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Press Director

This job is no longer available

Washington DC, Denver, CO, or remote
Full-time

Unite America seeks a full-time Press Director to join its Marketing & Communications team. This individual will work hand-in-hand with the Sr. Communications Director to handle media relations and be the organization’s first point of contact for fielding and routing press inquiries. The Press Director will also lead on drafting press releases and advisories, and help draft blog posts, newsletter content, and other external-facing copy as needed. The Press Director will additionally support cross-departmental workflows with a communications objective, such as organizing media events around the release of research. This is a mid-level position, perfect for someone with 5-7 years of experience in writing and media relations, preferably in politics and with experience working with journalists on background.

Areas of Responsibility: 

OUR ORGANIZATION

Unite America is a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents that aims to foster a representative and functional government committed to solving our major challenges. We invest in candidates, campaigns, and organizations to advance nonpartisan electoral reforms that improve governing incentives and put voters first.

Founded in 2014, Unite America and its 20+ person team has grown to be a leader in the democracy reform movement — supporting, coordinating, and executing to advance policy and elect pro-reform candidates. The Unite America Fund launched in 2019 and has since mobilized tens of millions of dollars from dozens of philanthropists to reform campaigns and candidates across the country.

Over the last three years, the Unite America Fund has been the driving force behind adopting a first of its kind Final Four Voting system in Alaska to address the “primary problem;” passing and implementing Instant Runoff Voting in NYC, the largest expansion of the model in history; winning an anti-gerrymandering campaign in Virginia; and electing state lawmakers across the country who have formed cross-partisan legislative caucuses already advancing groundbreaking electoral reforms. We are focused on scaling our impact in the years to come.

At Unite America, we are working to build a more representative and functional government that puts voters first and reflects the diversity of our country, and an inclusive democracy in which leaders embrace problem-solving over fueling divisiveness. Likewise, we have a vision of building an organization that reflects diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives; a culture of working across differences toward common goals; and a workplace where everyone feels included, respected, and heard. To that end, Unite America is proud to have made diversifying our team, ensuring more equitable opportunity, and fostering a culture of belonging a priority. Our organizational values reinforce this commitment as we work to model the leadership we seek, solve problems together, and take care of one another, to name a few.

THE ROLE

The Marketing and Communications Department oversees branding, design, digital systems, organizational and advocacy communications, media relations, messaging, and social media for Unite America. The Press Director will fill a newly created role, similar to that of a “press secretary,” to help Unite America further its mission and solidify its brand position as a central hub for the electoral reform movement. The individual will play an essential role in helping Unite America tell the story of its own and its partners’ work to a variety of audiences, and will often need to function with a good deal of autonomy.

The Press Director will work with the Sr. Communications Director to handle media relations and be the organization’s first point of contact for fielding and routing press inquiries. The Press Director will also lead on drafting press releases and advisories, and help draft blog posts, newsletter content, and other external-facing copy as needed. The Press Director will additionally support cross-departmental workflows with a communications objective, such as organizing media events around the release of research.

This is an opportunity for a hungry, responsible, mission-driven individual to work alongside a talented team of democracy reformers. A committed and high-performing Director will have the opportunity to advance both a mission that is critical to the country’s long-term health and their own career in communications and media relations. The ideal Director is intended to grow commensurate with their role.

The Press Director will report directly to the Sr. Communications Director. The position will ideally be based in Washington, DC, or Unite America’s main office in Denver, CO, although remote candidates who demonstrate strong time management skills will be considered equally. This is a full-time role with full benefits.

The application deadline for this position is February 5th, 2023. Applications will not be reviewed until this date. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Day-to-Day Media Relations

  • Fielding press inquiries (20%) | Unite America’s media footprint continues to grow alongside the electoral reform movement. The Press Director will be able to field media requests, particularly unsolicited ones, and work with the Sr. Communications Director and Executive Director as needed to respond and work with reporters on stories.
  • Media management (20%) | Organization is the name of the game. The Press Director will take full advantage of the tools afforded by our CRM to track Unite America mentions, press clippings about the movement, and social media chatter, and provide status updates to the team. This function is foundational to cross-team collaboration and movement communication, and will provide the Press Director an opportunity to work with the Sr. Communications Director on ideas for tactics and strategic shifts.

