Job Description
Organization overview
Pew Research Center is made up of intellectually curious people from across many fields, places and backgrounds. For decades, our expertise, best-in-class methods and commitment to high-quality, fact-based research have made us a trusted resource for leaders and everyday people around the world.
We generate a foundation of facts that enriches public dialogue and supports sound decision-making. We are nonprofit, nonpartisan and nonadvocacy. We value independence, objectivity, accuracy, rigor, humility, transparency and innovation.
Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Center’s work is carried out by a staff of about 170.
Position summary
The Senior Manager is a strategic driver of the Center’s fundraising narrative and donor experience, helping translate world-class, fact-based research into compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment. Working across communications, fundraising, research, finance and legal, this role creates donor-facing communications and partner engagement. The senior manager will identify high-value opportunities to align prospect outreach with broader Center messaging and developing persuasive concept notes, budgets and outreach plans that move initiatives from idea to funded work.
The Senior Manager is also responsible for ensuring that donors, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Center’s board, are well informed about the Center’s research and influence, maintaining oversight of deadlines, deliverables and compliance requirements, and ensuring internal teams are fully briefed on funder expectations. In partnership with colleagues across the organization, the role leads end-to-end grant reporting—synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data into crisp, evidence-based narratives that demonstrate impact, deepen funder confidence and meet every requirement on time.
The senior manager also supports executive communications by managing stakeholder requests for the executive team. They help the Center’s president and executive team with presentations, press engagements, and social media outreach, including coordinating with external partners, the president’s office, and social and digital teams to maximize visibility and impact.
The Senior manager should have experience with strategic communications and donor relations. They are a superb writer and able to tell a compelling story using both quantitative and qualitative metrics. They are an excellent project manager who can complete projects with minimal supervision. They build strong relationships across teams, get the details right, think strategically and roll up their sleeves to get the job done.
This position reports to the Managing Director of Strategic Communications with a dotted line to the chief of staff in the president’s office.
Primary responsibilities
Funder/donor stewardship coordination and project management
Draft, edit, and oversee the production of tailored written materials for donors, prospects and connectors, including concept papers, proposals, stewardship reports, collateral, and other creative updates on funder investments with the Center.
Translate the Center’s work into prospect and donor communications that are compelling and connected to the core priorities of the institution.
Develop budgets to support fundraising and donor relations.
Contribute to grant proposals and agreements, managing the internal process that ensures adequate consultation with research, communications, finance, legal and HR.
Regularly communicate about fundraising activity to key groups across the organization.
Identify opportunities to incorporate prospect outreach into Center communications activities.
Ensure that the Center’s president, chief of staff, head of new research initiatives, and research directors are well prepared to make decisions about fundraising strategy.
Document and track grant deadlines, deliverables and requirements for current donors.
Brief communications and research colleagues on grant requirements, working together to ensure effective and smooth collaboration for partnerships.
Monitor press mentions of key partners and advise communications leadership on reputation management.
Grant reporting
Work with fundraising, communications and research colleagues to prepare reports for funder or partner organizations.
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to highlight the impact of our work.
Write and edit narrative grant reports.
Project manage grant reports, ensuring all necessary internal stakeholders are consulted and that reports are accurate, thorough and completed on deadline.
Executive Communications
Manage stakeholder requests for the executive team, including strategic counsel, liaising with the external party, preparing talking points and presentations, and liaising with the social and digital teams to maximize visibility.
Identify opportunities for the Center’s president and executive vice president to spotlight the work of the Center.
Draft written materials for the Pew Charitable Trusts and Pew Research Center board of directors on research and partnerships.
Education/training/experience requirements
Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, fundraising/development or related field.
10+ years of relevant experience in communications, fundraising or donor relations.
Experience in a national or international nonprofit, foundation or think tank environment preferred.
Knowledge and skills requirements
Excellent project management skills. Project management certification a plus.
Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills.
Able to work in a team, and across functions, under deadline with diplomacy and poise.
Knowledge of communications strategic planning, fundraising or development, and Creative and strategic thinker.
Highly organized, detail-oriented and able to juggle multiple projects.
Knowledge of project management systems (such as Asana).
Experience writing grant proposals, agreements and reports.
Experience developing program budgets.
Familiarity with tracking and analyzing quantitative and qualitative metrics data.
Knowledge of media management tools (such as Meltwater), and analytics tools (such as Parse.ly) are a plus.
FLSA status: Exempt
Application procedure
Typical starting salary for Senior Communications Manager: $104,000
Location
Pew Research Center staff are required to be present in the Center’s Washington, D.C., office two core days weekly (Tuesday, Wednesday). Staff may work virtually from remote locations on other days in a typical work week.
Application Procedure
Click on the Apply button, and complete required fields. Both cover letter and resume are required.
When requested, please upload a copy of your resume/cv, as well as a copy of your cover letter in the section labeled Resume/Cover Letter. If the documents have successfully uploaded, you should see 2 attached files beneath the “Drop files here” box. Please make sure you have uploaded a resume AND a cover letter before moving on to the next page.
Total Rewards
In addition to competitive pay, Pew Research Center’s employees enjoy a robust total rewards package that includes:
Affordable, comprehensive health care that includes medical, dental (including adult orthodontia) and vision benefits.
Generous paid annual leave plan, including a winter break between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1
Employer-paid disability, life insurance and paid family leave plans
Up to a 12% employer 401(k) contribution, with vesting at the end of the first year.
A 37.5-hour workweek.
Health savings or flexible spending account options with employer funding component.
Flexibility to telework a portion of each week, with an additional four telework “flex weeks” each year for most staff.
EEO:
Pew Research Center makes employment decisions without regard to age, sex, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. We encourage applications from candidates who represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.