Communications Director

Title: Communications Director

Salary: $110,000

Classification: Exempt

Location: Virtual with roots in/connections to any of the following states: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, OK, TN, TX, VA, WV 

Travel: Up to 25% (about once a quarter)

WHO WE ARE

At NDS, we are building a coalition across the South that centers the needs and daily experiences of disabled people. Our mission is to improve the lives of disabled people and build strong disability justice and rights movements in the South. We do this by:

• Organizing our communities around the most critical issues we face 
• Tracking legislation and policy that directly affects disabled people and educating our communities on its impacts
• Advancing legislative priorities that center our wellbeing and liberation
• Leading research on key issues 
• Changing media and social narratives about disabled people
• Building community and power outside of the systems that govern and oppress

Through this work, we impact the allocation of resources in our states, increase our collective power, and make this country a better place for us to live. We do this all with the lives and experiences of disabled people at the center (nothing about us without us).

Per our 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, we are centering 4 strategic priorities to advance our mission: Poverty & Care, Criminalization, Democracy, and Technology. 

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for an experienced communications leader who is comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment, C3/C4 structure, and charting the course for the future of NDS’s communications infrastructure. The successful candidate will be experienced in the day to day work of comms, such as content creation, newsletter administration, social media management, press relationships, and writing compelling copy, but will also be able to own the big picture of visioning and designing a communications plan for the nation’s first regional disability justice organization with the end goal of achieving transformational change for disabled people across the South. 

You are equal parts visionary/innovator and implementer/executor. You will oversee our upcoming rebrand and guide leadership on best practices, anticipating pitfalls/roadblocks and needs, keeping in mind both the immediate goals and long term vision. You will serve as a member of the leadership team, weighing in on cross-departmental decisions and initiatives. You will build a comms team as the organization grows, managing our Communications Associate as well as any contractors, and regularly updating other department leaders and staff on Comms department priorities. You are skilled in relationship building with stakeholders and community members, ensuring that the organization’s mission and work are effectively communicated in accessible ways. You have experience leveraging data and analytics to inform strategic decisions and underscore ideas. With a strong foundation of written and verbal communications skills, you will work collaboratively across all departments to ensure the organization’s messaging is consistent and departmental comms needs are being met in innovative and impactful ways. You have the ability to think strategically in hectic and high-pressure situations, including crisis comms and rapid response situations. You will set the tone for all external messaging and branding and will build new and leverage existing relationships with media outlets, journalists, and other media stakeholders, developing strategic marketing plans and handling public relations issues that arise internally or externally.

THE WORK

The Communications Director will be responsible for the following priorities…

Communications Strategy, Vision, Design and Implementation: 50%

• Develop, implement, and evaluate the 3-year Communications Strategic plan and annual work plan(s) for the Comms department
• Serve as the organization’s in-house comms expert and advisor, staying abreast of trends and best practices, proactively communicating needs, and anticipating challenges and opportunities
• Use data to inform and support the day-to-day implementation of comms strategy; display nimbleness and responsiveness by pivoting quickly and adjusting plans when needed 
• Lead the rebrand and relaunch of all websites across the NDS(R) universe, including New Disabled Media (NDM)
• Stay on top of subscriptions/vendors/tools needed to support our Comms work
• Put communications vehicles in place to create momentum and awareness as well as to test the effectiveness of communications activities
• Lead upcoming brand overhaul, including website rebuilds/relaunches, for C3 and C4
• Coordinate webpage maintenance—ensure that new and consistent information (article links, stories, and events) is posted regularly and is accessible for our audiences
• Track and measure the level of engagement within the network over time and regularly report on relevant analytics and trends
• Act as in-house expert on matter of digital comms security, forecast needs, and innovate on internal policies and strategies in partnership with other members of the Leadership Team

External Comms: 25%

• Draft, edit, and prepare relevant materials for external presentations, speaking engagements, press events and pitches, and more
• Lead the generation of online content that engages audience segments and leads to measurable action; decide who, where, and when to disseminate
• Work with other departments to identify their comms needs, develop plans, and support on report-back on the efficacy of these tactics
• Manage the development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic collateral including, but not limited to, newsletters, and brochures
• Develop contacts with members of the press and media, influencers and community leaders
• Develop a brand voice and maintain brand integrity across all platforms for all entities (NDS, NDSR, our podcast network, NDM)

