Full-Time Media Strategy Director
Job Description
About People’s Action/Institute
People’s Action Institute (501c3) and its sister organization People’s Action (501c4) are national progressive organizations supporting the mobilization and leadership of the grassroots in support of an agenda that reflects people over profits. People’s Action/Institute builds the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections.
With offices in Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, and remote staff across the country, we support and advance state-based and national fights for progressive policies on the environment, decarceration, health care, economic security, housing, education, and more. Our member organizations, nearly 40 organizations across 29 states, improve lives by running local- and state-level issue and electoral campaigns, leading statewide tables, and collectively coming together to change national policy and politics.
People’s Action/ Institute has a track record of leadership in coordinating field mobilization and advocacy in advancing an array of issues at the local, state, and federal levels. Our member organizations have won important victories at the national, state, and local levels, including health insurance for millions and the reversal of health care laws that discriminate based on citizenship, stopping Wall Street banks from selling predatory payday loans to their customers, and historic legislation like the Community Reinvestment Act to victory and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
For more information on PAI, please visit https://peoplesaction.org/.
The Opportunity
Are you an effective media strategy communicator who dreams of using your skills to grow our power and shift the public narrative to make more wins possible for the multiracial working class? Do you want to create and execute media strategies to position our organization as the go-to voice for community organizing? Are you interested in advancing our Big Ideas and defeating corporate/authoritarian narratives in the media? If you think this sounds like a great opportunity, read on!
Overview of the Position
The primary function of the Media Strategy Director is to work with colleagues to create media strategies that elevate our visibility and convey our key messages in the press, as well as manage a pair of media professionals as they work to assist in achieving our strategic goals for the year. Fighting the Battle of Big Ideas is a crucial part of the Long Term Agenda, and this role is responsible for carrying that battle into the major media.
As Media Strategy Director, your typical day will include (but isn’t limited to):
Developing and managing the organization’s media strategy and media relations:
- Develop media strategies aligned with the overall strategy as determined by the communications/digital director and supporting organizational objectives.
- Develop media plans with program leads to ensure coverage of issue campaigns, training, and movement governing activities.
- Serve as the primary media contact for organizational activities, including pitching stories, exclusives, embargoes, and sneak peeks/tips; managing media relationships and press inquiries; coordinating interviews; and building and maintaining press lists.
- Work with program leads and organizational leadership to prepare for interviews and identify training opportunities to improve spokesperson performance.
- Lead on drafting and editing both public and internal media communications, including press releases, advisories, statements, notes, op-eds, ICYMI, quotes, prep docs, booking memos, talking points, etc
Supervising and Mentoring Direct Reports
- Provide clear guidance, support, performance feedback, and leadership development opportunities
Lead department work with Discourse Disrupters (Communications Cohort)
- Organize a core team of network communicators to hold and drive work.
- Prepare agendas for and attend and contribute to cohort meetings.
- Ensuring that our network communicators are supported with template materials and training/advice in implementing their own digital programs.
- Monitor cohort Slack for support requests and look for opportunities to share helpful material through this channel.
- Other Duties as Assigned
The ideal Media Strategy Director should have the following experience and qualifications:
- At least 5 years experience in media strategy development in a progressive organizing, non-profit, or advocacy environment in a community/grassroots organizing, base-building organization.
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in a senior leadership role in a progressive, grassroots, or community organization communications team, directly responsible for managing a high-performing set of direct reports.
- Experience leading a fast-paced and effective media program for a progressive organizing and/or advocacy organization or campaign.
- Existing relationships in media that are relevant to our organizational goals.
- Strong experience in educating, engaging, and mobilizing key stakeholders on big ideas using creative approaches
- Proficiency with Associated Press style
- Exceptional skill in concise and compelling written and oral communications to internal and external stakeholders
- Experience writing, editing, and fact-checking on deadlines; able to capture a spokesperson’s voice in writing and match writing styles to various audiences.
- Excellent relationship-building skills with the ability to organize others to move toward a shared vision or goal.
- Knowledge of legal constraints of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofits.
- Commitment to social justice and experience with social change organizing.
- Strong commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice and their intersections, both inside and outside the organization.
- Ability to work with diverse people and organizations
Compensation and Benefits:
Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt, benefits-eligible
Union Position (Yes/No): No
Salary Range: Level F: $96,910 – $132,613, salary commensurate with experience.
Location: Can be based in our Chicago, IL, or Washington, D.C. office, but remote locations may be considered anywhere within the continental United States.
Reports to: Communications & Digital Director
Supervises: Communications Manager, Communications Senior Strategist
Travel Requirements (Yes/No): Yes. Travel will be at least twice a year; travel includes (but is not limited to) staff/team retreats
Benefits include: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Medical, on the first day of employment, and Dependent Care Flex Spending Account after 90 days, 401(k) plan after 30 days, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, 4 floating holidays (Presidents Day, May Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, 10 paid holidays plus the last two weeks of the year that include Christmas Eve/Christmas Day as well as, New Year’s Eve, and you accrue two weeks of vacation your first year of employment.
Our Commitment to Equitable Compensation:
We believe in fair compensation for your work – no matter where you live. Our salary scale is comparable to salaries you would find in Chicago, IL, where our headquarters is based. It is based on your months/years of work experience. While we do not determine education as a factor in whether we hire someone to work for People’s Action Institute, we do factor in any relevant higher education experience that you have. To further counter pay inequities and inequality on the team, we have a non-negotiable compensation practice and provide opportunities for advancement for full-time employees based on performance evaluation. Your starting pay reflects where you sit within our salary scale and is based on the information that you provide us on your resume. PAI continues to monitor wages through triennial compensation analysis to ensure that we continue to offer our prospective and current employees fair wages.
Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
People’s Action/Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer; womxn, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply.
Union
People’s Action Institute recognizes our staff bargaining unit affiliated with Chicago Midwest Regional Join Board, Workers United (CMRJB). Any position that is indicated as included in People’s Action Institute’s bargaining unit will be covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Close date: March 24, 2024
No phone calls, please.
How to Apply
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