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Director of Communications, Office of the Executive Director

About AAPF

Founded in 1996, The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists, and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality. We utilize new ideas and innovative perspectives to transform public discourse and policy. We promote frameworks and strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that disempower those who are marginalized in society. AAPF is dedicated to advancing and expanding racial justice, gender equality, and the indivisibility of all human rights, both in the U.S. and internationally.

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Director of Communications, Office of the Executive Director

The Office of the Executive Director is seeking a Director of Communications to strategically manage and grow leadership’s portfolio of earned media, owned content and thought leadership opportunities, in alignment with the mission and values of AAPF.

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Reporting directly to Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, the Director of Communications will be responsible for her day-to-day proactive and responsive media engagement, will serve as a counselor on political issues and crisis management, and will be dedicated to the work of racial justice, with a long-term strategic view of how to translate subject-matter expertise on intersectionality and critical race theory to the contemporary, evolving needs of the movement.

Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Continuing to expand and sustain a strategic communications plan for Professor Crenshaw, with the goal of ultimately connecting it to a broader communications plan and communications operations for AAPF;

• Managing priority relationships with high-profile external partners, on behalf of Professor Crenshaw and AAPF, for initiatives that are centered on communications and public awareness;

• Vetting incoming speaking and media opportunities for Professor Crenshaw, sharing a strong point of view on the costs and benefits of each opportunity, while also taking a strategic, proactive approach of proposing and seeking out speaking and media opportunities that best meet her objectives;

• Proactively pitching Professor Crenshaw for interviews in response to current events that connect to her expertise and help move the needle on national political discourse;

• Managing Professor Crenshaw’s owned content portfolio, overseeing a social media content creation process, as well as collaborate with the principal on the ideation and execution of longer-form content pieces, such as essays, letters to supporters and Op-Eds;

• Managing the creation of media-supportive assets, such as talking points, briefing documents and one-pagers to prepare Professor Crenshaw for externally facing communications opportunities;

• Serving as the internal, centralized point person within AAPF for Professor Crenshaw’s communications portfolio, establishing a clear process for responding to requests and current events to secure information from internal subject matter experts and formulate that information into externally facing communications assets; and

• Providing strong, proactive and responsive counsel for political issues and crisis management, with a keen understanding of the current landscape of extremism and disinformation and also how Black women leaders are treated and portrayed by the media.

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The Ideal Candidate should have:

• College degree or relevant experience;

• Minimum of 5-10 years of experience in communications or journalism;

• Strong commitment to the issues of racial justice and democracy, the scholarship of Professor Crenshaw and the mission of AAPF;

• Experience in managing communications for a principal in the government, non-profit, issue-advocacy or political sectors preferred;

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with sophisticated understanding of audience and how communicate effectively and consistently across diverse groups;

• Detail-oriented and curious about the intersections of racial justice and modern politics, with an established comfort in discussing and navigating difficult, sensitive topics and events;

• An understanding of the current media landscape, as well as knowledge of public policy issues critical to Professor Crenshaw’s work and AAPF’s mission, including but not limited to: public education, law, social and racial justice, the Civil Rights movement, truthful history and the roots of political violence against marginalized communities;

• Experience with dealing with traditional media and social media, and how to optimize a prominent voice across channels;

• An existing rolodex of national reporters and reporters at Black outlets preferred;

• Ability to work under stress and meet deadlines in response to rapidly evolving developments and current events;

• Flexibility to work some evenings or weekends, as appropriate and needed; and

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite.

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Salary:

Salary will be commensurate with experience falling within the range of $100,000-$120,000.

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Application process:
Interested candidates should apply by emailing a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to careers@aapf.org.

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AAPF is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workplace that strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.

AAPF does not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination with respect to race, religion, color, social or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), age, physical, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by local, state, or federal laws.

Job posted: 2023-01-16