The Santa Monica-based Milken Family Foundation seeks a talented, strategic media relations professional with a passion for positive storytelling to manage the websites and social media for the Milken Family Foundation and its key education initiatives. Most notably is the Milken Educator Awards initiative — also known as the “Oscars of Teaching” — which surprises outstanding educators with $25,000 at their schools around the country before students, colleagues, dignitaries and the media. We will reach the 3,000th Milken Educator this Milken Educator Awards Notifications season October 2024 through April 2025. There will be weeks with more than four events and several with two in one day. The website and social media manager will lead the online media campaign under the supervision of the vice president of communications.
Throughout the Milken Educator Awards season, the website and social media manager works with our Creative Services team to obtain high-quality photos and videos from each event. Daily duties include creating photo and video galleries in real time after each announcement, shaping compelling narratives on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and our national award-winning TikTok account, and writing a regular newsletter highlighting each leg of the tour. While the recipients are surprised and celebrated with equal fanfare, no story is rote. The website and social media manager will have deep knowledge of the recipients’ exemplary accomplishments and qualities to diversify and broaden the each of each story.
Additional initiatives supported by MFF Communications year-round include the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC), Milken Scholars, the Jewish Educator Awards and the Milken Archive of Jewish Music. This is a full-time position, available immediately, at our Santa Monica headquarters four blocks from the beach. The position is four days in-office, one day remote, with flexibility – especially during the Milken Educator Awards season. Salary 70,000 – 80,000.
Key Responsibilities
· Manage content creation, updates, redesigns, and strategic oversight of the web and social media for MFF.org, MilkenEducatorAwards.org, and JewishEducatorAwards.org, and provide support across the organization as needed. Must have strong expertise in content management systems.
· Lead strategy, content creation and engagement on our social media channels: Facebook, X, Instagram (+Reels), YouTube (+Shorts), LinkedIn and our national award-winning TikTok account. These platforms need individual attention to reach maximum engagement and impact diverse audiences. This responsibility includes creating strategic, targeted ads.
· During the Milken Educator Award season, websites and social media platforms need to be updated in real time, which can occur well before dawn when announcements take place local time on the East Coast or in the Midwest. Timing is sensitive to meet reporting deadlines for media, state departments of education, districts, schools and stakeholders at large.
· Serve as editor-in-chief of our Connections online magazine, developing story slates, writing features and assigning first-person perspectives to Milken Educators.
· Additional writing for the web can include educator bios, initiative/educator developments, interviews, and other collateral and projects as assigned.
· Stay on the cutting-edge of web/social media innovations, researching the latest in best practices and new platforms; explore innovations with a strategic eye on how they would align to our mission. MFF Communications supports employees’ participation in professional development, virtual or off-site, in these areas.
· Consistently examine analytics to inform strategy, with the flexibility and willingness to refine and adjust course as needed.
· Provide support and coaching to fellow colleagues, Milken Educators, Milken Scholars and other key audiences and beneficiaries of our initiatives.
· Develop and maintain relationships within the Milken Educator Network, engaging with the private Facebook group, and monitoring and sharing Milken Educator developments.
Job Skills and Qualities
· Maintain strict confidentiality.
· Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills with attention to detail. This is extremely important in a role with the ability to instantly publish stories reaching large numbers of people.
· Possess tech savvy, with the knowledge and understanding of how to operate a content management system (preferably SilverStripe) and social media platforms. Must have the ability to move cross-platform seamlessly and often during tight time frames.
· Preferred: Have working knowledge of creating graphics (attractive “media cards”) and editing video for social media. We collaborate with our Creative Services team of videographers, photo editors and graphic designers for larger projects.
· Convert large amounts of information into “digestible” narratives that pack a punch and can be easily customized to different audiences on the web and in social media.
· Have the foresight to continually plan ahead, mapping out a calendar with education holidays, milestones and other hooks to contribute to our overall strategies.
· Be a self-starter, multitasker and creative problem-solver who needs minimal supervision.
· Be fluent in journalistic/web/social media best practices, and current tools and approaches that maximize impact and reach.
· Uphold a commitment to excellence.
· Preferred: Be familiar with and understand education issues.
· Demonstrate motivation with a high degree of integrity, ethics and dedication.
Background
· Have a bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, mass media, journalism or other related field preferred.
· Possess a minimum of 3-5 years of web/social media/public relations experience.
The Milken Family Foundation is located in Santa Monica one block from the Third Street Promenade. We offer an excellent benefits program including medical/dental, LTD, Life, Flex Spending Program, and a 403(b) tax-deferred retirement savings plan. MFF employees have access to the building’s gym on the ground floor. E.O.E. Note: A precondition of employment is verification of your COVID-19 vaccination status.
To Apply:
Please email cover letter and resume to careers@mff.org. No recruiters or phone calls, please.
