PR Communications Operations Specialist

Summary/Objective

Job Description

About the BSO

Founded in 1881, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is one of the foremost orchestras in the world and a leading cultural institution dedicated to artistic excellence, education, community engagement, and civic leadership through music. Through the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Tanglewood, Symphony Hall, educational initiatives, and community partnerships, the BSO serves local, national, and global audiences while advancing the future of the art form.

As a highly visible and mission-driven institution, the BSO operates within an increasingly complex public environment requiring sophisticated communications strategy, stakeholder engagement, and institutional reputation stewardship.

About the Role

The Communications Operations Specialist plays a critical operational role within the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Public Relations and Strategic Communications function by supporting the systems, workflows, coordination processes, reporting structures, and execution infrastructure that enable the department to operate efficiently, strategically, and responsively.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Strategic Communications and Media, this role serves as a key operational partner responsible for coordinating communications logistics, media operations, reporting, content organization, digital assets, and departmental workflow support across the institution.

The role helps operationalize the department’s strategic communications efforts by ensuring communications processes, operational coordination, content management, reporting discipline, and media support functions are executed with consistency, responsiveness, organization, and attention to detail.

While senior communications leadership focuses on enterprise communications strategy, executive advisory, crisis communications, and institutional reputation management,  this role supports the operational infrastructure and coordination systems necessary to sustain effective execution across a complex and highly visible institution. 

This position requires a highly organized, collaborative, detail-oriented, and solutions-focused communications professional capable of managing multiple operational priorities in a fast-moving environment while supporting a modern and strategically sophisticated communications function.

This role is part of a redesigned communications structure intended to strengthen the BSO’s strategic communications depth, operational coordination, crisis readiness, and institutional communications capability.

Primary Responsibilities

Media Operations, Reporting, and Communications Support

• Coordinate media operations for concerts, institutional announcements, special initiatives, executive appearances, and organizational events.

• Manage media credentialing, press ticketing, interview scheduling, media requests,  and related press logistics.

• Monitor print, digital, broadcast, and social media coverage related to the BSO, Boston Pops, Tanglewood, and affiliated institutional initiatives.

• Produce recurring media reports, coverage summaries, analytics tracking, and reporting materials that support departmental planning and communications strategy.

• Maintain media databases, distribution systems, archives, press lists, and communications records.

Content and Digital Asset Coordination

• Assist with drafting, formatting, organizing, and distributing press releases, media materials, briefing documents, media kits, and supporting communications content.

• Coordinate photography scheduling, media asset organization, digital content libraries, and archival systems.

• Help ensure communications materials and digital assets remain organized, accessible, accurate, and operationally aligned.

Cross-Functional Coordination and Department Support

• Collaborate with Marketing, Development, Education, Artistic Planning, TLI, Human Resources, and other institutional teams to support communications-related operational needs.

• Assist with coordination surrounding institutional announcements, leadership communications, media opportunities, and special initiatives.

• Support departmental responsiveness and execution continuity during sensitive or high-profile institutional periods.

Communications Operations and Workflow Coordination

• Support and maintain departmental workflows, communications calendars, tracking systems, operational processes, and coordination mechanisms that help ensure effective departmental execution

• Coordinate timelines, deliverables, scheduling, approvals, and communications logistics across multiple projects and institutional priorities.

• Help maintain operational consistency, responsiveness, and coordination during periods of heightened activity, institutional visibility, or organizational complexity.

• Support the department’s ability to execute strategic communications initiatives efficiently across the organization.

Department Support and Operational Effectiveness

• Support budget tracking, invoice coordination, vendor administration, and communications-related operational processes.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding, administration, and supervision of annual internship program
• Help strengthen departmental organization, workflow consistency, reporting discipline, and operational coordination practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, coordination systems, and communications support processes over time. 

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in communications, public relations, media operations, marketing, or related fields.

• Experience in arts, culture, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizations preferred.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills.

• Strong writing, editing, and communication ability.

• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.

• Collaborative and service-oriented mindset.

• High attention to detail and operational follow-through.

• Ability to maintain professionalism and discretion in sensitive environments.

• Comfort operating in fast-paced, highly visible, and evolving organizational environments.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with communications and media tracking platforms preferred.

Work Environment

This position is based in Boston with regular in-person presence required at Symphony Hall and institutional events. Evening and weekend work is required as needed. Summer work at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts is required during the Tanglewood season.

Required Education and Experience

Salary Range: $65,000-70,000/year

The BSO is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.