This is an interim backfill role to cover for an employee who will be out on parental leave. The duration of the assignment is targeted for 18 months starting in late March/early April 2019. However, the start and end dates may change.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation envisions a future in which all students – especially those in low income communities and students of color - in the United States have access to educational opportunities, from Pre-K through post-secondary and into the workforce, that enable them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to thrive as adults and contribute to their communities.
The US Program Advocacy and Communications team works in partnership with program teams (K12, Post-secondary Success, Mobility and Opportunity) and other teams in Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) to achieve this vision by developing and coordinating the execution of advocacy and communications strategies and leveraging leadership and foundation voice to advance advocacy strategies.
The Communications Officer will help achieve the Foundation’s goals in US education by deploying sophisticated media relations and content creation skills. This role will work closely with Foundation leadership voices, grantees and partners and requires a high level of creativity and diplomacy.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Coordination and engagement with colleagues across the Foundation, specifically program partners in education, grantees, and other partners;
- Coordination of communications priorities and activities, maintaining of communications calendar;
- Collaboration with colleagues around communications campaigns and other key inflection points;
- Creation of written and other materials for internal and external use;
- Generation of creative ideas to amplify key themes and drive positive coverage of and progress toward Foundation priorities.
We are looking for a skilled communications professional with extensive experience and deep roots in the field. Specifically, the effective candidate will have:
- 10+ years communications experience (non-profit, advocacy, or political communications preferred).
- Deep understanding, experience and expertise in U.S. public education, including a sophisticated understanding of the multiple perspectives around issues at the state and national levels.
- Demonstrated expertise in managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, completing each in a timely manner with outstanding attention to detail.