Team Leadership and Management: 25%

• Supervise, mentor, and lead our Communications Associate, ensuring effective execution of their work plan; manage any communications consultants, and update department leaders on Comms department priorities weekly 
• Serve as a member of the leadership team, participating in weekly department heads meetings, supervisor check-ins, and other meetings as needed
• Identify best practices and improve internal systems with an eye toward future needs and budget realities
• Track and be able to define and articulate Comms department impact in EOY impact report, at Board meetings, and in other places as needed

• Work in partnership with the Podcast Network Director to ensure New Disabled Media (NDM) activities are aligned with overall Comms priorities
• Assist in the creation of digital, video, audio and print content
• Other duties as needed in support of the department and organizational mission and goals

Requirements

WE NEED YOU TO HAVE: 

• 5-10+ years of demonstrated experience as a leader in Communications, Social media, PR/advertising, or related
• Minimum of 5 years of experience with digital media, ideally in digital campaigning, social media marketing, or social media management 
• Strong collaboration skills, especially in a remote environment, and strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Demonstrated knowledge and proficiency with communications technologies and experience leveraging technologies creatively to accomplish strategic goals
• Experience with strategic planning, goal setting, and planning and owning a strategy through to completion

• Personal commitment to continuous learning and development: Remains up to date on best practices and approaches to the work; a student of the movement, actively seeking out ways to level up your skills and knowledge base with the goal of applying them in new and innovative ways for maximum impact 
• Ability to efficiently manage your own and your team members’ capacity within the context of a 32-hour workweek, 4-hour per day meeting maximum, mandatory 1 week PTO, and in alignment with Disability Justice  principles

WE’D LIKE YOU TO HAVE 2-3 OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Demonstrated experience with copywriting
• Demonstrated experience with graphic design, layout, and publishing
• 2 years of experience managing a direct report or a team
• Strong experience with leading media or digital strategy for social movement campaigns
• Political communications experience
• Experience managing multi-channel campaigns and/or community building efforts across X, Instagram, Email, Tik Tok, Facebook, and/or text

Benefits

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

We offer…

• 4-day, 32-hour workweek (Fridays off!) with flexibility to work how, when and where you want
• Open Paid Time Off/Sick Leave policy
• Platinum Medical Insurance (100% of premium covered for employees; 50% of premium covered for dependents)
• Dental, Vision, Life Insurance (100% of premium covered for both employees and dependents)
• $1,000/year professional development stipend
• $200 Work from home stipend
• $75 monthly Internet + phone stipend
• Parental Leave: NDS will pay 3 months Full Time off with Full Time pay and another 3 months Part Time hours with Full Time pay
• Medical Leave: We cover the salary differential for either Short Term Disability or Long Term Disability for 3 months or until the conclusion of the leave, whichever is shorter
• 2 months paid sabbatical after 4 years of service to NDS 
• Over 3 weeks in organization-wide office closures, including a two-week winter break and 1 week summer break

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit the following via the Workable platform:

• Your resume and cover letter
• Respond to our screening question on the Workable platform
• One relevant work sample

We will begin interviewing in November/December 2024, with the process continuing once we return from Winter Break in January. Our target candidate start date is late February.

DO YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BE YOU?

If you see yourself in this job description but don’t feel like you meet every single criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway! Research shows that individuals from historically marginalized groups tend to self-select out of opportunities at higher rates. We take a holistic approach to all of our hiring practices and want to hire those who best align with our mission and goals.

New Disabled South is an equal opportunity employer to all regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, actual or perceived gender  identity, age or sexual  orientation. We encourage those who identify as disabled to apply.

OUR NON-NEGOTIATION POLICY

New Disabled South is committed to paying competitive wages and upholding sustainable equity practices. Due to the ways in which salary negotiations perpetuate existing structural inequities, NDS as a practice does not participate in a salary negotiation process for any candidate. We will make our best offer, and it will be the same regardless of the candidate.