Senior Communications Associate or Communications Manager, Voting Rights
Company: ReThink Media
Location: Berkeley
Posted on: June 24, 2022
Job Description:
Senior Communications Associate or Communications Manager,
Voting RightsVoting Rights are under assault across the country,
with state legislatures and conservative governors pushing stark
new voting restrictions. At the same time, our elections systems
are also under attack from groups that seek to undermine trust in
these institutions and to weaken the policies themselves. There's
little doubt that the 2022 and 2024 election cycles will be pivotal
and these are just a few of the questions at stake:
- Will all Americans have equal access to the ballot, or will
voter purges, restrictions, and poll closures shut people out from
exercising their rights?
- Will policies that willfully discriminate against poor people
and communities of color prevail, or will we make progress in
living up to our democratic ideals?
- Will state level campaigns successfully advance positive
narratives of inclusion and equity?With these questions at the
heart of our work, ReThink Media seeks a passionate advocate to
join our growing Voting Rights team, alongside our larger team of
committed staff. At present, we are seeking either a Senior
Communications Associate (minimum three years relevant work
experience) or a Communications Manager (minimum four years of
relevant work experience) and we have the flexibility to
incorporate new talent at either experience level.By the end of
2022, the successful candidate will have led media skills training
workshops with key state and national organizations, with an
emphasis on advocates in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina,
Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin. They will have developed relationships
with top reporters, built a network of organizational contacts-and
they will have made a major contribution toward shaping a media
narrative through media placements arguing for a genuinely
inclusive and representative democracy where all voices are heard.
-ReThink Media is a unique, nonprofit organization that places
media and communications at the center of our movement building
agenda. We strengthen the collaborative media and communications
capacity of state and national advocacy groups; increase the "voice
share" of their spokespeople; and provide in-depth media and
opinion analysis to inform movement strategy.We focus on long-term
engagement with our advocacy partners and with the issues we take
on-all driven by a belief that the stronger the groups are across
an issue sector and the tighter their collaboration, the more
likely they are to win real and lasting policy victories. -ReThink
Media's Voting Rights Program is defined by our collaboration with
a network of state and national organizations strengthening our
democracy by expanding and protecting voting rights. We place
particular strategic emphasis on building the power and visibility
of state and local organizations.DescriptionThis is a position
where no two days are the same and where quick thinking in rapid
response is equally balanced with longer term strategic planning.
The ideal candidate will be an ambitious, independent problem
solver with a proven record of success with media relations and
placements. They will be an avid communicator who understands the
role of storytelling in communications, who is committed to social
and racial justice, and who has an outstanding record of working in
movement settings.Senior Associate candidates should have at least
three years of relevant experience and should be advanced enough in
their skills that they can assist or mentor others, including
supervising interns and Fellows. Communications Manager candidates
should have at least four years of relevant experience and should
be advanced enough that they can supervise Associates and take on
significant project management.Experience working as a Capitol
Hill, State House, or NGO communications staffer, in campaign or
advocacy communications, or in pitching and placing content and/or
spokespeople in the media are outstanding qualifications. Strong
"front of the room" training and/or presenting skills are also
strongly desired.Along with other team members, both Senior
Communications Associates and Communications Managers are
responsible for monitoring traditional and digital news coverage
and responding rapidly and effectively to breaking news. This
includes tracking key state and "beat" reporters, opposition
spokespeople, and advocacy organizations. It also means building
and maintaining shared press lists, assisting advocacy
organizations in developing individual press lists and, where
appropriate, assisting with the editing, pitching, and placement of
content and spokespeople.In either case, the person in this role
will work to build capacity among organizational partners,
positioning them to better lead communications and digital strategy
from the ground. Communications Managers, however, will have larger
project management responsibilities than Senior Associates and will
assist in the supervision of junior staff and support the Program
Director.Specific goals will be set quarterly, corresponding to the
following duties:
- Monitor daily news, opinion, and social media coverage and
review daily news digests from the sector in order to successfully
capitalize on opportunities for rapid response. -
- Draft daily clips in partnership with other team members,
identifying top news stories and relevant social media content and
providing guidance to partner groups.
- Assist in the development of timely and effective talking
points, messaging tips, and, where appropriate, draft op-eds and
letters to the editor in response to breaking news developments and
ahead of known media opportunities.
- Consistently pitch and place stories and commentaries.
- Develop expert knowledge of the key reporters and outlets
covering these issues, with particular attention paid to developing
relationships with ethnic media. -
- Train groups to develop and maintain their own tailored press
lists.
