Head of Communications - Remote

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.

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. 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Campaign Communications

On-the-ground experience leading communications for organizing, advocacy, basebuilding, or corporate campaigns.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

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.

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.

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.

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

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).

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. All staff receive a $2,000 flat raise on their work anniversary that is not tied to performance.

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.