Senior Media Relations Manager

Overview 

About Caring Across Generations: 

Caring Across Generations is a national campaign that brings together all people touched by care — family caregivers, care workers, older adults, and people with disabilities — to transform the way we care in this country, and to create an inclusive society that helps all of us reach our full potential, live well, and age with dignity. 

This year and into 2020, Caring Across is entering our ambitious next phase: launching a national campaign for Universal Family Care (UFC), which is a new framework to cover care at every stage of life. Everyone contributes and everyone benefits to receive access to benefits ranging from childcare to paid family and medical leave, to elder care to supports for people with disabilities, all through one easily navigable, financially stable system. Universal Family Care is forward-looking, rooted in smart economics and common sense, and fundamentally committed to advancing gender, racial, and economic justice. 

About the Position: 

The Senior Media Relations Manager will be an ambitious leader and highly effective project manager. They will guide our efforts to build and shape a new narrative around caregiving, economic security, and the American social contract in the press while elevating UFC as the solution we need, and be adept at leveraging key cultural and political moments to reach and galvanize new audiences. This person will have a strong strategic bent, depth of knowledge, and pulse on current social issues that intersect with care — including economic policy, women and family issues, labor, immigration, politics, and health care — and will be able to manage and adapt the day-to-day implementation of our communications strategy to engage in and shape the larger current public discourse. 

The Senior Media Relations Manager will be supervised by the Director of Communications and work closely with the Communications Associate and the digital team with opportunity for growth. 

Responsibilities 

● Create and implement robust earned media relations strategies, including creating effective messages and pitches; developing and seeing through creative ideas to elevate 

caregiving as an urgent, intersectional issue and UFC as a solution; and jumping on rapid response opportunities 

● Cultivate strategic relationships and partnerships with target reporters, editors, influencers, and media institutions to elevate Caring Across’s brand and engage specific audiences 

● Write media advisories, statements and press releases 

● Create fact sheets, talking points, and media template materials such as LTEs, messaging guides, op-ed outlines, etc. for national allies and local field partners 

● Lead ongoing spokespeople media training and opportunity-specific media prep 

● Create, manage and maintain updated media lists and manage press monitoring and daily clips distribution to flag relevant stories 

● Organize press conferences and act as a media liaison at public events, as well as with communications staff at partner organizations and allied campaigns as appropriate 

● Help manage content creators such as Care Fellows and Activist Network members, and thought leadership opportunities for Caring Across staff, working closely with the Communications Manager and the Communications Director 

● Assist Communications Director in managing the communications team day to day, including overseeing the execution of deliverables, tracking projects and deadlines, facilitating meetings, and providing editing and proofreading support 

Qualifications 

● Minimum of five years of communications and media relations experience, ideally at a national campaign 

● Proven track record of successful strategy development and high-profile, prolific placement in print, radio, TV and online media, including experience with both rapid response and long-lead story development 

● Commitment to the Caring Across Generations mission as part of a broader social justice movement dedicated to racial, economic, and gender justice 

● Experience with strategic narrative development, ideally on a range of social issues 

● Quick and persuasive writer with the ability to translate complex issues into everyday language and memorable sound bites; sharp, engaging writing for speeches and presentation development a plus 

● Excellent communications and presentation skills 

● Strong project management, time management and strategic planning skills, with a demonstrated ability to bring an idea to life through supervising a team 

● Organized self-starter who thrives under pressure and tight deadlines 

● Ideally comes to us with a strong set of media relationships; journalism and/or political campaign experience a huge plus 

How to Apply 

Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis until it is filled, but preference will be given to those who apply by midnight ET on September 9, 2019. 

Please send application materials to jobs@caringacross.org. Applications should include: 

● A resume 

● Answers to the following questions in lieu of a cover letter: 

○ What is your motivation for applying to this role? (suggested word limit: 200) 

○ Describe a time when your creative idea and work resulted in breakthrough press coverage (Limit 200 words) 

○ Describe a challenging project you led and how you approached it related to one or more of the responsibilities above (Limit 200 words) 

● Three writing samples (e.g. media pitch, press release, op-ed, etc.), along with a representative clips portfolio that resulted from your media pitching and strategizing 

Compensation, Benefits and Work Schedule 

This is a full-time, exempt position, with occasional evening and weekend work based on need. The annual salary is $75,000. Position is based in New York City (highly preferred) or Washington, DC. 

Caring Across Generations is a project of, and fiscally sponsored by, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Bend the Arc offers a comprehensive benefits package including: 

● Medical, dental and vision benefits fully paid for by Bend the Arc for individual coverage and generous employer contribution of 80% toward monthly premiums for dependent and family coverage; 

● Long and short term disability benefits fully paid for by Bend the Arc; 

● 401K with employer contribution of 2% after your first year; 

● Paid time off including: 

○ 15 vacation days during your first three years with an increase to 20 vacation days in your fourth year 

○ 12 sick days per year 

○ 23 paid holidays each year 

○ Generous Caregiving / Personal Leave of Absence policy with a Paid Leave Benefit that covers 3 weeks of paid leave for each year of employment, up to 12 paid weeks after four years on staff 

● Adoption Assistance Program providing reimbursement of up to $1,500 for qualified adoption expenses; 

● Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account; 

● Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account for eligible health related expenses; 

● Commuter Benefits; 

● Employee Assistance Program; 

● Life Insurance fully paid for by Bend the Arc 

● And more! 

We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction. Bend the Arc is an equal opportunity employer. 

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.