Communications Manager

PowerSwitch Action is seeking an experienced communications strategist to drive transformative campaigns that pull cogs from the authoritarian machine and advance multiracial feminist democracy. As Communications Manager, you’ll partner with our local affiliates on powerful organizing, policy, and corporate campaigns in cities around the US. You’ll lead our digital strategy to grow our audience, explain complex issues, and shape narratives online. And you’ll lift up stories of bold community members, working people, and grassroots leaders to inspire action across the country.

The ideal candidate will have strong on-the-ground experience applying the core communications toolbox: email, social media, press, messaging, etc. You’ve run digital programs and are always watching for innovative online tactics you could adopt. You can keep multiple projects moving, plan for and hit deadlines, and collaborate with partners both inside and outside the organization. You will report to our Communications Director and work closely with campaigners, communicators, organizers, researchers, and fundraising teams on both our national staff and at our local affiliates. You may supervise staff, interns, or contractors.

About PowerSwitch Action

PowerSwitch Action (formerly the Partnership for Working Families) is a national network of 21 grassroots organizations pioneering innovative policy and organizing approaches in cities, counties, and states around the US. Our long-term agenda , developed in close collaboration with our affiliates, is to forge multiracial feminist democracy and economies — starting in our cities and sparking national transformation.

Our affiliates weave strategic alliances and alignments amongst labor, neighborhood, housing, racial justice, faith, ethnic-based, and environmental groups. We organize communities, advocate for policy change, and shift power from corporations to the people whose labor has been exploited and voices excluded.

As authoritarians assault our communities and attempt to seize even more power, we’ve focused our work on halting the drive towards autocracy. Together with our affiliates and partners, we are working to:

• Significantly increase the number of people prepared to defy the autocrats and build a civic participation renaissance.
• Pull cogs from the authoritarian machine: challenging the corporations powering it, insisting our elected and civic leaders refuse to cooperate, and making the stakes clear to those who are tuned out or conflicted.
• Counter doom and division with hopeful alternatives that meet people’s needs.

We are not trying to walk back to an old system that failed far too many of us (and created conditions that were ripe for the authoritarians). We are building people power to lay a new road: one leading to a world where our communities are powerful, in control of our lives, and cherished by our institutions and each other.

Key Responsibilities

Campaign Communications

Lead communications for 1-2 major campaigns or programs at a time:

• Work closely with campaigners, our communications team, affiliates, and other partners to develop a communications strategy and orchestrate the work to make it happen.
• Craft messaging and talking points that frame campaigns and shape public narratives around these issues.
• Write op-eds, press releases, email updates, social media content, video scripts, factsheets, blog posts, etc.
• Support local communicators with earned media and spokesperson preparation.
• Advise and build the capacity of affiliates and allies through campaign communications.

Digital

Run our email and social media channels:

• Own our digital infrastructure: coordinate our content calendar, manage our email program (in EveryAction), oversee our social media accounts. You’ll likely supervise an apprentice who can assist with routine tasks.
• Create or support other staff/contractors in crafting compelling content in every digital medium: email, text, graphic, video. We have an amazing creative lead, so we don’t expect you to have strong design/video technical skills.
• Grow our audience, reach, and engagement. Monitor analytics, platform changes, and new trends/approaches to suggest ways to improve our program.
• Run paid list-building and narrative-shaping ad campaigns.
• Explore new digital tactics, such as organizing content creators.

Elevating our Work

• Create communications materials that build awareness and excitement about our network with key audiences (funders, movement leaders, reporters, etc).
• Partner with our program and development team to tell the story of our impact and aggregate achievements across the network.
• Identify reporters, editors, podcast hosts, etc who cover relevant beats. Pitch stories and think pieces that support campaigns and raise the profile of our network. Help field incoming press requests and prepare staff and community members for interviews.
• Jump in during breaking stories and crisis moments to produce statements and talking points, coordinate with partners, prepare spokespeople, etc.

Qualifications

Must-Have Qualifications

Campaign Communications

• On-the-ground experience leading communications for organizing, advocacy, basebuilding, or corporate campaigns. Experience primarily on electoral campaigns is great, but different from what we’re looking for.
• Expertise with the toolbox of common communications tactics: press, social media, email, actions, etc.

