New America is seeking a Senior Media Relations Manager to advance its mission to renew, reimagine, and realize the promise of America. A key member of the central communications team, the Senior Media Relations Manager will oversee the organization’s media relations strategy to build awareness of New America’s programs and people. They will work to build and nurture relationships with local, regional, and national media to elevate New America’s profile in alignment with its new strategic vision.
Working closely with staff across the organization, the Senior Media Relations Manager will steer strategic media engagement efforts to ensure a steady stream of earned placement in mainstream and niche outlets across New America’s core policy areas. They will serve as critical partners to colleagues with varying degrees of media proficiency. This role requires strong media instincts, a keen ability to distill complex topics into an accessible story, and a creative and collaborative mindset.
Responsibilities:
Media Relations – 65%
- Develop and manage a strategic and proactive earned media outreach plan for New America;
- Build and nurture strong working relationships with national and local media outlets;
- Research and maintain press lists, field media requests from journalists, and, as the primary media contact for New America, vet and respond to those requests;
- Develop communications plans to promote New America’s research and subject matter experts to reporters, including pitches, press releases, and individual press outreach;
- Assist subject matter experts in publishing op-eds in external outlets by crafting pitches and identifying opportunities for strategic placement, with an eye on the evolving media landscape;
- Serve as on-the-record spokesperson and primary respondent to the media on behalf of New America;
- Coordinate responses with leadership and other colleagues to ensure accuracy, consistency, and tone of messages are in alignment with content strategy and brand guidelines;
- Develop and conduct media training workshops to build capacity of staff, providing group and individual coaching sessions (e.g., recorded on-camera interviews with feedback); and
- Proactively engage with New America leadership, staff, fellows, and affiliates to offer counsel and ensure media-related needs are met.
Strategic Communications and Management – 35%
- Serve as a senior member of New America’s communications team, providing guidance and coaching to communications team members and helping to shepherd and inform the broader communications strategy;
- Draft external and internal communications on behalf of New America executives as needed;
- Advise senior leadership on communications related to management decisions;
- Lead risk assessment and crisis communications response planning, and take the lead on engagement with media in those situations as needed.
Qualifications:
Candidates for this position should have the following:
- 6+ years of experience in media relations/communications;
- Proven, hands-on experience pitching and placing stories in media;
- Existing relationships with journalists, media partners, and producers a plus;
- Desire to take on a communications leadership role within a dynamic team;
- Prior experience in Salesforce, Google Analytics, and Cision, or other similar data management systems;
- Strong attention to detail, and excellent organizational and time management skills;
- Ability to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively with clients and internal colleagues;
- Excellent writing and communications skills;
- Intellectual curiosity, motivation, and a desire to learn on the job;
- Fluency with word processing programs, database management, and experience with internet research; and
- Adaptable, solution-oriented, tech-savvy, self-motivated candidates are preferred.
Location: This position is based in New America’s Washington, DC, office on a flexible, hybrid basis.
Compensation and Benefits: This position is a full-time role with benefits. New America offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes health care, dental, and vision coverage; a generous retirement plan; 20 days of paid time off in your first year of employment and 30 days of paid time off in subsequent years; 10 paid federal holidays; and an office-wide closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The annual salary will be between $83,500 – $95,000, depending on experience.
Operating Status and Vaccine Policy: New America has made the safety of our staff and our surrounding community a top priority. As part of that commitment, New America staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. New America will require all staff to submit proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19 to be in the DC office.
New America is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization thereby creating a culture that allows us to better serve our mission, our employees, and our communities. We value and encourage the contributions of our employees and strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential and drive outstanding results. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This policy applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.