- Build meaningful relationships with partner organizations,
develop expertise on the issues they work on, and become a go-to
source for concrete media support.
- Assist partners in developing strategic communications plans
and implementing media strategies.
- Provide effective and impactful media skills training.
- Assist our Research & Analysis staff with longer-term research
projects, such as media and public opinion audits and coverage
analysis of specific issues, frames, editorial coverage, and
outlets.Essential Skills and Qualifications
- Experience monitoring news coverage, writing press materials,
developing traditional and social media strategies, and/or pitching
stories.
- Strong writing, editing, and public presentation skills.
- Track record of working to effectively build relationships with
journalists.
- Ability to frame ideas, develop stories, and synthesize complex
policy issues in a way that appeals to the news media and reaches a
wide variety of audiences.
- Experience with digital content and social media strategy.
- Experience working in multi-racial and multi-ethnic
coalitions.
- Demonstrated commitment to the work of ReThink Media's Voting
Rights Program or parallel progressive political work.
- Demonstrated experience in fast-paced campaign communications,
with preference for experience in state-based advocacy/political
media relations.
- Excellent news sense and political savvy.
- Willingness to work flexible hours on occasion (NOTE: ReThink
is committed to work/life balance but rapid response moments arise
in our media work).
- Demonstrated resourcefulness and flexibility in approach to
project assignments.Desirable but not required: Experience with
Cision, Muck Rack, MailChimp, CRMs, and/or Zoom Fluency in a second
language LOCATION, BENEFITS, AND SALARYThis is a remote, full-time
position. The position will require occasional travel to staff and
planning meetings, and to presentations and trainings. ReThink aims
to recruit the best people for every position and we have recently
moved to an all-remote staffing model. At the same time, some
locations are more immediately relevant to the strategic objectives
of our work. Applicants are welcome from across the country but
will be considered in conjunction with their strategic proximity to
key partner locations or constituencies. In all cases, ReThink
requires employees to live within 90 minutes of a major airport to
facilitate occasional travel. The salary range listed below
pertains to employees in Washington, DC and might be adjusted for
candidates in locations with significantly lower costs of
living.ReThink Media is committed to pay equity and transparency in
our salary, raise, and benefits structure. We regularly conduct
market comparisons. All staff receive an annual 360 - performance
review and ReThink is strongly committed to internal and external
professional development. We aim to attract, develop, and retain
diverse, talented, and growth-minded staff.This is a mid-level
position that comes with generous benefits, vacation, health
savings, sabbatical, and a retirement package. Salary is
commensurate with experience and, if the employee is based in the
Washington, DC, the starting salary range for Senior Communications
Associates is $60,000-65,000 a year and the starting salary range
for Communications Manager is $70,000-75,000 a year.APPLICATION
INSTRUCTIONSTo apply, please follow these instructions carefully.
Send your resume as a PDF attachment and make sure to include your
name in the title of the attachment (e.g., resume-Jones.pdf). Also
include a Cover Letter specifying whether you are applying for
Communications Manager or Senior Communications Associate, stating
the reason for your interest in the position and providing a
summary of your professional experience. Make sure to include your
name in the title of the attachment (e.g., CoverLetter-Jones.pdf).
Email your application to opportunities@rethinkmedia.org, Subject:
Open Position, Voting Rights.We believe in treating people with
respect and all applications will be acknowledged. Qualified
applicants will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire prior to
the scheduling of interviews.EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERReThink
Media is an equal opportunity employer and it is a fundamental
policy of the Organization not to discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religion (including religious dress and personal
appearance), political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy,
breastfeeding women, childbirth, or related medical conditions),
national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry,
sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and
expression) legally protected medical condition, family care or
medical leave status, military or veteran status, marital status,
genetic information, genetic expression or any other basis
protected by state or federal laws. Reasonable accommodation, when
necessary, for disabled employees and pregnant employees who
request an accommodation with respect to recruitment, hiring,
training, promotion and other terms and conditions of
employment.DIVERSITY STATEMENTReThink is committed to a just and
equitable society wherein all people are treated equally,
opportunity is justly distributed, and all voices are heard. We
affirm and seek diversity in gender, race, color, ethnicity &
national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and
sexual orientation), class, religion, ability, life experiences,
and background as both a positive contribution to our
organizational environment and a critical asset for informing and
enabling our work. With this in mind, we are committed to
maintaining a work environment that recognizes, understands,
respects, and encourages the unique contributions of each member
and we approach every hiring decision with a commitment to
workplace diversity.
Keywords: ReThink Media, Berkeley , Senior Communications Associate or Communications Manager, Voting Rights, Executive , Berkeley, California
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