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Director of Government and External Relations
Under the supervision of the Associate Vice President for Government and External Relations/Chief Communications Officer, this position supports strategic government and external relations and communications initiatives designed to enhance WVSOM’s visibility, reputation, and perceived value among key stakeholders, including prospective students, academic and clinical partners, government officials, alumni, and institutional leadership.
This position is part of a collaborative strategic team responsible for maximizing networking, partnership, and media opportunities while contributing to broader Government and External Relations and Communications projects. Responsibilities are assigned based on individual strengths, experience, and skill sets, with opportunities to support high‑impact initiatives, develop new competencies, and contribute to innovative and emerging efforts across the institution.
This position will be a full-time, non-classified position with full state benefits and is exempt from FLSA provisions regarding overtime. Not all activities of this position occur within the confines of an 8:00-4:30 schedule and may require evening and weekend scheduling. This position has been designated as essential. This means that when WVSOM is faced with an institutional emergency, employees in such positions may be required to remain at their work location or to report to work to protect, recover and continue operations at WVSOM.
This position will be a full-time, non-classified position with full state benefits and is exempt from FLSA provisions regarding overtime. Not all activities of this position occur within the confines of an 8:00-4:30 schedule and may require evening and weekend scheduling. This position has been designated as essential. This means that when WVSOM is faced with an institutional emergency, employees in such positions may be required to remain at their work location or to report to work to protect, recover and continue operations at WVSOM.
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine is an equal opportunity employer.
Education/Knowledge
Minimum Education
Bachelor's
Required Licenses/Certification
Skills Required
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Knowledge of strategic communications, government and external relations, media outreach, crisis communications, and stakeholder engagement in complex institutional environments.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to craft and coordinate messaging for leadership, media, government entities, and external partners.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across departments, manage multiple priorities, and adapt to evolving circumstances and opportunity‑driven initiatives.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality in high‑visibility or sensitive situations.
- Skill in organizing workflows, managing communications calendars, coordinating projects through completion, and providing constructive creative feedback.
- Working knowledge of social media platforms, branding and marketing principles, and digital engagement strategies.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with media monitoring tools, analytics platforms, graphic design fundamentals, and photography is a plus.
- Experience in higher education, government relations, or external partnerships preferred.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, political science, public administration, or a closely related field required.
- Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, government relations, external affairs, marketing, media relations, or a related professional area.
- Demonstrated experience supporting leadership communications, media outreach, digital engagement, or external partnerships.
- Experience in higher education, government, public service, or a comparable complex organization preferred.
- Experience with social media strategy, content management, and communications coordination required; design or creative experience is a plus but not required.
Equivalent combinations of education, training, and relevant professional experience may be considered.
Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
Specific Job Functions, Duties and Responsibilities:
The Government & External Relations/Communications Strategic Team supports institutional priorities through proactive planning, cross‑functional coordination, and opportunity‑driven engagement. Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
Strategic Planning and Coordination
- Contribute to the development and execution of Government and External Relations and Communications (GER/COM) strategies aligned with WVSOM’s mission, institutional priorities, and leadership direction.
- Coordinate cross‑functional efforts across Communications, Government Relations, Marketing, the President’s Office, the Dean’s Office, and other departments to ensure consistent messaging, aligned objectives, and unified outreach.
- Assist in integrating communication strategy, government relations planning, and external engagement activities into cohesive operational plans.
- Organize workflows, timelines, priorities, and deliverables across multiple institutional initiatives to maintain momentum in visibility, outreach, and reputation‑building efforts.
Leadership Communications and Messaging
- Support development and dissemination of messaging on behalf of WVSOM leadership, including executive communications, public statements, and strategic talking points.
- Draft, format, schedule, and coordinate approved content across communications channels while ensuring consistency with institutional voice, tone, and brand standards.
- Manage communications calendars and workflows to support timely and coordinated outreach.
Media Relations and Monitoring
- Support media relations efforts, including press releases, story pitching, media inquiries, and coordination of media visits and interviews.
- Monitor media coverage, advertising placements, and outreach metrics; prepare reports to inform leadership and guide strategic decisions.
- Assist in positioning WVSOM to “win the weekly news cycle” through timely press activity, social media engagement, and strategic storytelling.
Crisis Communications and High‑Visibility Support
- Assist in monitoring information flow to ensure timely, accurate communication during high‑visibility periods, crisis situations, legislative sessions, or leadership‑driven initiatives.
- Support crisis communications preparation and execution under the direction of leadership, maintaining confidentiality and professionalism at all times.
- Maintain continuity of communications efforts during legislative sessions and other strategic outreach periods.
Government and External Relations
- Support government agency relations at the local, state, and national levels by assisting with outreach, relationship management, meeting coordination, and stakeholder engagement activities.
- Help identify and advance external public and private partnership opportunities aligned with institutional priorities, economic development efforts, and research initiatives.
- Assist in recognizing and pursuing emerging opportunities that enhance WVSOM’s visibility, influence, and strategic positioning.
Social Media Strategy and Digital Engagement
- Maintain and execute established social media procedures, performance standards, posting guidelines, and monitoring practices across all platforms.
- Support development and execution of social media campaigns, including leadership social media account development and outreach.
- Monitor and respond to comments, direct messages, tagged posts, and engagement trends as appropriate.
- Attend campus and external events to capture photographs and video for social media and digital storytelling.
Events, Outreach, and Promotional Opportunities
- Support planning, organization, and execution of campus, community, legislative, and external events, including logistics, scheduling, partner coordination, and internal participation.
- Assist in identifying and coordinating promotional opportunities for WVSOM such as leadership speaking engagements, organizational or association roles, sponsorships, and advertising placements.
- Maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders through coordinated outreach, meetings, events, and engagement activities.
Operational Support and Administration
- Serve as a central point of operational support between senior leadership, internal departments, and external partners to facilitate collaboration and follow‑through.
- Maintain confidentiality of all sensitive discussions, projects, and materials.
- Assist in developing and improving processes that enhance GER/COM responsiveness, efficiency, and ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
- Support monitoring and reporting of outreach efforts, partnerships, media activity, and opportunities.
- Work within established departmental budgets to achieve strategic goals.
- Perform additional duties as assigned to support the evolving needs of the institution.
Required Experience
Posting Detail Information
Close Date
Open Until Filled
Special Instructions
WVSOM requires official transcripts of your highest degree earned and/or the degree in which qualifies you for the position. WVSOM requires these transcripts prior to an offer of employment, and we do recommend you send those to WVSOM once you have been selected for an interview. A transcript is official if it bears the authorizing signature and the official seal of the issuing institution and is sent directly by the school or college to the Office of Human Resources. Should your college or university provide this information electronically, we would ask that you submit that to Sherri Miller at smiller@osteo.wvsom.edu
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