This posiiton may be based at the Darling Marine Center or the UMaine Orono campus. The Darling Marine Center is located in Walpole and is a proud part of the University of Maine, the state’s Land and Sea Grant University. Since its founding in 1965, the DMC has been an active center of marine research, education, and outreach. The DMC brings unique strengths and opportunities to UMaine by virtue of its waterfront facilities, resident expertise, and the surrounding community. The location and facilities enable scientists and students to easily engage in field and laboratory studies of coastal and marine ecosystems. Walpole is approximately 1hour and 15 minutes north of Portland. Information on the surrounding community can be found here http://damariscottaregion.com/our-communities/.

Complete Job Description

About the University:

The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the state. UMaine is a land, sea and space grant university, and maintains a leadership role as the University of Maine System’s flagship institution. UMaine is the state’s public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, dedicated to providing excellent teaching, research and service for Maine, the nation and the world. More information about UMaine is at umaine.edu.

The University of Maine offers a wide range of benefits for employees including, but not limited to, tuition benefits (employee and dependent), comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short and long term disability as well as retirement plan options. As a former NSF ADVANCE institution, the University of Maine is committed to diversity in our workforce and to dual-career couples.

UMaine is located in beautiful Central Maine. Many employees report that a primary reason for choosing to come to UMaine is quality of life. Numerous cultural activities, excellent public schools, safe neighborhoods, high quality medical care, little traffic, and a reasonable cost of living make the greater Bangor area a wonderful place to live. Learn more about what the Bangor region has to offer here.

Employees in the University of Maine System are required to comply with UMS COVID protocols which currently include, but are not limited to, being vaccinated, obtaining a qualified vaccination exemption, and/or participating in regular COVID testing. Further information can be found here.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific communications related field: communications, journalism, new media, marketing or marine policy.
• 3+ years’ experience in science and technical writing.
• Experience writing press releases and interacting with the media.
• Demonstrated experience in leveraging social media to achieve communication objectives and grow online audiences.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to multitask in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in the use of the Google Suite of products, social media management systems (ex: Hootsuite), WordPress, e-news platforms such as Mailchimp, event platforms such as Eventbrite and the Adobe Creative Suite.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Preferred:

• Experience in Maine’s marine sector (research, advocacy, industry).
• Master’s degree in science writing, journalism or communications.
• Ability to develop high impact graphics and media such as story maps, podcasts, video content.
• Experience mentoring or teaching science communication curricula.

Other information

Materials must be submitted via “Apply For Position” below. You will need to create a profile and application; upload:

1.) a cover letter which describes your experience, interests, and suitability for the position
2.) a resume/curriculum vitae
3.) contact information for three professional references
4.) Three (3) examples of work (writing, plus any other communications examples such as graphics, video, audio, etc.)

You will also need to submit the affirmative action survey, the self-identification of disability form, and the self-identification of veteran status forms. Incomplete application materials cannot be considered. Materials received after the initial review date will be reviewed at the discretion of the University.

Search Timeline is as follows:
Review of applications to begin: May 1, 2022
Screening interviews to begin no earlier than: May 15, 2022
On-site interviews to begin no earlier than: May 20, 2022
Tentative start date: June 1, 2022

For questions about the search, please contact search committee chair Meggan Dwyer at meggan.dwyer@maine.edu.

Appropriate background checks are required.The University of Maine is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Amie Parker, Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME  04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).