Communications Strategist

Position Overview

Jobs With Justice is hiring a highly skilled and motivated Communication Strategist to join our team and make a difference in the lives of working people. The Communication Strategist is broadly responsible for helping set and implement communication strategies to consistently articulate JWJ’s mission, vision, values, and campaign demands in our communications, website, and public relations messages and materials. This position works closely with other members of the communications team and staff to create compelling content that educates, inspires, engages, and informs a broad range of audiences about our programs and campaigns. This position reports to the Communications Director and is based in Eastern or Central time zones.

Primary Responsibilities

• Monitors the news and tracks editorial coverage of core labor issues within the media while looking for opportunities to include Jobs With Justice’s work within the headlines.
• Maintains the media relations database, identifies relevant reporters for campaigns, creates press lists, pitches stories and op-eds to media outlets, and coordinates media requests.
• Handles prep of the Executive Director, other staff, and leaders for news interviews. Drafts and pitches op-eds for the Executive Director and staffers.
• Creates and executes communications strategies to support departmental work, such as new research reports and organizing efforts.
• Develops press releases, news materials, and organizational updates on the website for external audiences.
• Creates and executes short- and long-term media engagement campaigns to advance our issues and our experts.
• Drafts messaging for our campaigns, research publications, emails, staff speaking engagements, and events.
• Manages external media outreach, rapid response efforts, and strategic communications.
• Conducts communication and messaging research for strategic initiatives and campaigns.
• Provides logistical support for media outreach and events. Coordinates preparing and disseminating communication materials.

Detailed Areas of Work Currently Include

• Creates and executes earned media strategies to amplify Jobs With Justice’s work in the press.
• Manages responses to media inquiries while building relationships and advancing our issues.
• Proactively seeks media opportunities for staff and our issues through active pitching to reporters and multi-media producers.
• Drafts, edits, and disseminates statements, press releases, fact sheets, and advisories.
• Conducts background communications research to support the narrative change focus of the organization.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience working in communications for non-profit organizations, progressive political campaigns, or unions.
• Required experience in the areas of:
  • Messaging and narrative development on economic and racial justice issues.
  • Driving press relations – writing press advisories, pitching press, maintaining relations with reporters, running press conferences, and broadly driving earned media.
  • Maintaining web pages, social media sites, and writing mass emails and texts.
  • Experience using media tracking software such as Critical Mention or Muckrack.
  • Experience creating or executing long- and short-term media outreach plans.
  • Experience tracking media impact metrics.
• Excellent communicator who can research and produce content under short deadlines on a range of topics and adjust to a range of styles and voices.
• Good research and fact-checking abilities.
• Comfortable juggling multiple projects at a time and working in a fluid, fast-paced environment.
• Outstanding writing skills, with an ability to digest everything from workers’ personal stories to complex legal issues and deliver them in powerful prose, appropriately shaped for numerous formats (e.g., speeches, press releases, op-eds, media pitches, etc.).
• Ability and desire to collaborate and establish rapport with staff, colleagues, and individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Comfort in a team environment, and experience working in both a lead and support role.
• Interest or experience in and knowledge of workplace and economic issues, labor, social justice, organizing, and/or progressive policy and advocacy issues.
• Flexibility to travel as needed in the performance of duties.

Location

This is a remote position based in the United States, with the option to work out of our Washington, D.C. office. Eastern or Central time zone work hours are required.

Physical Demands

Work is performed in a remote office setting with some travel required for in-person meetings or events. This role involves a long period of computer work. This position requires the ability to communicate with colleagues and partners via phone, video conferencing, email, and other platforms.

Salary

This is a full-time position with a starting salary between $74,405-$84,405 depending on experience and in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

Office Closures

Jobs With Justice Education Fund closes for Summer and Winter Break. Summer closures are for one week. This year’s Winter closure will start December 23, and we will reopen January 3, 2025. Each August the office is closed on Fridays.

Benefits

Generous benefits package that includes paid vacation, fully covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, and retirement benefits.

This is a union-represented position, represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, CWA.

How to Apply

Submit your résumé, cover letter, relevant writing/digital samples, and references to [email protected]. For references, please include a former supervisor.

Jobs With Justice Education Fund is an affirmative action employer and strongly encourages people of color, women, L/G/B/T/Q individuals, those with disabilities, and those with working-class backgrounds to apply. Frequently cited statistics show that people of color, women, trans, and non-binary people, as well as other structurally marginalized groups, apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. JWJ encourages you to break that statistic and apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications.

If you need accommodation at any step of the process, please indicate on the application or contact our Human Resources team at [email protected] with the Subject Line: Accommodation Request for Job Applicant.

Important notice for applicants: Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please follow the job application instructions specific to the position you are applying for. Incomplete applications will not be considered. No phone calls or direct solicitations, please.