The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University seeks an experienced professional to manage the school’s media equipment and inspire early-career creators to advance their storytelling skills.
The Instructional Professional will oversee the Cronkite School’s growing portfolio of 4,500+ pieces of media equipment, manage the Equipment Lab (which supports 40,000+ student checkouts per year), and ensure reliable access to and effective use of professional production tools, cameras, audio gear and related media equipment. This position manages the day-to-day operations of the checkout system, supervises student workers, maintains equipment inventory and repair workflows, makes equipment purchase suggestions and provides instructional support. The Instructional Professional will also teach one content creation course each semester, with a teaching assignment dependent on expertise. Success in this role is measured by the success of students, and their ability to develop and synthesize skills and knowledge in content and approaches that drive meaningful media careers.
The successful candidate will be a knowledgeable media equipment expert and a student-first instructor inspired by the future of media. The candidate will demonstrate a commitment to organization and collaboration; possess the skills to inspire, support and instruct student creators; and instinctively deliver clear direction and feedback.
This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, 12-month appointment with the academic rank of “instructional professional” based on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. It is a year-to-year appointment, not a tenure-track appointment.
Essential Duties
● Lead all Equipment Lab operations and service, ensuring efficient and professional support for students, faculty and staff.
● Maintain and share current expertise on camera, lighting, audio and field production equipment.
● Maintain the Cheqroom equipment management system, managing missing items, broken inventory and student delinquencies as needed.
● Maintain the school’s equipment catalog, conducting regular inventories, informing a replacement schedule, and providing accurate departmental reporting.
● Monitor and maintain equipment health through routine inspection, cleaning and firmware updates.
● Perform in-house repairs, manage outsourced repairs, and maintain inventory of consumable supplies (e.g., batteries, cables, SD cards), providing emergency support for equipment issues or urgent production needs as necessary.
● Document and regularly update Equipment Lab procedures and best practices.
● Teach one course per semester.
● Train students, faculty and staff on equipment use.
● Foster a learning culture that inspires mass communication students with multimedia content, tools and techniques.
● Serve as a multimedia storytelling thought leader, proactively staying abreast of new tools, techniques and technology; curating exemplars of superior multimedia content; and highlighting superb student work.
● Collaborate with school leadership and faculty to support multimedia curricula.
● Supervise student workers in accordance with ASU Work+ standards, including hiring, training, scheduling, approving time, and providing ongoing feedback.
● Perform other duties as assigned.
There are no service, research or creative activity responsibilities.
About the Cronkite School
The Cronkite School is widely recognized as the nation’s premier mass communication school, ranked a top collegiate program by the Broadcast Education Association for four consecutive years. Rooted in the time-honored values that characterize its namesake—accuracy, responsibility, integrity—the school fosters excellence and ethics among students as they master the professional skills required to succeed in the digital media world of today and tomorrow.
Based on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus in the heart of the nation’s fifth-largest city, the School is known for its hands-on, “teaching hospital” approach to learning led by a faculty composed of Pulitzer Prize-winning professional journalists, strategic communications leaders and world-class media scholars. More than 2,500 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students regularly lead the country in national competitions as they prepare for careers in journalism, PR, marketing, strategic media and related communication fields.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University, ranked the No. 1 “Most Innovative School” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 11 years in succession, has forged the model for a New American University. Repeatedly ranked No. 1, ASU has topped more than 20 lists in the last three years: No. 1 in the U.S. for global impact (Times Higher Education) and No. 1 in the U.S. for sustainable practices (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). ASU is a comprehensive public research institution, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU operates on the principles that learning is a personal and original journey for each student; that they thrive on experience and that the process of discovery cannot be bound by traditional academic disciplines. Through innovation and a commitment to accessibility, ASU has drawn pioneering researchers to its faculty even as it expands opportunities for qualified students, attracting some of the highest-quality students from all 50 states and more than 130 nations.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree at the time of appointment, and at least 10 years professional experience in a major-market or national media organization, or equivalent specialized experience.
Desired Qualifications
● Experience managing large-scale media equipment operations in an educational or professional environment.
● Strong understanding of video, photo and audio production workflows.
● Experience using inventory or equipment management systems (e.g. Cheqroom).
● Knowledge of media equipment repair processes, firmware maintenance and technical troubleshooting.
● Experience creating multimedia content for a professional news organization or other media outlet.
● Fluency in the Adobe Creative Suite (particularly Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Audition).
● Experience teaching media tools, technologies and storytelling techniques to others.
● Evidence of a network of multimedia practitioners and experts who can advise on the field.
● Experience working with undergraduate or graduate students in a university or agency setting and evaluating student work.
● Experience using an online training or learning management system (e.g. Canvas, Blackboard, Google Classroom).
Application Instructions
Applicants will be asked to create or use an existing Interfolio Dossier to submit the following:
- A cover letter stating qualifications
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Contact information (name, address, email, telephone number) for three professional references
Successful candidates will demonstrate throughout their materials how their teaching, research, and service will contribute to the fulfillment of the ASU Charter.
The applicant’s name should appear in each uploaded file name. Cover letters may be addressed to the Search Committee Chair, Brett Kurland. Questions about the position should be directed to the search committee chair at: bkurland@asu.edu.
Application deadline is December 6, 2025. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.
Apply at https://apply.interfolio.com/177242