Nonprofit Remote Digest - Issue #760

Mother Jones is a reader-supported investigative news organization recently honored as Magazine of the Year by our peers in the industry. 

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Director of Communications and Impact

Mother Jones seeks a visionary and collaborative director of communications and impact to help our investigative journalism change the world.

We are an organization rooted in fairness, justice, and collegiality. We embrace change and respect facts, data, and truth. You’ll work alongside the journalists who create what the former editor of Slate called “the bravest, toughest magazine”: a newsroom that serves 8–10 million people a month via video, podcast, print, and social media platforms, while training emerging muckrakers each year through the Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program. And you’ll partner with our most senior leaders to advance diversity, equity, and belonging initiatives so Mother Jones can fully show up for a multigenerational and multiracial audience.

The director of communications and impact is a position at the center of that work. Working closely with the chief operating officer, this role will expand and strengthen relationships with a broad and diverse audience, especially BIPOC readers who have not historically been served well by the media ecosystem. An ideal candidate is energized by this work and comes with ideas, experience, and passion to help Mother Jones lead our field in this arena. This role reports to the chief operating officer, and functions as the COO’s No. 2. The Director supervises a coordinator who assists with events, outreach, and other department tasks.

The director of communications and impact’s work falls in two categories: Media relations/Impact, and Marketing. Of the two, it’s essential that this leader has proven experience in media relations. We recognize that some excellent applicants may have varying experience in marketing/audience development or events and we encourage candidates with some but not all of the skills for this role to apply. This is a full-time, non-union position. Mother Jones has offices in San Francisco, Washington, DC, and New York, and this job can be remote for the right candidate.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Media relations/external communications — Core Duties

• Develop and execute strategic communications priorities;

• Create opportunities for top-shelf media appearances and speaking engagements;

• Write or oversee key external communications (e.g. press releases, About Us sections on our website, etc.);

• Coordinate with top editors to assess which stories to pitch for interviews on all media platforms. This includes keeping up with story planning, reading drafts, identifying target shows/audiences, building a contact list, and crafting and sending out pitches;

• Outreach to newsletters, legislators, community organizations, influential contacts, etc.;

• Coach staff for media appearances, as needed;

• Manage press requests;

• Oversee and execute brand communications. Craft and promote organizational news and announcements and draft crisis response and strategy as needed;

• Work with the editorial and development departments to further develop our strategy for defining, tracking, and sharing the impact of Mother Jones’ work;

• Build relationships with grassroots/civic leaders and influencers to share Mother Jones’ journalism with communities of changemakers;

• Develop relationships and partnerships to bring Mother Jones’ journalism to other platforms (e.g., film and television) and create revenue opportunities;

• Lead Mother Jones’ editorial events program.

Marketing and audience development — These duties may vary, depending on the skills and background of the candidate

• Work with COO, digital team, VP Sales, development team, and others to build and expand Mother Jones audience engagement through partnerships, events, new products, and experiments;

• Work with social team to expand social media marketing and brand-building;

• Work with advertising and development teams to continue adapting external marketing materials.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five years experience in communications, marketing, and/or journalism;

• Management experience, including working with diverse teams;

• Experience in and a passion for creating strategies to reach BIPOC audiences and other marginalized communities;

• Strong media contacts and social media savvy;

• Experience providing media training and skill-building for public appearances and external events.

• Nice to have: Experience working with community organizers or prior job experience in that space; work with Muck Rack, Cision, or the equivalent.

Salary and Benefits

Minimum $110,000, DOE.

Our benefits include health, dental, and vision benefits for our employees and their dependents (premiums fully paid by Mother Jones), paid vacation starting at three weeks per year, pretax commuter benefits and an FSA program, a 1% 401(k) match, a flex-hours program, and a 37.5-hour workweek.

Our Commitment

Mother Jones and its parent organization, the Foundation for National Progress, are committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, marital status, union activity, AIDS/HIV status, on-the-job injuries, or any status otherwise protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages and we especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities.

We are a distributed team that includes primary offices in San Francisco (where most of our executive team is based), New York, and Washington DC.

How to Apply

Only applications submitted to this Application Form will be considered for this recruiting round. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applicants for any given role, there may be delays in responding to every application submitted.

What you’ll need for the application form:

• An updated resume;

• A well-thought-out cover letter outlining why you are right for this job; how your specific vision for this role can advance Mother Jones’ goals; and how your skills can achieve that vision;

• Three examples of your work, either drafted press releases, stories you’ve pitched that you are proud of, or any projects that you were a part of in terms of promotion, branding, and/or messaging.