Press Secretary

Job Description

Job Description

Press Secretary

Reports to: Chief of Communications
Status: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt
Location: Washington D.C. This is a hybrid workplace, with Mondays and Wednesdays in the office and three days remote, as well as the occasional need to work in person for events and special projects. 
Overtime Status: Exempt 
Salary: $110,000-$140,000

Please apply via our recruiting partner's website

About Groundwork Collaborative

Launched in 2018, Groundwork Collaborative is driven by the idea that We Are The Economy: when all of us are doing well, that is when our economy thrives. We fight for progressive economic policy and narrative change that builds accountable public power, breaks up concentrations of private power, and affirmatively centers people too long left out of prosperity. We understand that taken together, these actions will lead to a stronger and more resilient economy.

Groundwork’s unique structure – part strategic communications, part think tank, and part issue advocacy organization – allows us to drive narrative and policy change with credibility, expertise, and impact. We work across four core audiences – the media, policymakers, economic experts, and grasstops leaders – and use targeted policy campaigns and timely research and messaging to advance a truly inclusive economic worldview.

Position Summary

Groundwork Collaborative is seeking an experienced Press Secretary who will support the organization's communications agenda, focusing on media outreach strategies. This position will drive and coordinate media relations and press outreach efforts, strategize on rollout plans for the organization’s research and announcements, craft press statements and other materials for press audiences, and advise on issue campaigns, economic messaging, and editorial strategy. Working closely with Communications team leadership, the Press Secretary will play a leading role shaping and executing Groundwork’s press strategy, bringing strong discernment for identifying and landing real-time media moments and a strategic eye for sequencing publications, opinion pieces, and press hits into a coherent long-term narrative.

The Press Secretary will also help promote the work and thought leadership of Groundwork’s leadership team and policy experts, including proactive pitching of experts as spokespeople on economic news of the day, providing interview prep and briefings, and building and maintaining relationships with relevant journalists, bookers, and producers. The Press Secretary will keep a finger on the pulse of economic and political conversations happening both in traditional media spaces as well as in new and alternative media in order to help plan and execute media strategies that will position Groundwork as a leading voice on the economy.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a core member of the Groundwork Communications team, driving the organization’s press strategy and day-to-day media operations
• Develop and execute proaction media outreach strategies that advance Groundwork's research, policy agenda, and broader economic narrative. 
• Monitor and analyze the daily news cycle and earned media coverage. Identify trends and opportunities to inform communications strategy. Elevate our experts as spokespeople, and advance Groundwork’s worldview on the economy.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, editors, bookers, producers, and hosts who cover Groundwork’s priority issues.
• Proactively pitch stories, respond to press inquiries, and draft media relations materials, including press releases, media advisories, op-ends, letters to the edit, briefings, taking points, and messaging. 
• Prepare briefing materials for staff interviews with the press. 
• Oversee and manage Groundwork's press lists via our media database and other organizational platforms. 
• Organize press-related events, including calls, conferences, and briefings. 
• Support tracking and reporting media hits and clips across platforms for key internal and external audiences. 
• Collaborate with Groundwork's Policy and Partnerships teams and external partners to pinpoint opportunities to publicize organizations initiatives, activiites, reports, and other content that drives press coverage. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Desired Qualifications 
While no one candidate will possess all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will be passionate about Groundwork’s mission and bring many of the following skills and experiences:

• Seasoned communications professional with a track record of generating high-level, high-impact media coverage and establishing enduring relationships with national reporters, editors, producers, and bookers to create media opportunities.
• Exceptional writer and editor  with an instinct for smart messaging and a knack for translating economic research and narratives into high-profile news moments. 
• Deeply engaged news consumer who follows a broad and diverse range of media and uses that knowledge to inform strategy in real-time.
• Strategic and nimble operator who can balance long-term media strategy with rapid response and shifting priorities in a fast-paced news environment.
• Strong collaborator and creative problem solver who is comfortable working across teams, developing new approaches, and adapting strategies as circumstances change.
• Knowledgeable about the evolving media landscape,  including digital media, content creators, influencers, podcasts, social platforms, and other emerging channels. 
• Committed to Groundwork's mission  and to building a just, inclusive, and robust economy that delivers opportunity and dignity to all Americans. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep expertise in economic policy issues and familiarity with the progressive policymaking and advocacy ecosystems, including Capitol Hill, state and local governments, political campaigns, advocacy organizations, and/or think tanks
• Experience serving as a Press Secretary, Communications Director, or in a comparable senior media role in a policy or advocacy organization, political campaign, and/or Congressional or local political office.
• Established relationships in the new and alternative media space including content creators, podcast hosts and producers, independent journalists, and influencer networks. 

WORK LOCATION, COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Work Location : This role is hybrid position, with Monday and Wednesdays in the office and three days remote, as well as the occasional need to work in-person for events and special projects. Groundwork Collaborative is based in Washington, D.C.

Salary and Benefits : The compensation range for this full-time, exempt position is $110,000 to $140,000 annually commensurate with the candidate’s relevant experiences, capabilities, and skills. A generous benefits package is also provided through Groundwork Collaborative, which includes:

• Excellent health benefits with 100% employer-paid coverage and a generous HRA.
• Five weeks of vacation and personal leave, two week-long office closures, and additional time off for floating and federal holidays.
• Up to 16 weeks parental leave.
• Up to 6% retirement contribution.
• Health club and cellphone reimbursement

Groundwork is a unionized workplace and is represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). This position is in the bargaining unit.

How to apply

More information about Groundwork Collaborative can be found at:

This search is being led by Ellen LaPointe and Emily McCarthy of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via the portal on NPAG’s website. Should you have any questions, candidate nominations, or if you need assistance or accommodations in the application process, please contact Emily McCarthy at View email address on ziprecruiter.com.

Groundwork Collaborative is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity.
Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

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