Director of communications
Location
Los Angeles, CA | United States
Job description
ACLU of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Director of Strategic Communications LOCATION Los Angeles (Note: Hybrid and Remote opportunities are available upon request and approval.)
DEPARTMENT Communications
DEADLINE Open until filled
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) seeks a Director of Strategic Communications.
Founded in 1923, the ACLU SoCal has been at the forefront of many major efforts to protect civil liberties, civil rights, and equal justice in California. Principled and nonpartisan, ACLU SoCal has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County (Orange), the Inland Empire (San Bernardino), and Kern County (Bakersfield). ACLU SoCal tackles a vast array of issues, including criminal justice, police practices, First Amendment rights, gender equity and reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, education equity, and economic justice.
Overview This position will be responsible for enhancing the organization’s media advocacy and visibility by leading the press and digital strategy for the organization. This includes securing earned media and editorials; fulfilling ad placements; overseeing execution of owned content in print, web, and social media; and producing regular reports on audience engagement and reach.
The director of strategic communications will manage the Media Team, currently comprised of a senior press strategist and digital strategist, and will work closely with the creative director and the director of strategic partnerships to ensure consistent audience engagement and messaging.
The director will report directly to the chief communications and marketing officer and will play a critical role in the Communications and Media Advocacy leadership team.
CLASSIFICATION Full-time Exempt
This position is
unrepresented and
not a member of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers Union.
Job Responsibilities - Establish goals and benchmarks for the Media Team by developing comprehensive media and content plans consistent with the organization’s mission.
- Make strategic decisions on external communications and media inquiries consistent with the organization’s priorities and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Oversee editorial calendar for web and social media and ensure cohesion across platforms and regular and relevant content.
- Provide quality control and copy editing on all external communications including press releases, op-eds, letters to editor, e-mail marketing, social media, web content, and ads.
- Produce and manage talking points and internal media guidance for all key issues.
- Develop and execute crisis communications plans.
- Conduct media trainings for staff, clients, partners, experts, and organizational ambassadors, including on-air/camera interviews and public speech prep.
- Expand and maintain relations with local, regional, and national news outlets and editorial boards especially in the Southern California region.
- Secure media sponsors for events.
- Fulfill ad placements in radio, TV, digital, social, and out-of-home according to budget.
- Track audience engagement and produce regular reports of earned media hits, social media metrics, and ad reach.
- Supervise Media Team members and facilitate team meetings.
RACIAL EQUITY COMPETENCIES Understanding and Applying Racial Equity - Demonstrate commitment to building or deepening understand of racial equity:
- Core terms and concepts such as structural racism, white privilege, and anti-Blackness;
- The role that racial inequity has played and continues to play in our society;
- How race impacts supervisory relationships, team dynamics, and organizational culture;
- Personal/implicit/unconscious bias;
Working for Racial Equity - Consistently assess structural implications and racially disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions within the context of their job responsibilities; race/ethnicity, intersection of race/ethnicity, gender, identity, and/or sexual orientation;
- Consistently adhere to organization’s racial equity policies and procedures, including those that relate to hiring, retention, and promotion;
- Consistently identify and disrupt ways in which bias plays out in work and/or team;
Leading on Racial Equity - Effectively encourage people to have honest conversations about racial equity, and accept feedback openly, non-defensively, and from a posture of learning.
- Consistently address structural implications and racially disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions by identifying and implementing changes that can produce more equitable outcomes. This applies not only in terms of race/ethnicity, but also at the intersection of race/ethnicity, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.
- Consistently set racial equity outcomes, goals, and performance measures for team, department, or organization, and develop and successfully implement plans to achieve them.
Qualifications - At least 5 years of leadership experience in communications, media, or related field.
- Sound understanding of owned, earned, and paid media.
- Experience making prudent and strategic decisions and taking appropriate action in situations where there may not be clearly established criteria or standards.
- Outstanding managerial skills to comprehensively supervise professional and support staff.
- Ability to create and execute communications plans.
- A demonstrated understanding of advocacy campaigns and litigation.
- Strong media relations, issues management, and crisis communications skills, as well as a deep knowledge base in digital communications, website, and social media.
- Superior writing and copyediting skills for various types of communications including news stories, media pitches, admissions marketing, internal newsletters, internal communications, and crisis communications.
- Excellent strategic planning and resource management skills.
- Success managing through influence in a complex, diverse, team-oriented environment.
- Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills, including public speaking and articulating ideas clearly and succinctly.
- Strong skills in analyzing information, situations, practices, and procedures to define problems, identify relevant concerns, and formulate logical and objective conclusions and recognize alternatives.
- Proven commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion especially in the workplace.
- Working experience with HTML, CSS, Drupal, and WordPress.
- Experience with project management systems such as Asana.
- Experience with CISION and other press management and social media analytics software.
- Spanish language proficiency preferred.
Compensation/Benefits Salary commensurate on experience. The salary range for this position is $110,000.00- $183,000.00. The Organization plans to hire near the median of the salary range.
Benefits include medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff members and their eligible dependents; life and long term disability insurance; 401(k) plan with employer match; ample vacation and sick leave and twenty two paid holidays.
TO APPLY Please submit a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to your application through our online applicant tracking portal.
(NO phone calls PLEASE.)
ACLU of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion and to strive to maintain a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve. ACLU SoCal is an equal opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable law. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply and value people of all races, genders (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientations, disabilities, citizenships, ages, religions, and national origins and who have different marital statuses, family caregiving responsibilities, lived experiences with the criminal justice systems, and genetic information. ACLU SoCal does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these characteristics.
ACLU SoCal is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail
[email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
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