Senior Director, Communications & Marketing

About Run for Something

Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot races to build sustainable power nationwide. Since 2017, RFS has engaged over 250,000 potential candidates, endorsed over 4,500, and celebrated 1,600+ election victories. RFS alumni drive impactful changes in housing, abortion access, and education, shaping the Democratic Party's future.

RFS fosters a culture emphasizing work-life balance, sustainability, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. With strategic, year-round initiatives, RFS is dedicated to long-term democracy-building.

Learn more about our work and values on our Careers page.

Position Name: Senior Director of Communications & Marketing

Reporting Structure: Chief Strategy Officer

Essential Duties: The primary responsibilities include Communications Program Strategy & Execution (65%) and Management & Leadership (35%).

Job Classification: Full Time, Exempt

Location: Remote, U.S.

Position Summary

Run for Something is seeking a Senior Director, Communications & Marketing to sharpen and elevate the RFS brand and positioning as the pre-eminent organization recruiting and supporting candidates for the left, and connecting key messaging across press, digital, development, and programs teams as RFS approaches its 10th anniversary.

The Senior Director of Communications & Marketing shapes RFS’s long-term narrative strategy and the impact of our initiatives to motivate young people to run for office, amplify profiles of RFS-endorsed candidates and alumni, and broaden public understanding of the pivotal roles state and local offices play in shaping democracy. This includes translating programs and data into defining moments that resonate with supporters, donors, the public and future candidates.

This role sets the external visibility and branding strategy, working closely with an earned media vendor and providing communications support across departments. Additionally, the Senior Director oversees the Digital Communications Director to ensure consistency across digital channels, email, and paid media.

The ideal candidate will have a command of electoral politics and possess exceptional people-centered management, strong relationship building, collaboration, strategic thinking capabilities, and a deep belief in RFS’s mission. The Senior Director, Communications & Marketing also supports organizational priorities, maintains alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals, and upholds the core values while contributing to a collaborative and inclusive culture.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Director of Communications & Marketing is a high-level role and leader on the RFS team. This role will ensure that many programs, projects, and stakeholders are moving efficiently and effectively toward the key goals.

Strategic Planning and Execution [65%]:

• In coordination with the Chief Strategy Officer, develop RFS's narrative and positioning strategy to demonstrate RFS’s impact and translate that strategy into innovative short- and long-term communications plans for press coverage, brand awareness, and national visibility across digital properties.

• Identify and create signature moments, from major milestones like RFS’ 10th anniversary to everyday opportunities from our programmatic work, that connect RFS's impact with key audiences, including press, donors and public interest, proactively adapting messaging and utilizing relevant internal data points.

• Collaborate with the Strategic Initiatives team leads and other key stakeholders across RFS to design and implement the communications campaigns to elevate RFS’s programmatic work into inspiring communications and drive cross-team projects.

• Define core narrative and messaging priorities, including developing compelling and inspiring talking points about our programs, candidates, and organization for staff use in various communications, updating regularly.

  • Lead proactive and reactive messaging, adapting to relevant news while establishing a cohesive voice and consistent messaging across programs and development departments.

• Oversee all outbound communications with the team and consultants, maintaining tone, consistency, and meeting deadlines.

• Serve as a spokesperson for the organization and point of contact for press inquiries while building and coaching a broader bench of RFS spokespeople

• Collaborate with the Co-Founder and President, Amanda Litman, to shape a strategy that utilizes her voice in the most high-impact and strategic ways; utilize alternate voices whenever possible.

• Directly manage press vendor(s) and lead media relations strategy and assign earned media opportunities; collaborate with press vendor(s) by proactively pitching stories, anticipating opportunities for visibility, and making decisions on media efforts.

• Identify communications-related risks and design strategies and solutions for crisis situations and rapid response.

• Extract key insights from research to communicate RFS's mission effectively and align with national conversations.

Management and Leadership [35%]:

• Contribute to organization-wide strategy as a member of the Leadership Team, advocating for RFS’s mission, values, and DEI goals.

• Continuously assess and refine communication strategies while enhancing external communication skills across the organization.

• Lead, mentor, and coach the communications team (including a Digital Communications Director and a Digital Engagement Associate), ensuring KPIs are met and staff development is supported.

