Editorial Director
Job Summary :
Reporting to the Assistant Dean for Communications at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Editorial Director’s core responsibility is to develop a pipeline of original journalistic content about GSD students and faculty and their respective research initiatives and practices, and to showcase their success, innovation, and impact in the context of the wider field of design and connection to other fields, including economics, public policy, engineering, governance, medicine and public health, art, and the humanities. Toward that end, the Editorial Director will be very active in engaging faculty and students from across the School’s departments, degree programs, and research initiatives to maintain a deep and rapid awareness of newsworthy developments as they occur across the GSD community. In doing so, the Editorial Director will be expected to develop an editorial strategy in accordance with the School’s long-term mission and near-term priorities and communications goals, and will develop a pipeline of original digital content to be featured on the GSD’s public website and social media platforms, as well as with external PR and content partners.
The most critical component of this position is the capacity to generate an original narrative point of view—and to do so in a way that reflects an awareness of the field of design—through a range of digital tools and formats, including feature articles, podcasts, interviews, video documentary, and visual essays, among others. It is essential that the Editorial Director possess the knowledge and creative agility to realize and articulate engaging, as-yet unreported story lines on the impact of the GSD’s output on both the field of design and the world beyond it. Of equal importance is that the Editorial Director possess strong writing skills and a sharp eye for visual presentation, including photography and video, and that the selected candidate be able to work independently, and be able to juggle competing priorities and deadlines while moving an agenda forward.
The Editorial Director manages a team of three communications professionals, and alongside this will be expected to recruit and manage a pool of freelance and student contributors. The Editorial Director will also work in close collaboration with other department colleagues who produce Harvard Design Magazine, Harvard Design Press, and the GSD’s exhibitions and public programs.
This position requires frequent in-person work at the GSD throughout the academic year. Applications are accepted and encouraged from candidates not based in the Boston-Cambridge area, so long as they are able to commute to campus regularly during the academic year and reside in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, California, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, Washington, and Maryland.
Position Description :
- Develops original journalistic content about GSD students and faculty and their respective research initiatives and practices, and showcases their success, innovation, and impact in the context of the wider field of design.
- Actively engages faculty and students from across the School’s departments, degree programs, and research initiatives to maintain a deep and rapid awareness of newsworthy developments as they occur across the GSD community.
- Develops an editorial strategy in accordance with the School’s long-term mission and near-term priorities and communications goals.
- Develops a pipeline of original digital content to be featured on the GSD’s public website and social media platforms, as well as with external PR and content partners.
- Collaborates closely with other communications colleagues to coordinate dissemination of original content across the GSD’s public digital channels and with external PR and content partners.
- Manages three communications professionals and recruits and manages a team of freelance and student contributors.
- Provides editorial support for other institutional communications needs, both online and in print, and completes other duties assigned, as part of a department that manages a wide portfolio of projects related to external communications, public programs, exhibitions, and publications.
salary will be commensurate with experience
Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.