Communications Manager

Communications Manager
Location: California

For more than 50 years, Public Advocates Inc. has been at the frontlines of social justice movements in California, making rights real. As a bold and highly regarded nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination, we pride ourselves on skillfully deploying a three-pronged approach to create systemic change.  Using litigation and enforcement advocacy, policy advocacy, and hard-hitting communication strategies, PA has not only been able to achieve tangible legal and policy victories but also move public discourse in education, housing, and transportation that supports low-income communities of color in building their power and using their voices to influence public decision-making.

Position Summary:

We are excited to announce an opening for a Communications Manager on our dynamic communications team. Reporting directly to the Director of Communication, the Communications Manager will provide execution and implementation support for general organizational and development-related communication.

The Communications Manager will manage key parts of PA’s communications strategy and portfolio, including implementing PA’s strategic communications plan and amplifying its vision, brand, and advocacy priorities through earned media and digital tools. A successful candidate will be skilled in both strategic earned and digital media and able to promote and advance the advocacy/enforcement work of our program teams, community partners, and allies while juggling organizational brand priorities.

The Communications Manager is responsible for supporting press statements, press outreach, email marketing, and organizational development tools with a keen eye for detail and design while managing PA’s website, posting on social media platforms, and providing input on strategy/analytics. The ideal candidate will have strong writing skills and experience working in social justice and share the organization’s mission to advance a visionary narrative that embraces the full humanity of our neighbors and community members, builds power within impacted communities, and centers diverse, directly impacted voices while elevating subject area experts from PA’s staff. 

While the Communications Manager will report to the Director of Communication, they will also work closely with all members of the growing Communications team, PA’s attorneys, Program Directors, and key staff. This position will also work closely with the PA coalition and regional partners and hold leadership positions in some of these spaces. This job can be based anywhere in California; in-person hybrid employment (at our closest office in San Francisco/Sacramento will be required for this in the Bay Area) and future travel (sometimes on short notice) to meet with media on-location may be required. This job is 100% remote for anyone living in southern California but will require travel to offices and for media events as needed.

Responsibilities

Program Communications: 

• Support strategic communications efforts to advance key PA campaigns and brand identity 
• Identify strategic opportunities to elevate PA’s brand, mission, and policy priorities.
• Lead/assist programmatic teams w/development and execution of media plans, messaging houses, and action campaigns with program staff as assigned
• Execute communications plans, including developing compelling materials, crafting talking points drawn from PA’s messaging research efforts
• Update/create PA communications materials and documents.
• Provide support to program teams in preparing, formatting, and releasing reports
• Assist team with production and distribution of e-newsletter.

Press Relations:

• Pitch and build relationships with reporters to further PA’s strategic narrative goals
• Support press release functions, including maintenance of press lists and logging of press interactions with reporters and press outlets throughout California
• Send staff alerts regarding press hits.

Website:

• Manage the continued development of the website to engage diverse audiences and all website updates
• Work w/team to generate and upload creative content to website (blog posts, articles/news clips, videos, and other documents) and related media.
• Review content weekly and proactively advise the Director of Communication on content updates to the website.
• Respond to website publishing requests as needed and complete regular website updates as assigned

Digital Media: 

• Grow engagement on social media channels.
• Assist with creating and maintaining a digital editorial calendar.
• Generate and execute daily content and ads, including visual content on FB, Twitter and other social media channels 
• Support in tracking, analyzing and reporting on web and digital communication metrics
• Manage PA’s Google ads and analytics.

General Organization Communication: 

• Identify opportunities to build and improve on PA’s communications framework.
• Coordinate support on all earned media assets, E-blasts, statements and communications projects, presentations, videos, and assets as needed.
• Manage design assets (images, photography, graphics, sound files, video uploads)
• Create communications assets/products using graphic design or work with contracted graphic designers on said products

Development Communication: 

• Edit and format key development-related e-communication pieces (e.g., appeals, fundraising campaigns)
• Assist development team with copy editing and content of fundraising appeals. 
• Work w/development team to draft, upload and maintain development-related content to the website
• Provide day-of execution support for organization events.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in a communications-related position
• Ability to independently generate and update program communication content and products and to assist with other writing assignments; strong writing, grammatical, verbal, and interpersonal communications skills; a talent for editing, fact-checking, and proofreading documents.
• Ability to update and post on WordPress website as well as set up and send e-action alerts via Muster and Constant Contact (or demonstrated an aptitude for learning how to skillfully use new software tools)
• Experience and savvy with social media and web integration with social media
• Ability to perform basic graphic design using tools like Canva; demonstrated facility working with social media assets
• Some experience with media relations, general understanding of how reporters do their work and what is considered news (i.e., journalism-school background or studies in communications or journalism)
• Experience and skill in managing short deadlines and multiple, simultaneous tasks; demonstrated initiative in assigned work areas
• Preference for candidates w/:
  • Demonstrated passion for using communication as a social justice advocacy tool.
  • Willingness to learn new information/content related to PA’s policy areas.
  • Experience working in coalitions or with other social justice advocacy organizations.

Qualities expected of all Public Advocates staff include integrity, high professional standards, commitment to progressive social change, and working successfully with diverse colleagues, clients, and community partners. This includes active participation in promoting healthy workplace culture through our organizational diversity and inclusion initiative – an ongoing and intensive process of communication, trust-building, and learning about our individual and organizational areas for growth. We strive to build a culture of cooperation and mutual support and value flexibility, resilience, optimism, curiosity, and humor.

Compensation & Work Setting

The position is full-time (37.5 hours/week), exempt.  The starting salary range for this role is $72,000 to $82,000, depending on experience. Benefits include full health and dental insurance for employees and eligible family members; life and long-term disability insurance; generous vacation and paid holidays; 403(b) retirement plan; and paid sabbatical after seven years.

We are open to candidates based in Los Angeles or within commuting distance of our San Francisco or Sacramento offices. Our San Francisco headquarters is located on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Our downtown Sacramento office is located a few blocks from the Capitol. Both are convenient to public transit, and we offer access to tax-advantaged commuter benefits.

*At the time of this posting, our staff has a hybrid work model based on the community covid-19 levels in SF and Sacramento and commutes to the office 1-2 days a week, depending on those levels. We continue to adapt our return-to-office strategies to meet the needs of both the organization and the staff.

Please note that we have a vaccination policy that requires all employees either establish that they have been fully vaccinated or obtain an approved exemption as an accommodation.

Application Instructions

Applications are welcome immediately; the position opens until filled. To be considered, applications must include: 1) a cover letter that a) explains your specific interest in this role, b) addresses how your identity and/or lived experience have informed your desire to use your skills to advance social justice, and c) describes both a traditional communications project and a digital media project you have managed or contributed significantly to that will help us understand your qualifications; and 2) a resume. Submit your application (and/or questions) by email to CommsMgr@publicadvocates.org.

Public Advocates reflects the rich diversity of California. Two-thirds of our employees and 60% of our Board members are people of color. Our senior leadership team also reflects our commitment to diversity. Four of six members — including our President & CEO — are people of color, and three of six members are women.

Public Advocates seeks to fill this position with someone who shares our values, including our organizational commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion. We encourage all interested individuals to apply — especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender or anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category. Read our Diversity Vision Statement here.