Description
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) seeks a Director of Strategic Communications to provide vision and leadership in developing and implementing a creative, proactive and comprehensive communications strategy.
Founded in 2002, the Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that defends and protects our democracy in the areas of campaign finance, voting rights, political communication and government ethics. CLC works to attack laws and regulations that undermine the fundamental rights of all Americans to participate in the political process and to defend laws that protect these interests. Working in administrative, legislative and legal proceedings, CLC shapes our nation’s laws and policies so that the right to have a voice in our free and democratic society remains the foundation of our political system. Additional information about CLC and its work may be found at: www.campaignlegalcenter.org.
Job Description:
The Director of Strategic Communications will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic communications, including the writing of substantive and compelling explanations of CLC’s projects and achievements in furtherance of its mission for various audiences. The Director of Strategic Communications will develop and update, as needed, targeted plans for educating a wide variety of stakeholders, including funders, the public, government officials, and the media. This position will manage the daily public relations activities for CLC with the goal of promoting and expanding the impact of CLC’s work. The Director of Strategic Communications will be part of the senior leadership team and work closely with the senior management staff and the Chief Development Officer to achieve the organization's communications goals.
Responsibilities include:
- Thinking strategically about CLC’s role in the greater community and how to promote CLC’s work and mission in an expanded and more strategic way.
- Planning the overall communications strategy that promote CLC and its programs across various media outlets including traditional television, radio and print as well as seminar and conference speaking opportunities, press releases, and the entire online realm of websites, blogs, wikis, social networks and related portals.
- Drafting articles, producing videos, pamphlets, opinion pieces (OpEds), blog posts that explain CLC’s work and how its recent successes (e.g., in the courts, in administrative agencies, or in the states) are important to stakeholders.
- Responding to press inquiries, cultivating relationships with the media, including digital media professionals, pitching stories, and monitoring the news as it relates to CLC’s work.
- Planning conferences, arranging speeches for targeted audiences, and other public appearances that provide opportunities to raise the organization’s profile as the nation’s premier legal organization addressing issues of campaign finance and voting rights.
- Advancing CLC’s goals through the preparation of regular thought leadership pieces that provide framework for related policy initiatives, and current federal and state/local events.
- Working with management leadership to update CLC’s development and marketing collateral materials.
- Developing new approaches to utilize CLC’s communication tools (website, social media, press releases, blogs, etc.) in proactive strategic ways.
- Ensuring CLC’s website is a dynamic source of daily information that explains CLC’s work.
- Writing CLC strategy pieces, including “big-picture” updates, “breaking news” updates, press releases that explain the meaning of CLC’s work, etc.
- Expanding CLC’s outreach effort and tracking this expansion.
- Planning and implementing media events and special projects in support of communications outreach consistent with CLC goals.
- Tracking communication program priorities and accomplishments and measuring the effectiveness of the communications efforts.
- Maintaining and updating a variety of distribution lists for CLC’s publications, and growing the organization’s outreach.
- Interfacing with media for interviews, comment, etc.
Qualifications include:
- Demonstrated experience in managing and implementing a successful, strategic communications program.
- A minimum of 7 years of strategic communications experience.
- Experience in the policy, research or democracy building arena is preferred.
- Experience in writing a variety of forms, including on-line news pieces, breaking news press releases, longer-form debate-shaping pieces, short-form tweets, Facebook posts, etc.
- Hands-on experience with website management, Microsoft Office suite, and social media outlets, as well as ability to manage contact database.
- Demonstrated success in learning the details of an organization’s substantive work and applying that knowledge in drafting successful pieces that communicate the organization’s achievements and mission.
- Exceptional writing skills.
- Ability to think creatively about how to effectively engage the media, the general public, and the policy community.
- Strong oral communication, relationship building and “people” skills.
- Track record of taking initiative and working independently.
- Honed organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
- Direct experience working with nonprofit boards preferred.
- Commitment to organizational mission and desire to learn the field.
To Apply: Please submit a cover letter that outlines your interest in joining CLC, relevant work experience, and how you learned of the position; resume; and salary requirements to: settleson@gmail.com, subject line: CLC – Director of Strategic Communications. No phone calls please. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
CLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, height, weight, or marital status in employment or the provision of services and benefits.