Project Leader, Communications and Publications

Project Leader, Communications and Publications

Location: Flexible within the U.S., but requires access to a major U.S. airport for travel.
Position Type: Full-time

About Us

At Partners for Public Good (PPG), we believe that when government works, communities thrive. Launching in March 2025, we are a fast-growing nonprofit dedicated to helping state and local governments harness core operational functions—procurement, staffing, digital infrastructure, and budgeting—to drive public impact.

Our journey began in 2011 at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab, where we set out to transform public procurement. Since then, we’ve worked with hundreds of governments across the country to make their procurement systems more efficient, fair, and results-driven. In 2022, we launched the Procurement Excellence Network (PEN), putting our tools and strategies in the hands of over two thousand public servants. Today, our team of doers, coaches, and advisors partners with governments to create lasting, impactful change.

Our vision is simple: every resident has a government they can count on, every day.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Director of the Procurement Excellence Network (PEN), Partners for Public Good (PPG) is seeking a Communications & Publications Project Leader to oversee the production of publications, social media outreach, and member engagement strategies for PEN.

PEN is a free, online community for public sector leaders seeking to transform their jurisdiction’s procurement practices. It offers virtual trainings, tools, templates, and coaching while building peer connections for leaders as they launch efforts to make procurement more strategic, fair, and innovative. In just its first two years, PEN has grown to more than 2,400 members, with 800+ governments participating across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

Role & Organizational Impact

At PPG, Project Leaders manage individuals or small teams responsible for the delivery of projects. They may attend conferences or other events to speak publicly about project work and are encouraged to develop public-facing tools, templates, and publications about promising practices derived from projects.

The Project Leader will play a critical role in shaping PEN’s public presence, promoting its resources, and fostering engagement across the network. This individual will be responsible for managing PEN’s external communication and resources, ensuring content reflects the network’s brand and voice, and designing new initiatives to increase engagement with our offerings among our members.

This is an exciting opportunity to support public sector leaders as they aim to launch reforms in their jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

1. External Communications and Publications

• Oversee the development of PEN publications and manage content calendar, balancing PEN member needs with broader organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with publication authors and subject matter experts to write impactful and accessible content (e.g., stories of impact, templates, how-to guides), including reviewing and providing edits.
• Create marketing materials (e.g., social media, promotional material, newsletter digest) to showcase insights and innovative procurement solutions.
• Distribute weekly newsletter using Mailchimp; manage subscriber lists.
• Develop and execute a social media content strategy to amplify content reach.
• Plan social media content calendar and post regularly to PEN LinkedIn.
• As needed, support the design of publications in InDesign and advise on formatting decisions.

2. General PPG Communications and Website Support

• Support overall PPG communication needs, including disseminating PPG’s message to media outlets, potential funders, and governments.
• Manage ongoing relationships with contracted website developers and serve as website manager responsible for uploading and updating content.
• Propose new web features and pages as needed, leveraging insights from website analytics to inform future enhancements.

3. Membership Engagement and Support to PEN

• Plan, pilot, and implement initiatives to cultivate greater engagement within the virtual community.
• Oversee the new member onboarding process.
• Provide additional support to the team working on PEN, including coaching governments participating in learning opportunities and presenting at conferences.

4. Stakeholder and People Management

• Engage and collaborate effectively with peer organizations, clients, and funders.
• Manage one or more Coordinators or Associates who support the Procurement Excellence Network, ensuring employee development and creating a supportive, inclusive, and valued work environment.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree in a relevant field preferred. Equivalent years of professional experience will be considered in lieu of formal education.
• Three or more years of external communications or related work experience.
• At least two years of people management experience.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to produce compelling, well-written, and error-free work.
• Strong project management skills, with a track record of independently managing projects and meeting multiple simultaneous deadlines.
• Ability to identify core concepts and insights and synthesize them into clear, plain-language descriptions.
• Experience managing an organization’s online presence, including websites and social media accounts, to enhance influence and engagement.
• Familiarity with common social media and email marketing platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Mailchimp) and the ability to develop original, high-quality content.
• Willingness to travel, approximately one to two trips each quarter.

Additional Qualifications

We believe a variety of experiences can equip individuals to excel in this role. While we expect applicants to bring many of the qualifications listed below, we encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

• Graduate degree in public policy, journalism/communications, or equivalent preferred.
• Familiarity with or experience working in local, state, or federal government, procurement and contracting, or public policy.
• Understanding of the unique capacity needs of public sector leaders and challenges public sector entities face in project delivery and operations.
• Team-oriented with the ability to build strong relationships and develop trust with colleagues, external collaborators, and funders.
• Experience handling public relations activities, including media communications and supporting conversations with potential funders and governments.
• High competency with software programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Zoom, and collaborative tools such as Microsoft OneDrive.
• Knowledge of InDesign, Mailchimp, and LinkedIn products is highly desirable.
• Motivated by the opportunity to create lasting impact.

Physical Demands

This position requires sitting, talking, listening, reading, and writing for up to 8 hours per day. Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job duties.

Additional Information

Compensation: The salary for this role is $120,000 plus benefits.
Start Date: The desired start date is April or May 2025.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Apply now

Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity

Partners for Public Good is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Partners for Public Good is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, please contact [email protected].