ReThink Media – Managing Director, Peace & Security

ReThink Media is a unique, nonprofit organization that focuses on movement building through media and communications. We work to strengthen the media and communications capacity of nonprofit think tanks, experts, and advocacy groups working in three distinct, yet interconnected, issue areas –Security, Rights, and Democracy.

ReThink's Peace and Security team works with the nation’s leading organizations on many of the most complex and challenging issues of security in a globalized world. At present, we are engaged with U.S. policy toward Iran, efforts to secure nuclear material around the globe, trimming excessive Pentagon spending, diplomatic engagement with North Korea, and reducing the still-enormous global nuclear arsenal. In the Trump era, we are working to question the assumptions of the nuclear age that give one man the sole and unchecked authority to launch a nuclear war and driving for greater transparency and stronger legal oversight of the use of lethal drones.

In the past we have also addressed issues such as the war in Afghanistan and the International Arms Trade. Our work is grounded in the belief that the US can, and should, play a constructive role in addressing these challenges and that both America and the world are made more secure by engaged diplomacy, international cooperation to address global threats, and efforts to reduce worldwide military spending and demilitarize foreign policy.

The Managing Director, in coordination with the Co-Founder and Senior Campaign Strategist, serves as the primary point of contact, and lead manager of our work within this sector. The Managing Director will work to strengthen both the individual media capacity of participating organizations and the strategic communications capacity of the sector as a whole. This includes overseeing initiatives to develop shared media and messaging strategies, providing media and spokesperson training, building media outreach and rapid response capacity, providing groups with analysis of all of the leading reporters in this field, and supporting multi-organizational communications initiatives and campaigns.

We do not solicit short-term clients or track billable hours. Our work is driven by deep engagement with the issues we take on and a belief that the stronger the groups are in an issue sector overall and the tighter their collaboration, the more likely they are to win real and lasting policy victories. Our experience has proven that by providing shared resources, eliminating duplication of efforts among organizations, developing agreed-upon overarching messages, and providing consistent high quality consulting advice and staff support, we can successfully penetrate media discourse and move issues forward. While we affirm the importance of differentiation amongst advocacy organizations, we work to reduce competition for media attention because it often detracts from a sector achieving its maximum potential.

The Managing Director supervises a small team of communications professionals, support by Interns and Graduate Fellows. Utilizing our extensive data analysis, the Managing Director will work with groups to coordinate joint rapid response campaigns in traditional and social media, develop tailored press lists, and assist in the editing, drafting and pitching of content. S/he will facilitate social media campaign development and provide groups with training in the use of social media tools.

The ideal candidate will be a highly ambitious and motivated communications strategist with a minimum of 4 years of experience working in the field of advocacy, political or campaign communications, and/or public relations and will have a strong understanding of the workings of the non-profit research and advocacy community. S/he will have direct experience and/or demonstrated commitment to the issues of the collaborative and an understanding of the organizations working in this field. S/he will also have a proven track record of project management and a demonstrated pattern of innovation and creativity.

Experience working as a Capitol Hill or NGO communications staffer, supervising or managing a communications team or campaign, and/or a proven track record in developing media outreach strategies, and successfully pitching and placing content and/or spokespeople in the media is preferred.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES:

Specific goals will be set quarterly, corresponding to the following duties:

• Work closely with ReThink’s Co-Founders on annual work plans to achieve organizational objective and grant deliverables. Meet regularly with the Senior Campaign Strategist to discuss work, adapt and revaluate plans, respond to breaking events, etc.
• Serve on ReThink’s senior management team. Participate in setting organizational policies, strategic priorities, organizational development plans, etc.
• Serve as a primary point of contact with organizations served by the collaborative, helping to set priorities and identify media strategies that will have the greatest positive impact for organizations and campaigns.
• Develop expertise regarding the issues and organizations served by the collaborative, the issues they work on, their unique media profiles, key spokespeople, areas of expertise, and their access to outside validators.
• Supervise a small team of communications professionals and interns who will execute high quality media and communications work.
• Keep abreast of the evolving media landscape and identify media opportunities for organizations. Be able to quickly identify the most appropriate organizations or experts to connect to a reporter, provide spokespeople, write an op-ed, etc.
• Coordinate opportunities for multi-organization media engagement and support ongoing campaigns and policy initiatives. Assist with pitching and placement of spokespeople and content, develop online strategies, implement strategies for outreach to Capitol Hill communications staff and track these efforts.
• Support the media and communications work of individual groups when needed. Offer consultation on the development of strategic communications plans, implementation of media strategies, and the creation of other media content.
• Manage the delivery of high quality social and traditional media skills trainings to improve the core skills of key leaders from field.
• Facilitate the use by our allied organizations of a range of media tools, including a media database, distribution system, and news clipping service.
• Manage process for longer-term research initiatives such as message testing and media and public opinion audits; coordinate between ReThink’s research team or outside consultants and member organizations to ensure that research is aligned with the field’s needs.
• Facilitate rapid response media engagement, using coverage monitoring to identify and coordinate joint responses to breaking news developments.
• Assist ReThink's Co-Founders in the development of annual grant proposals and prepare regular progress reports and briefings of key stakeholders and funders of the collaborative.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• A strong ambition to develop and execute innovative campaigns, capitalize on media opportunities, and drive policy objectives via the media.
• The ability to be substantially self-directed and self-reliant, as well as to drive work forward following consultations on the broad strategic objectives.
• Demonstrated experience in communications strategy and campaign management, with a strong preference for experience in advocacy/political public relations.
• Detail-oriented and a proven track record working in a very fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, ideally involving media and communications and/or organizational or coalition relations.
• Strong supervisory skills with demonstrated experience effectively managing and mentoring others.
• Experience in nonprofit capacity-building, managing multi-organization communications campaigns or in facilitating the implementation of shared media, messaging or reframing campaign is ideal.
• Knowledge of print, broadcast, online and social media.
• Demonstrated knowledge and background in the major peace and security issues identified above.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with varying levels of organizational staff, clients, contractors, and foundations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or other applicable field, or demonstrated equivalent experience.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

This is a full-time position based in either our San Francisco Bay Area or Washington, DC offices. Roughly 45% of ReThink’s staff is in California, 45% in DC, and 10% in other states. Accordingly, applicants must be comfortable with the requirements of remote management and with working alongside a diversified staff. The position will require modest travel to conferences and training workshops, and staff and planning meetings. Planning meetings will most commonly be held in California.

TO APPLY:

Send a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to settleson@gmail.com, subject line: ReThink Media - Managing Director, Peace and Security.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

ReThink Media is an equal opportunity employer grounded in progressive political values. We embrace applicants of any race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, medical condition (cancer-related) or conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions (ARC). Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.