Communications & PR Manager

The Columbus Symphony has served as central Ohio’s flagship music organization since 1951. Our musicians, conductors, chorus, and world-renowned guest artists enrich the central Ohio community through extraordinary talent, passion, dedication, and the highest standards of musicianship. Guided by the artistic vision of Music Director Rossen Milanov, the Columbus Symphony offers four programming “brands” – Masterworks, Pops, Picnic with the Pops, and Education/Community Engagement. This segmented approach, innovative within the American orchestra industry, is helping the Columbus Symphony to reach new, younger, and more diverse audiences.

The Opportunity

• Are you a creative storyteller, a detail-oriented communicator and data-driven strategist who can translate the emotional power of live orchestral music into compelling communications.
• Do you believe live music has a unique power to inspire and unite people, creating a shared experience that transcends individual differences
• Are you excited about ensuring world-class entertainment experiences for theater patrons.
• Do you love the arts and believe they are a vital part of the community and economic growth.

Primary Function

The Communications and PR Manager is responsible for the strategy, creation, and execution of comprehensive patron communications, published marketing assets across digital and print channels, as well as public relations assets. This role serves as a key touchpoint for patrons, driving ticket sales through email/SMS/publications/surveys and drives brand awareness, engagement, and customer acquisition while leveraging data-driven insights to achieve the mission and vision of the orchestra.

Duties, Responsibilities, and Key Performance Objectives

First Month:

• Train in existing email/social/website platforms and processes.
• Attend concerts learning set-up and marketing table procedures, POS system, and patron engagement.
• Meet with supervisors, musicians, staff and others to understand the interactions between departments and the mission and vision of the CSO.

First 6 months:

• Email/SMS Patron Communications
  • Design, build, and execute automated and one-off email marketing campaigns for various departments.
  • Manage email lists, segmenting audiences to deliver targeted and personalized content.
  • Track and report on email performance metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
  • Develop and manage SMS/text messaging campaigns for promotions, lead generation, or other marketing initiatives.
  • Maintain and segment contact lists for text message campaigns.
  • Develop surveys and analyze and report results.
• Website
  • Maintain and update website with newly added concerts, ticket links, department updates, blog posts, press releases, and videos.
• Digital Communications
  • Create copy for concert promotion through digital advertising.
• Printed/PR Communications
  • Collect, organize content and design concert program books. Work with outside print vendors for on time delivery.
  • Design print communications and work with outside vendors for on-time delivery.
  • Create quarterly newsletter.
  • Write and distribute press releases and maintain good relationships with outside media for additional coverage.
  • Prep staff and interviewees before interviews or public appearances.
• Lead SMS Campaigns
  • Develop and manage SMS/text messaging campaigns for promotions, lead generation, or other marketing initiatives.
  • Maintain and segment contact lists for text message campaigns.
• Cross-functional collaboration
  • Collaborate with creative teams to develop content and assets for campaigns.
  • Partner with other internal teams to align marketing efforts with broader business goals.
  • Assist with special events.
• This job description is not designed to cover or contain an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, and key performance objectives that are expected of the employee. These items may change, or new job-related items may be assigned from time to time.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong creative writing ability.
• Copy editing and proofreading skills.
• Highly organized.
• Experience with Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Experience with email marketing platforms such as Wordfly.
• Ability to learn new tools and technologies like Audience Access and Tessitura.
• Excellent problem solving and planning skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office -Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word.
• Ability to walk, stand and sit for extended periods.
• Ability to climb stairs and ladders, bend and kneel, and lift up to 50 pounds.

Credentials and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in public relations/communications/marketing or a related field, and/or equivalent work experience.
• Generally, three years of experience in public relations and communications management.
• Base pay for this role is $55,000 - $60,000.
• This position is a full-time benefits eligible position. Employees may participate in medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, retirement savings, paid time off, holiday pay, employee assistance, wellness, and other company-sponsored benefit programs. Benefit eligibility and coverage are subject to plan terms and applicable policies.

• Successful background check.
• The majority of CSO’s public events take place at night and on weekends. This position requires occasional presence on-site during nights and weekends.

The Columbus?Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra(CSO) are Equal Opportunity Employers. CAPA and the CSO do not discriminate in its employment decisions on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, lactation status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other protected status.