Communications Director, Gender Justice
Location
Minnesota | United States
Job description
Reports To: Deputy Director, Tana Hargest
Position Status: Exempt, Salaried; (40 hours/week).
Salary: $110,000/year plus benefits described below.
Office in St. Paul, MN; currently working remotely from home.
To Apply: Gender Justice has retained the executive search firm LeaderFit to lead this search. Although applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Organization: Gender Justice and Gender Justice Action are nonprofit legal, policy and political advocacy organizations based in St. Paul, Minnesota, working in Minnesota and North Dakota to advance gender equity through the law. We fight discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We represent clients directly in state and federal court and before administrative agencies in impact and strategic litigation cases. In addition to pursuing justice through the legal system, we also advocate for policies that expand gender equity and educate the public about their rights and how to fight gender discrimination. We employ grassroots organizing, coalition building, and strategic communications and narrative strategies to create the movement momentum and cultural conditions for gender equity to flourish. We are also the institutional home of the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition and campaign, which works to protect, expand, and destigmatize access to abortion care–and all reproductive healthcare—in Minnesota through public education, advocacy, and the law. This is an exciting time at Gender Justice and Gender Justice Action as we expand geographically to North Dakota, begin our next strategic planning process, and continue building our team. We’re a small but mighty organization with an operating budget of $4 million and a talented and growing staff of 20, looking for the newest member of our ambitious and highly effective team.
Position Summary: The Communications Director develops and directs external communications and content strategy while living into Gender Justice and Gender Justice Action’s values, mission, and goals. This position is responsible for all aspects of external communication, including but not limited to strategy development and implementation, audience identification and refinement, utilizing emerging opportunities for content development and distribution, directing creative content in line with GJ/GJA’s brands, the UnRestrictMN brand, and metrics and evaluation. The Communications Director leads staff to execute the daily work of communication and media relations, and collaborates with advisors, program directors and managers, consultants, vendors, and other stakeholders to advance the organization’s strategy. The Communications Director also provides critical leadership around narrative development, building public opinion support on our issues, and strategic communications in building collaborative strategies and campaign initiatives across programs. At Gender Justice and Gender Justice Action, the communications director is not just responsible for promoting our work, but is contributing meaningfully to what the work itself actually is. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to be in the thick of some of the most salient and consequential public and political conversations about our rights, our democracy, and the direction of our state and country at a crucial time in history.
Responsibilities: - As the Communications Director, you will creatively manage and execute communications and public and media relations strategies for all Gender Justice, Gender Justice Action, and UnRestrict Minnesota audiences in Minnesota, North Dakota, and nationally.
- Develop and implement a broad range of communications, public relations, and media relations activities in support of our missions, vision, and values, as well as our impact litigation, policy objectives, and electoral strategies.
- Serve as a highly positive and collaborative partner with colleagues throughout the organization to advance programmatic goals.
- Work hand-in-hand with the Development team to build our digital reach and supporter base and help produce well-crafted programmatic, impact, and theory of change language for grant proposals and donor communications such as the newsletter and annual report.
- Author and lead our PR and increase awareness, including producing media kits, op-eds, talking points, executive media interview briefs, news releases, website content and fact sheets on organizational programs, initiatives and key messages
- Supervise the Communications Manager and communications consultants, as well as manage the relationship with vendors and contractors, including public opinion research partners.
- Ensure our communications follow guidelines and legal requirements for 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.
Skills, Experiences, and Attributes:
More than anything, we’re looking for someone who loves to develop bold, creative, and impactful communications strategies and who loves to write. The person who will thrive in this role enjoys working collaboratively across teams and can build and effectively manage a team and internal systems to produce a high volume of communications across four brands in at least two states with different political, cultural, and media landscapes.
We need someone who can communicate meaning and clarity across issues, programs, and movement areas. And, we’re looking for someone who can craft powerful messages to move people and the public narrative forward on gender equity, transgender and LGBQ rights, abortion access and reproductive freedom, gender-based violence, economic justice, and civil rights. Additionally:
- At least 5 years experience in a wide range of organizational communications disciplines.
- Proven success in developing strategic communications initiatives to advance organizational and campaign goals.
- Proven management skills, including leading a diverse team, supervision, and budgeting; experience designing, planning, and implementing effective communications strategies.
- Ability to translate “lawyer speak” and legal jargon for a non-lawyer audience.
- Exceptional editing and writing skills for a wide variety of external and internal audiences, including policymakers, traditional and alternative media, grantmakers, supporters, and advocates.
- Ability to articulate the intersections between gender justice, racial justice, and LGBTQ liberation; demonstrate competency and fluency in each of these areas.
- Ability to work collaboratively and “manage up” with colleagues to get the information, input, and perspective necessary to produce quality work.
- Commitment to our mission and values, which include racial, social, and economic justice, in addition to gender justice.
- The ability to work respectfully and effectively with BIPOC people/communities and gender diverse, transgender, and/or nonbinary people/communities is essential.
- Ability to handle multiple, concurrent assignments, effectively delegate, and take a variety of projects from start to finish.
- Ability to effectively cope with ongoing change, shifting gears when needed and supporting staff with wit, candor, and direction.
- Sense of humor and ability to comfortably handle uncertainty while laughing along the way.
Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that members of under-represented groups tend not to apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.
Employees are eligible for employer-subsidized health and dental insurance, unlimited paid discretionary leave, 3% employer-match to retirement plan, and an annual professional development budget. 12-weeks fully paid parental and medical leave for employees working at least 20 hrs/week after six months. 12-weeks fully paid sabbatical leave after five years. Gender Justice is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to build a staff reflective of our values of equity and inclusion with regard to race, culture, ethnicity, class, religion, physical ability, age, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. As an organization working in solidarity with the reproductive justice, economic justice, and racial justice movements, Gender Justice is committed to fostering the leadership of women, people of color, Native and indigenous people, LGBQ and trans people, immigrants, and others living in marginalized communities.
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