Digital

• Experience managing email programs and social media platforms.
• Demonstrated success growing email and social media programs, or applying innovative digital tactics.

Writing & Messaging

• Ability to write quickly and sharply for a variety of audiences and in different formats, from press releases to research reports to op-eds.
• Experience developing and applying messaging guidance and narrative strategies.

Work Management

• Strong organization and tracking skills. You keep projects moving, make sure things don’t slip through the cracks, meet deadlines, and manage your time efficiently.
• Comfortable working remotely with people across the US. Proficient with remote work tools like GSuite, Slack, Zoom, etc.

Additional

• Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, economic and environmental justice.
• Able to travel regularly (typically every 1-2 months) for network gatherings and to support local campaign moments.
• Willing to occasionally work evenings/weekends/long hours during key campaign compressions or rapid response moments.

Appreciated but Not Required

• Track record of success earning media coverage, existing press relationships (especially with national outlets covering labor, tech, politics, housing, climate, social justice), or experience as a journalist.
• Experience working with networks, large coalitions, and other configurations with many stakeholders, varied interests, and other complexities.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or supervising interns, apprentices, and junior staff.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time position and reports to the Communications Director.

We offer a competitive starting salary between $74,000-$93,000 (based on experience) and generous benefits, including:

• 401(k) with 5% employer contribution.
• 100% of health, dental, and vision premiums for employees and their family members (spouse/domestic partner and children).
• Life insurance for employees.
• Flexible Spending Account: Employees may contribute up to $5,000 a year for childcare expenses and up to $2,500 a year for medical expenses (no employer contribution).
• 12 days of vacation, increasing with tenure up to 20 days.
• 12 days of sick leave per year.
• 6 week sabbatical for full time employees after five years of employment.

We aim to offer competitive salaries and benefits and are committed to equity, trust, and transparency in compensation. Basing compensation on someone’s willingness and ability to negotiate or on their prior salary leads to wide inequities and bias in how people are paid, particularly for groups experiencing historical oppression. Therefore, we do not ask for prior pay history from our candidates and our offer-making process is based on the range provided. We determine the best possible salary offer based on relevant experience and the extent to which candidates demonstrate the competencies for the role during the entire hiring process. All staff receive a $2,000 flat raise on their work anniversary that is not tied to performance.

Location

The position will ideally be located in a city in which one of PowerSwitch Action’s 21 affiliates is located, but we will consider exceptional candidates who are located in other cities and major media markets.

To Apply

Please email a letter of interest, resume, and responses to the Application Questions listed below to View email address on click.appcast.io with “Communications Manager” in the subject line. Note: PowerSwitch does not use AI tools in our writing, and we ask that you do not use AI for your application materials — we want to hear your voice.

After an initial phone conversation, candidates will be asked to provide a 1-3 page writing sample, and will be encouraged to provide examples of social media campaigns you’ve run and any earned media placements. Second round candidates will be asked to participate in an exercise. Finalists should be prepared to provide a list of 3-4 professional references including at least one supervisor.

We understand that many strong candidates for this role may have existing work commitments through the fall, and are open to a delayed start date.

PowerSwitch Action is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We strongly encourage and seek applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, skills, and experiences, and to creating a welcoming environment for all employees. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender/gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. Our hiring and employment decisions are based solely on a person’s merit and qualifications.

Application Questions

• How would you like for us to refer to you (i.e. pronouns, preferred name)?
• Why are you interested in working with PowerSwitch Action to help build people power and people’s institutions to realize our collective freedom and liberation? (1-2 short paragraphs)
• Briefly describe your experience working on communications for organizing, advocacy, basebuilding, or corporate campaigns. (1-2 short paragraphs)
• What is the most exciting digital project you’ve led? (1-2 short paragraphs)
• Where are you currently located?
• How did you hear about this role?
• We understand that many strong candidates for this role may have existing work commitments through the fall, and are open to a delayed start date. Approximately when would you prefer to start? (ex: ASAP, November, January).