-specific style guidelines.
• Edit written content submitted by colleagues from around campus.
• Edit daily email and text communications to prospective, admitted, and deposited students and families.
• Conduct thorough research and fact-checking.
• When necessary, write obituaries for impactful members of the McDaniel community.
• Demonstrate exemplary customer/client service at all times and work collaboratively with all campus schools, divisions, and departments as well as alumni and athletics groups.
• Take initiative by proposing and executing new communications opportunities to keep the flow of content fresh and interesting.
• Attend and support college events as needed, including those in the evening and on weekends.

Miscellaneous Duties

• Be a collaborative and contributing member of the team
• Performs other duties as assigned

Information Security Role: Data User

• Follow the policies and procedures established by the appropriate Data Stewards.
• Comply with federal and state laws and regulations as well as college policies, procedures, and standards associated with the college computing resources and institutional data used.
• Use institutional data only as required for the conduct of college business within the scope of employment.
• Implement safeguards prescribed by appropriate Data Stewards for Limited Access and Restricted Data.
• Ensure the appropriateness, accuracy, and timeliness of institutional data used for the conduct of college business.
• Report any unauthorized access, data misuse, or data quality issues to the appropriate Data Steward for remediation.
• Accept and complete the confidentiality statement yearly if access includes restricted data.
• Report any suspected data breach to the CIO and the IT Help Desk as soon as possible.

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, English, marketing, or related field.
• A minimum of 2-3 years of experience in writing and content creation for a variety of print and digital media.
• Higher education experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of SEO and web content best practices a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple demanding initiatives concurrently, balancing multiple priorities, working with minimal supervision and meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing content management systems and other technological communication tools and methodologies, including Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office products.
• Demonstrated ability to produce content for a wide range of audiences, in a wide range of styles across all marketing and communications channels (please include a minimum of two writing samples with your cover letter and resume).
• Strong understanding of the requirements of writing for web vs. print materials and ability to adapt writing for multiple platforms.
• Excellent project management skills; must be able to work collaboratively to complete projects on deadline and within budget.
• Excellent writing skills with expert attention to detail, often within tight deadlines.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented work style.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills as well as highly collaborative nature; ability to facilitate work with a wide range of individuals and groups from diverse campus departments.

Working Conditions

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely working in a normal office environment with minimal exposure to adverse conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal. Evening and weekend work will be required during high impact periods and/or to meet the needs of the position.

Physical Abilities

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Sitting for long periods of time.
• Viewing a computer screen for long periods of times.
• Limited lifting involved but not more than 25 pounds at a time
• Driving on behalf of the college.
• Walking and standing during campus events.

Additional Information:

McDaniel College, in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate in the recruitment, admission, and employment of students, faculty, and staff in the operation of any of its educational programs and activities. McDaniel College will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment on basis of any protected status including protective hairstyle, race, religion, color, ancestry or national origin, disability, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military status, genetic information, marital status, veteran's status, or any other actual or perceived legally protected characteristics.

Application Instructions:

Completed applications must include a cover letter addressing position qualifications and related experience, resume, the names and contact information of three professional references, and two writing samples. Review of applications begins January 5, 2026. Position remains open until filled.

Please click the Apply Now button below to begin your application.