Communications Director

Overview

Role Overview

The Communications Director is responsible for IfNotNow’s public voice and strategy. This role drives the big picture thinking and the rapid-fire decision making needed to drive our movement’s narrative strategy across traditional media and digital platforms. This role leads on developing a coherent story to tell about IfNotNow’s ongoing organizing, as well as inserting IfNotNow’s analysis into the public discourse as news breaks. The role is highly collaborative: the Communications Director participates in conversations with IfNotNow’s broader staff team to craft strategy, and in turn involves staff, volunteers, and partners in creating messaging that can balance the many considerations involved in speaking to the Jewish community about Israel/Palestine.

The ideal candidate will have communications experience, collaboration skills, familiarity with the Jewish community’s relationship to Israel/Palestine, and a commitment to speaking to people who don’t already agree with us.

Role Description

1. Create and manage the execution of IfNotNow’s long-term narrative strategy, across all traditional and social media channels.
   Lead IfNotNow’s staff team in developing narrative arcs and tactical plans in line with political priorities and campaign strategy. This work includes creating and getting feedback on messaging; coordinating and facilitating relevant meetings; working with the Campaign Director and Field Team on actions.
   Coordinate other staff members, volunteers, and contractors to develop and execute digital strategy and content calendar for digital ads, email, video, creative content, and website for various stages of narrative arcs. (This includes managing IfNotNow’s part-time Social Media Manager.)
   Work with creatives to make evergreen/long-term content for campaigns and general narrative interventions (e.g. campaign videos, logos, branding).
   Maintain an analysis document and ensure that it is incorporated into movement strategy.
2. Lead on IfNotNow’s short-term narrative strategy, across all traditional and social media channels.
   Track major news developments, in the region, in U.S. politics, and in our community with an eye toward identifying narrative interventions; bring members and staff into developments to adapt strategy to keep up with the moment.
   Work with various teams of staff and volunteers to craft rapid response messaging and narrative arcs; collaborate with Political Director on writing and coordinating distribution of talking points to grassroots and grasstops (influencers, partners, and politicians).
   Oversee and approve all public facing messaging: scripts, action visuals, curriculum, and digital messaging  (events, social media, email, and petitions).
   Support all digital tactics in above section on short term projects and rapid response.
3. Develop and support local comms leadership in service of IfNotNow’s campaigns.
   Create and support structures for comms leaders to participate in national comms conversations.
   Support the leadership development of top comms leaders.
   Give ongoing support to local and national comms teams, coordinate mentorship during actions and other major events.
4. Lead on press outreach and strategy.
   Ensure that press strategy is embedded into the execution of our broader movement strategy, nationally and locally.
   Identify, develop, and maintain relationships with journalists working on our issue(s).
   Connect press requests with spokespeople, including prepping spokespeople.
   Manage press statements, including identifying moments to send statements, drafting and incorporating feedback on language, and sending statements out over email and social.
   Pitch stories about IfNotNow’s work and perspective, especially during major campaign moments.
   Track press hits on IfNotNow and ensure that important press hits are amplified across social channels.
   Develop longer-term thought leadership and public profiles of spokespeople for the movement.
   Write, edit, and pitch op-eds that are written by staff and volunteers.
5. Support partnerships and organization strategy.
   Participate in staff strategy conversations, with an eye towards advancing IfNotNow’s narrative and communications through strategic and programmatic work.
   With the Political Director, co-coordinate partnerships with organizations in our movement landscape, including soliciting ongoing feedback from partners on communications plans.
   Support on IfNotNow’s political strategy and help execute political comms in concert with overall communications strategy.

Other responsibilities as a member of IfNotNow staff:

1. Take a high level of (shared) responsibility for IfNotNow as an organization and a movement, and orient towards the bigger picture of our work, our long-term strategy, and the landscape we operate in. Notice gaps in our work and take initiative to collaboratively find creative solutions.
2. Commit to building a multiracial, multiethnic, cross-class Jewish movement, and let that inform all aspects of our work.
3. Build strong, functional, and empowered volunteer teams.
4. Participate in team-wide fundraising drives and donor stewardship.
5. Initiate, hold, and invest in relationships with partner organizations; navigate the organizational landscape with
6. integrity, humility, and grace.
7. When occasionally necessary, drop what you’re working on and pivot to take advantage of a fast-moving political opportunity.

Qualifications

Essential qualifications specific to this role:

1. Experience in communications, including:
   Excellent writing ability, able to craft sharp, memorable copy under short deadlines and for different audiences.
   Strong editing, proofreading, and verbal communication skills
   Capable of pitching stories to the media
   Understanding of the role of different communication channels (e.g., email vs Instagram vs press statements) and how to create a cohesive narrative strategy
   Experience in design, planning, and execution of communications and digital storytelling.
   Ability to use the same core message to speak to different audiences.
2. Comfort in social media management, as well as familiarity with using digital platforms (such as Twitter, Instagram, and various email programs) to support movement communications.
3. Ability to work with others to track recent developments (in Israel/Palestine, in our politics, or in our community), assess their significance, and turn those assessments into a compelling narrative to move IfNotNow’s strategy forward.

Essential qualifications for being an IfNotNow staff member:

1. Willingness to take a high level of responsibility over IfNotNow as an organization and movement, and orient towards the bigger picture of our work.
2. Commitment to building strong interpersonal relationships, as a foundation for building a strong organization and movement. Can give and receive constructive feedback, communicate across differences, and reflect with self-awareness.
3. Strong project management skills. Ability to coordinate staff and volunteers around projects, and to manage up and sideways.
4. Investment in building a multiracial, multiethnic, cross-class Jewish movement.  Ability to build trust with leaders from diverse backgrounds and regions.
5. Leadership development skills. Commitment to empowering volunteer leaders while investing in and tracking their growth.

Additional preferred qualifications:

1. Understanding of IfNotNow’s role in the larger movement ecosystem and/or IfNotNow’s voice and brand.
2. Personal stake in this project (organizing the American Jewish community to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system).
3. Robust understanding of Israel/Palestine politics – within the American Jewish community, US politics, and on the ground.
4. A clear sense of the media landscape on Israel/Palestine, American politics, and Jewish community, including relationships with relevant journalists/outlets.
5. Lived experience of marginalization within the American Jewish community, as part of our commitment to being a movement co-led by Jews who have been historically marginalized by the established Jewish community.