Big-picture Media Relations

  • Events and campaigns (15%) | Unite America and its partners produce original research throughout the year, as well as team up on advocacy efforts to increase interest in our work. The Press Director will be responsible for helping design and execute tactics to get media attention on them, in-line with the organization’s overall strategy.

Content Generation

  • Copy for press (35%) | Unite America has a high standard for written content, to convey professionalism and a command of the issues to its various audiences. The organization’s voice is also developing — we understand that persuading individuals of the importance of our work sometimes requires a creative burst. The Press Director will be able to turn around high-quality first drafts of releases, advisories, blog posts, newsletter sections, and other written materials, as needed. The Press Director will also be a team player in occasionally supporting adjacent departments’ drafting of materials.
  • Creative tactics (10%) | Unite America has the great fortune of possessing an energetic, creative team and strong relationships with design vendors. Part of the Marketing & Communications team’s charter in 2023 and 2024 is to leverage these resources to produce creative, targeted content, to increase awareness of Unite America’s issue set and leave a positive impression on new or skeptical audiences. The Press Director will play a supporting role in conceptualizing such tactics.
Skills/Experience: 

Requirements

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

You understand that media relations is about strategy, not hitting quotas. You view the press as a resource, not an adversary. You strive to be your own best editor; someone who tries their best to evaluate their own work dispassionately and improve.

You communicate clearly to all your audiences, internal and external. You are prompt at 2 o’clock in the afternoon so you don’t have to worry about working at 6. You have the eagerness to run but the wisdom to walk first. You learn quickly — and you’re just as fast to ask questions about the things that confuse you. You value providing input just as much as you value receiving it. You trust yourself — but above all, you trust your teammates.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • You have 5-7 years of relevant work experience in writing and media relations, preferably in politics. Individuals with equal years’ experience in a mix of policy and press roles will also be considered.
  • You have at least 1 year of experience working with journalists on background; you’ve communicated back and forth with them to collect details about their inquiries, workshop story angles, and provide them with information.
  • You have experience working with a CRM such as Meltwater for sending press materials, tracking open rates, and monitoring media mentions.
  • Your references will use at least some of these or similar words to describe your writing skills: dependable, reliable, crisp, sharp, accurate, fact-based.
  • You understand and embrace that part of your job is to understand and communicate to audiences with which you may disagree ideologically.
  • You are willing to work nights and weekends as necessary, meaning: working on timely inquiries and collateral (<24 hours of turnaround time) and special circumstances driven by external events. These circumstances are rare in an off-cycle election year and will be more common, though still outside the norm, in 2024; Unite America considers work-life balance to be non-negotiable and an essential part of a career.
  • You value “soft skills” in your professional development: clear, timely, and respectful communication, a desire to collaborate, an eagerness to listen. These are integral to being a good teammate as well as a good resource for the press.
  • You have a strong desire to fix a broken political system and a passion for our cause
Compensation/Benefits: 

Benefits

THE PERKS

  • Competitive Compensation (est. $80k-$100k)
  • 401(k) Plan (with up to a 3% employer contribution match)
  • Health Care Plan (medical, dental, and vision)
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off (vacation, sick days, and public holidays)
  • Family Leave (maternity, paternity, and adoption)
  • Training & Professional Development
  • Wellness Resources
  • Opportunity to join an inclusive, vibrant, and diverse team
  • Ideal location: our office headquarters is in the heart of Denver, CO although remote candidates who demonstrate strong time management skills will be considered equally

The application deadline for this position is February 5th, 2023. Applications will not be reviewed until this date. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Organization Info

Unite America

Overview
Headquarters: 
Denver, Colorado, USA
About Us
Mission: 

Unite America is a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working to put voters first by fostering a more representative and functional government.

We invest in campaigns to enact reforms and elect candidates so that the right leaders have the right incentives to solve our country's greatest problems.

Listing Stats

Post Date: 
Jan 7 2023
Active Until: 
Feb 7 2023
Hiring Organization: 
Unite America
industry: 
Nonprofit