Director of Communications at Public Rights Project

Public Rights Project envisions a democracy built by the people that delivers equity and justice —- where every community has a government fighting for their civil rights.

About The Organization

Public Rights Project (PRP) is an 501c3 non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 2017 by Jill Habig, an Ashoka award-winning fellow and former civil rights attorney. PRP is a fully remote team working across nine states. Some of its key funders include Ford Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Crankstart, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Democracy Fund.

Vision: Envision a democracy built by the people that delivers equity and justice — where every community has a government fighting for their civil rights.

Mission: To close the gap between the promise of our laws and the lived reality of marginalized communities. PRP works hand in hand with local, state and tribal governments across the U.S. to equitably enforce laws that protect people's civil and human rights.

Impact: Since its founding in 2017, PRP has trained 131 prosecutors and government lawyers in 24 states in the principles and practices of equitable implementation, built a partner network of over 670 government offices, elected officials, and community based organizations in 43 states, secured court victories on police accountability, abortion, immigrant, workers', and voting rights, and helped to recover over $46 million in relief for marginalized people.

Learn more about Public Rights Project's impactful work at https://www.publicrightsproject.org.

About The Role

What You'll Do

Public Rights Project is seeking a Director of Communications to lead development and execution of communication and storytelling strategies for the organization. Reporting to the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer and serving on the senior leadership team, the Director will be responsible for driving content and engagement activities to improve brand awareness and support with the press, partners, donors, and other key stakeholders.

The Director will enhance PRP's organizational voice and visual identity while ensuring quality, consistency, and our core values across all external platforms. They will manage the media relations program, driving a press strategy that can advance the work of PRP and local government officials among audiences who care about civil rights and democracy. They also will manage key projects, create editorial products that sharpen PRP's messaging, and provide coaching and training support to staff.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned communications professional and strategic storyteller with a proven track record of making data-driven decisions and improving results. This is a great opportunity for an equity-focused leader passionate about deploying public interest communications at the intersection of law, government, and social justice.

Who You'll Work With

You will report to the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead and manage execution of an annual communication plan with measurable goals and outcomes, leveraging internal collaboration, storytelling, and traditional and new media channels to promote brand awareness and support.
• Drive a content strategy that showcases PRP's unique approach and the impact we co-create with our local government partners.
• Advance program strategies through effective communications, including innovative social media, creative assets, editorial products, and content highlighting our mission.
• Direct PRP's editorial style, tone of voice, and visuals, ensuring that internal resources are forward-thinking and updated regularly.
• Ensure that internal and external materials drive PRP's communication strategy, meet high standards, and reflect input from relevant staff members.
• Draft, edit, review, and proof external communications, including messaging, remarks, reports, op-eds, and other collateral.
• Act as a project manager to drive key projects to completion.
• Manage media relations and public relations, including the preparation of press releases, talking points, FAQs, and other materials as needed.
• Identify and act on rapid response opportunities to further the national narratives and local storytelling that highlight the importance of PRP and our partners.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with media outlets, industry influencers, and stakeholders to generate coverage and amplify our thought leadership, credibility, and visibility.
• Coordinate closely with the development team to ensure that communications and marketing support fundraising objectives and benchmarks.
• Build and engage a robust network of strategic communications contacts in peer and partner organizations to support collective advocacy campaigns and initiatives.
• Work on executive communications and thought leadership in collaboration with the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer.
• Ensure consistent messaging across the organization and our brand ambassadors through training and creating resources for staff and partners.
• Manage relationships with multiple vendors, working closely to optimize budget and performance.
• Model PRP's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and lead efforts to embed these values in our communication processes and activities.
  
  

Required Skills And Experience

• 10-12 years of communications experience, with at least 2 years of senior-level experience leading communications and/or media campaigns in a nonprofit environment.
• Bachelor's degree or any equivalent of training, education, and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.
• Experience working in a legal advocacy organization, government office, and/or national network preferred.
• Demonstrated success in developing and leading successful communication strategies to advance advocacy initiatives and elevate organizational brand identity.
• Demonstrated experience distilling technical content into clear, concise messages and tailoring communications for audiences with various backgrounds, interests, and levels of understanding.
• Demonstrated experience building media relationships and responding to press requests.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present ideas clearly to colleagues and audiences.
• Exceptional project management, planning, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple content streams and competing deadlines.
• Effective time management skills, with the ability to maintain productivity, adapt to shifting priorities, and move through ambiguity.
• Excellent judgment and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, and quality.
• Exemplary interpersonal skills, particularly active listening skills, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced environment while being highly responsive with team members to ensure cohesive communications and branding efforts.
• Experience managing crisis communications or other rapid-response communications is a plus.
• Experience working in a collaborative, remote team environment with regular virtual meetings and frequent project updates.
• Passion and commitment to using the power of government to protect marginalized communities' civil rights and freedoms.
• Commitment to the mission and core values of Public Rights Project, especially DEIB.
  
  

Equity at Public Rights Project

PRP is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. A diverse and inclusive workplace, both at PRP and within the government offices we serve, is a key ingredient for achieving our mission of building equitable enforcement capacity within state and local government.

We aim to assemble a team that reflects the world we live in and the communities we serve with respect to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and immigration status. People with personal or family experience with the type of harms we seek to combat, including wage theft, predatory lending, fraud, discrimination, and environmental degradation are particularly encouraged to apply.

Additional Details

Remote Work Environment

PRP is a fully remote organization and team. This role may require travel a few times a year to PRP events or meetings. We currently have remote staff in Oakland, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), and Washington, D.C., as well as other cities.

Application Accessibility On-Ramps is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info@on-ramps.com.