• Implement CRM tracking systems across social channels with technology team support and coordinate compliance with campaign finance rules.

• In coordination with the Chief Strategy Officer, oversee budget management, provide training as needed, and manage consultant relationships.

Your role responsibilities may evolve to ensure they align with organizational priorities and that you can continuously contribute to our mission of recruiting and supporting young progressives running for down-ballot offices.

Key Competencies and Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in electoral or movement work, managing communications teams in political campaigns, 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), PACs, or media organizations.

• Demonstrated experience translating organization’s mission and programs into distinct narrative and positioning

• Expertise in developing and executing multi-channel communications and brand strategies, including narrative and positioning, social media, content strategy, press relations, and paid media, with a strong understanding of the national political communications landscape.

• Experience translating complex data and programmatic impact into compelling public narrative and positioning

• Proven experience in budget management, staff supervision, and mentoring in remote settings; demonstrated ability to drive team goals, evaluate metrics, and apply data-driven insights.

• Previous experience in developing inspiring messaging and talking points for principals or organizations

• Skilled in short-form and medium-form writing, talking points, content creation, and adapting strategies based on digital trends and audience needs.

• Strategic mindset with the ability to anticipate needs, make informed decisions, and pivot as necessary; strong emphasis on collaboration, transparency, and problem-solving across teams.

• Strong project management skills, which includes being detail-oriented, coordinating across multiple departments, collaborating with different stakeholders with competing goals, and holding stakeholders accountable to deadlines

• Commitment to DEI principles, with demonstrated experience fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment and upholding organizational values.

• Self-motivated and adaptable, capable of working independently in a remote environment with a deep commitment to advancing Run for Something’s mission and goals.

Plus Qualifications

• Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.

Work Environment

• Run for Something operates as a fully remote organization, with team members collaborating from across the U.S. You will work from home or a location of your choosing.

• This role involves attending approximately two all-staff or team events per year, which may include overnight travel. Reasonable accommodations are available for employees unable to travel or participate in gatherings.

• The position requires working core hours from Monday to Thursday, with occasional night and weekend work.

• To prioritize employee health and safety, all Run for Something employees must provide proof of COVID vaccination, with reasonable accommodations considered for disabilities, medical advice, or sincerely held religious beliefs.

Run for Something is committed to building diverse teams and fostering equitable, inclusive environments that maximize the skills, potential, and unique perspectives of our employees. We strongly encourage individuals from marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with disabilities, to apply—especially those historically underrepresented in elected office. Learn more about our commitment here.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Run for Something on our Careers page.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary for this position is set at $146,600. In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current employees. Run for Something salary bands for a given staff level are benchmarked to the 75th percentile for our sector, and all new employees are paid at the entry point of those bands. Employees then have the opportunity to progress through current salary bands through annual cost of living increases and performance-based pay increases and into new salary bands through promotions.

Learn more about our compensation policy here.

Benefits at Run for Something include:

• Four-Day Work Week (learn more here)

• Unlimited Paid Time Off policy

• Platinum Medical Insurance (100% of premium covered for employees; 50% of premium covered for dependents)

• Dental and Vision Insurance (100% of premium covered for both employees and dependents)

• Professional Development Stipend

• Treat Yourself Stipend ($500 a year to do something that brings you joy)

• Equipment Stipend

• 401k

• Work from Home Stipend

• Cell Phone/Internet Stipend

• 12 weeks of paid family leave

• Paid Sabbatical (after 3 years of service to RFS)

• Employee Assistance Program

• ~ Four weeks in organization-wide holiday closures, including a two-week winter break

• Flexible, remote work environment

• Transition payment for departing employees

Work Authorization

Due to campaign finance restrictions, candidates must have valid work authorization and cannot be foreign nationals. We are legally restricted to hiring only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (green card holders) for this position.

To Apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to early submissions.

For details on our interview process, please visit here.

Please do not contact us via phone, email, or social media for application inquiries. We cannot respond individually due to the high volume of applications. To ensure equity, we do not offer informational interviews for specific applicants. While applying can be challenging, we strive to keep all candidates informed about their status, though responses may occur after the application deadline.