Communications Director (Remote)

National Center for Youth Law   

The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) works to amplify youth power, dismantle racism and other structural inequities, and build just policies, practices, and culture in support of young people. Our efforts advance justice through research, community collaboration, impact litigation, and policy advocacy that fundamentally transforms our nation's approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice. Our vision is a world in which every young person thrives and has a full and fair opportunity to achieve the future they envision for themselves. 

The Team 

NCYL’s Communications team is responsible for advancing the organization’s efforts through media campaigns and elevating its profile as a nationally recognized leader in the fields of children’s policy, system change, and youth partnership. We deploy a broad range of marketing and communications strategies and tactics to advance the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives, shift the harmful narratives that act as a barrier to systems change, and create a shared understanding about solutions that work for young people. 

Position 

NCYL’s Communications Director is responsible for visioning, leading and implementing the organization’s marketing and communications efforts, from strategic planning through day-to-day tasks. The Director will solidify and advance the organization’s powerful new brand identity, which was launched in April 2022. This is an excellent opportunity for a creative, mission-driven, marketing and communications leader who is excited about identifying and achieving audacious goals, advancing justice in partnership with young people, and playing a key role in establishing and communicating the organization’s identity, strategic direction, and culture. The position reports to the organization’s Executive Director. 

Essential Functions 

• Develop and lead implementation of a visionary organizational strategic communications plan that advances NCYL’s mission. 
• Ensure strategic communications support is provided to advance NCYL’s advocacy and campaign goals across all of our focus areas. 
• Inspire staff with how strategic communications can help advance their work and ensure they have the skills to strategically interact with media and help implement the organization’s strategic communications plan. 
• Lead strategic message development and ensure consistency of messaging. 
• Serve as chief publicist for the organization, achieving national renown for our work and organization. 
• Lead ongoing brand and sub-brand strategy development and promotion of new brand. 
• Develop, deploy, and oversee the organization’s brand marketing and communications plan, including setting goals, measurable objectives, strategies, and tactics. 
• Lead the Communications Team, which includes supervising team members, identifying and working with communications consultants, and ensuring efficient use of resources. 
• Pivot and re-prioritize communications resources as needed to support rapid response scenarios. 
• Establish and manage effective cross-team relationships with organization leadership, program leads, development, and others to identify marketing and communications goals that advance the mission, brand, and day-to-day work. 

Qualifications 

• At least 10 years of experience in communications and/or marketing 
• Demonstrated success in identifying and achieving measurable strategic communications goals 
• Excellent writing and editing skills 
• Strong knowledge of media relations, social media, content, SEO/SEM and email marketing strategies 
• At least three years of demonstrated success leading a communications team within a complex organizational structure 
• Experience supervising non-entry-level staff 
• Passion for growing community power and centering youth through communications strategies and tactics 
• Experience leading communications strategies with an equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racist lens 
• Experience working with advocates, attorneys, youth, elected officials, and/or community leaders 
• Experience working in non-profit, system-change advocacy 
• Experience working on issues impacting young people 
• Experience with promoting responsible storytelling – including working sensitively with people who have been impacted by system involvement to share their experiences, asset framing and working with reporters to dismantle harmful existing narratives 

Physical Requirements 

Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. 

Salary, Benefits & Location 

This is a full-time, exempt position. The salary is competitive at $156,944.00 annually. A geographic salary differential may be applied if the candidate resides somewhere other than the Oakland, CA or Washington, DC areas.

NCYL provides a robust benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, generous vacation and sick benefits, flexible spending account, commuter benefits, employer contribution to a retirement plan, short-term and long-term disability insurance, and medical travel expenses for those seeking gender-affirming care or abortions. 

Candidates must reside in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, or Washington DC. This position requires the ability to work remotely and requires some travel.  

This position is eligible for 100% remote work through March 2023. It is possible that in April 2023, NCYL will require people to work in an office, in which case they will need to be in a location where they can regularly commute to the NCYL office in Oakland, CA, Los Angeles, CA, or Washington, DC. We don't yet know what remote work will look like beginning in April 2023. 

Please submit a cover letter and resume at the link below. Please, no emails or calls. 

Apply at: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/1296252 

Applicants with lived experience within any of our practice areas, and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, are strongly encouraged to apply. 

It is the policy of NCYL to provide equal employment opportunities to all Applicants (including Employees) regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding, national origin, age, abilities/disabilities, neurotypicality, socioeconomic status, veteran status, marital status, prior convictions, or any other protected classifications under federal, state, or local law.