External Relations and Community Engagement Specialist

External Relations and Community Engagement Specialist

Salary

Depends on Qualifications

Location

Main Campus (BG), OH

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

BGSU01680

Division

Dean of Business

Department

Dean of Business - Staff

Opening Date

05/28/2026

Pay Grade

354

• Description
• Benefits

Summary

The External Relations and Community Engagement Specialist position is responsible for the creation and coordination of the college and department website content, as well as supporting external community and industry engagement event planning and execution for the Schmidthorst College of Business. The individual in this position must possess the ability to manage a multitude of projects simultaneously, write and create website content for a variety of audiences, adhere to specific project budgets, follow processes and procedures according to University Marketing & Communications standards, and coordinate these efforts with the Schmidthorst College of Business and Marketing & Communications.

Essential Functions

• Industry and Alumni Speaker/Work Integrated Learning Coordination Support: Responsible for the planning, coordination, promotion, and execution of guest speaker and support for faculty with work integrated learning projects for classes, including, but not limited to, information pieces, and events held for the purposes of engaging the external business community including public lectures, Business Week, AI and the Future of Work seminar, etc. Supports the connection between alumni/industry volunteers and faculty/student organization speaker needs in collaboration with faculty, department admin., and the Kulhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections. Acts as the point of contact for industry for internship/job posting sharing in the College. Tracks all engagements for accreditation reporting on industry and alumni engagement and impact. Works with the Schmidthorst College of Business's Communications and Events specialist for additional support for stories across website and social media platforms related to external community engagement events and opportunities.
• Manages events and communications for the College that involve external partners, such as Homecoming activities and alumni and development stewardship events, at the direction of the Dean and University Advancement. Coordinates planning of Schmidthorst College of Business Leadership Council and Emerging Leaders Advisory Council meetings, as well as additional unit-level alumni/friends advisory boards support to the department admins. as needed. Support the College's Leadership Council sub-committees with meeting coordination. Works with the University Advancement division on the Dean's schedule and travel related to the cultivation of current and new donors. As needed, and at the direction of the Dean and University Advancement, provides personalized stewardship and visit planning support for college donors, potential donors, alumni, friends, and special guests. Ensures photos of engagement are taken and social media posts made to highlight philanthropy, engagement, and student impact of external visitors.
• Supports the coordination of donor engagement correspondences including thank you notes, annual gift thank you emails, internal notifications, Insiders' Report distribution lists, Holiday card distribution lists, student scholarship thank you notes (in collaboration with our student success and department staff), Birthday and card completion in collaboration with the Dean, communications and events specialist, and university advancement. Ensures internal screens have appropriate donor information and visitors are displayed.
• Serves as first point of contact on agreements/MOUs with external entities and supports College engagement with those entities. Collaborates with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Accreditation by facilitating the review and completion of MOUs relating to pathways into the College from community colleges, via CCP, or other transfer agreements. Annually reviews existing community college transfer pathways to ensure they remain current and as needed, coordinates conversations for updates with appropriate communication materials regarding partnerships.
• Convenes staff meetings within the College toward supporting professional development programming and trainings. Serves as Dean's Office support for peer-to-peer mentoring program among staff across the College. Coordinates the meeting agenda for monthly Dean's Office all-team meetings.

Minimum Qualifications

The following Degree is required:

• Bachelors Degree required.

The following Degree is preferred:

• Bachelor's degree in business, public relations, marketing, communications, journalism, or related field

The following Experience is required:

• 2 years of writing/editing experience

• 1 year of website design or social media marketing experience

The following Experience is preferred:

• 1 year of event planning experience

Additional Information

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to interact with a variety of audiences - students, faculty, administrators, alumni, business and community representatives.
• Ability to create innovative website stories (video, written, etc).
• Ability to coordinate, develop, manage, and evaluate events.
• Strong researching, writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Experience working in the communications and/or marketing field.
• Strong social media and web skills, including proficiency with Adobe design programs such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Application Deadline

The search committee will review applications until the position is filled; however, for best consideration, applications should be provided by June 11, 2026.

Required Application Materials & Evaluation

• Experience must be fully documented on the official application.
• The application will be used to evaluate if candidates meet the minimum requirements for the position and for consideration when determining starting pay rate.
• Experience requirements are inclusive of relevant professional experience, or experience attained through relevant internships, co-ops, student employment positions, or graduate assistantships.

Uploads

• Required: Resume (for supplemental information only)
• Optional: Cover Letter

Essential Requirement: Work Authorization

BGSU does not offer H-1B or other work authorization visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and maintain work authorization throughout the employment term.

Bowling Green State University is an equal opportunity employer. The University is committed to maintaining an employment and educational environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected class: age (40 years of age or older), ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity and expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, marital status, military status, national origin, political affiliation, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

EEOC Know Your Rights

OCRC Know Your Rights

In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Bowling Green State University, please call 419-372-8421 or email ohr@bgsu.edu.

BGSU is an E-Verify employer. If hired into this position, you will be required to provide satisfactory proof of employment eligibility by providing acceptable, original forms of identification for employment verification via the Federal I-9 employment verification process. A list of acceptable documents can be seen here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents

Benefits

Bowling Green State University provides a comprehensive benefit program as part of a total compensation package. This includes medical, prescription, dental, vision, health accounts (medical & dependent), life & disability insurance, retirement plans, employee assistance program and tuition fee waivers for employees and their eligible dependents as well as paid time off, flexible work options, holidays and parental leave. For more information, please visit Benefits-at-a-Glance.

Employer Bowling Green State University

Address 1851 N Research Drive

Huntington Building

Bowling Green, Ohio, 43403

Phone (419) 372-8421 Human Resources

(419) 372-2865 Student Employment

Website https://www.bgsu.edu/human-resources/careers.html