Communications Director

Strategic Planning

• Work closely with national leadership on all aspects of DSA’s communications strategy and political messaging, both internal and external
• Develop, promote, create infrastructure for and deliver a multi-faceted comms plan to promote DSA and democratic socialism nationally
• Ensure that internal and external communications strategies further current campaign goals, continually expand our working class base, and provide avenues for members to become more active.
• Work with the other DSA staff directors to coordinate with national leadership and lead staff

Content Management & Messaging/Branding

• Oversee DSA communications, including the organization’s website, social media, and membership emails, ensuring that content meets a high standard of quality and is in line with the organization’s political messaging, as determined by elected leadership
• Support DSA’s messaging across publications, including coordination with DSA publications Socialist Forum and Democratic Left
• Delegate creation of internal and external content, including talking points, statements, membership emails, news releases, op-eds, letters to the editor, articles, blog posts, and social media content including video, memes, ads, etc. that reflect the lives and experiences of our base
• Increase our digital footprint by expanding our relationships with relevant platforms and aligned communities and organizations on social media.
• Identify and seize opportunities to promote DSA messages and spokespeople in reaction to events in the news cycle

Media Relations

• Increase coverage of socialism, DSA and priority campaigns and issues by cultivating relationships with reporters, editors, producers, bookers, bloggers, influencers and other media professionals or popular new media individuals
• Develop a plan for engaging with the new media landscape with an emphasis on increasing DSA’s video and graphic design output

Team Leadership & Coordination with Member Leaders

• Strategize and support the national Comms Committee, which includes two stipended Comms Co-Chairs, to carry out a national strategy and day-to-day decision-making on media inquiries, social media, graphic design, and more
• Work closely with DSA’s Co-chairs as DSA’s primary spokespeople, including identifying and prepping for media appearances, op-eds, and other opportunities
• Identify and train diverse DSA spokespeople from national leadership, chapters, and campaigns
• Supervise and decentralize comprehensive communications support and training for DSA chapters across the country
• Supervise Comms staff and provide leadership and professional development to carry out DSA’s comms strategy

Performance Analysis

• Monitor media coverage, analyze sentiment, and evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies

Perform other duties which may arise based on the needs of the organization.

Qualifications

• At least 3 to 5 years in a high level position in comms, preferably with a left organization or union and preferably on a national level
• Demonstrated knowledge, experience and self-motivation leading a comprehensive comms strategy working with staff and volunteers or members
• Ability to work effectively with member leaders from varying political viewpoints underneath DSA’s big tent
• Creativity to produce exciting and interesting content and ability to propose thoughtful and unique communication strategies and projects to national leadership
• Experience managing a team of at least two people
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a non-traditional leadership structure, adapting to changing political conditions and organizational needs
• High level of accountability, responsibility, and dependability
• Ability to travel on occasion
• Commitment to democratic socialist, feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-heterosexist and pro-worker action, and identify as a socialist and be grounded in democratic socialist politics; general agreement with the positions and perspectives of DSA
• Experience working in a membership-led organization and/or with member leaders that direct the work (preferred)