Project & Communications Associate

Job Description

Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (MAAV), housed in the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, invites applications for a Project & Communications Associate who will provide support for a multi-year project titled Monuments Across Appalachian Places (MAAP). MAAV works to reclaim, imagine, document, reinterpret, display, and amplify histories and experiences that highlight collective struggles for the vitality of people and our shared environment, especially by, for, and with people whose stories have been silenced, denied, or excluded. Working closely with the MAAV Project Coordinator, the Project & Communications Associate will plan and execute a variety of communications initiatives, co-lead logistics for MAAV team travel, and develop relationships with community-led monuments projects. The Associate may also represent MAAV on site visits, at information booths, or via presentations to community groups.

The Project & Communications Associate should have a background in digital communications strategies and be familiar with basic graphic design. They must also have experience or interest in social media management, website maintenance, videography and photography, and/or media relations. The Project & Communications Associate should be able to work with people from a variety of backgrounds including community leaders, artists, faculty, and students, including MAAV student interns. The Associate will be a member of the MAAV Leadership Team. The MAAV Leadership Team includes the Co-Directors, Post-Doctoral Fellows, Project Coordinator, and consultants who meet weekly to plan the direction of the project, distribute action items, and support each other in this work.

This position is in-person and requires some travel in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and West Virginia, including some evening, weekend, and/or overnight travel. All travel expenses are covered by Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia. This three-year project is contract based and will end in early 2029.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training/experience
• Experience working with communication platforms
• Demonstrated creativity, organizational skills, interpersonal skills, flexibility, self-motivation, and the ability to thrive in a team setting
• Strong time management skills, including the ability to prioritize projects and tasks based on workflow and deadlines
• Interest in developing project coordination and relationship building skills
• High level of curiosity, especially about community, untold stories, art, social justice, and Appalachia
• Passion for storytelling, social justice, and place-based initiatives
• Ability to co-organize events
• Ability to work occasionally in the evening or at a weekend event
• Ability to travel occasionally
• Ability to drive a Virginia Tech fleet services vehicle

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven history of work with digital content strategy and management, including content management systems and other web platforms as well as professional/organizational social media management
• History of overseeing a professional social media account that promotes engagement.
• Track record of creating compelling and impactful digital communications that work across various platforms
• Experience drafting, revising, and pitching press releases
• Experience with developing promotional materials using Canva and/or Adobe Creative Suite
• Experience with visual communication mediums, such as photography, videography, and/or graphic design
• Experience working with grassroots community groups, arts organizations, and/or higher education
• Experience meeting deadlines and navigating/prioritizing multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience working in Appalachia
• Knowledge of cultures and histories in Appalachia
• Demonstrated record of successful partnership with a diverse range of Appalachian people, communities, and organizations, including Indigenous, Black, Latinx, migrant, rural, urban, working-class, poor, and LGBTQ+ individuals and collectivities

Pay Band

2

Overtime Status

Non-Exempt: Eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

$25 per hour

Hours per week

30

Review Date

2/23/26

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Marianne Hawthorne at [email protected] during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.