Overview

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) envisions a world where all people are equally valued and lead self-determined lives. FJS advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people and promotes gender and racial justice by ensuring those most affected by injustice have the resources they need to cultivate the leadership and solutions that transform our world.

FJS makes grants to local, national, regional, and global organizations and networks with an emphasis on Francophone West Africa, Mesoamerica, South and Southeast Asia, and the US Southeast. FJS supports efforts that advance long-term, structural change and meet immediate needs that enable women, girls, and LGBTQI people most affected by injustice to be leaders, strategists, and agents of change.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Communications Officer implements our external communication strategy. Reporting to the Director of Communications, the Communications Officer will play an essential role in implementing our philanthropic advocacy strategy and uplifting thought leadership of staff. The ideal candidate for this position is a great writer, has a strong understanding of the philanthropic sector, has a track record of securing press coverage for an organization, and a strong commitment to women’s rights and LGBTQI movements globally. This position is based in New York with an expectation to work in the office three days per week. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Media Relations:

  • Implement the external communications portion of philanthropic advocacy strategy
  • Proactively identify opportunities to share FJS’s work and thought leadership with philanthropic audiences
  • Perform media outreach to achieve placement in philanthropy-focused publications
  • Identify opportunities for presentations and public speaking
  • Build an internal speakers bureau of thought leaders on staff to advance our philanthropic advocacy
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with journalists
  • Maintain a media database
  • Respond to media inquiries
  • Maintain records of media coverage and track coverage metrics

Support Staff to Effectively Communicate Organization’s Message: 

  • Provides coaching/training on public speaking and supports with creating presentations 
  • Provide writing support for staff who are engaging in advocacy and thought leadership work 
  • Review and edit drafts of staff articles and presentations 
  • Develop talking points on priority issues 
  • Seek opportunities to enhance the reputation of the organization and uplift thought leadership and learnings of staff and coordinate speaking events

Content Creation: 

  • Develop, write and edit communications materials, including press statements, blog posts, articles, case studies, and toolkits
  • Contribute to FJS’s archive of communications assets, including stories, photos, interviews and transcripts, and reports that demonstrate FJS’s and grantee partners’ work
  • Collaborate with communications associate to populate editorial calendar

Administrative

  • Contribute to creation of annual departmental workplan
  • Contribute to annual budgeting process
  • Contribute to building the foundation and infrastructure of the communications team (eg. communications best practices and policies)  
  • Manage organizational subscriptions (e.g. NYT, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, Alliance Magazine, etc.)

REQUIREMENTS

  • Demonstrated commitment to the foundation’s vision and mission and deep alignment with its values.
  • Knowledge of, passion for, and firm grounding in grassroots, global women, girls and LGBTQI rights movements.
  • Familiarity with the philanthropic sector. 
  • At least 7 years of experience in communications roles within human rights and social justice nonprofit or philanthropic sectors, with a focus on public relations and content creation 
  • Excellent writing skills and the ability to develop a variety of types of compelling content (e.g., reports, toolkits, and articles).
  • Experience training other staff to communicate effectively (e.g., public speaking, effective writing) 
  • Experience working in a hybrid work environment and comfort with video conferencing tools. 
  • Strong project management and time management skills.  
  • Effectively managing competing priorities and can re-prioritize tasks as needed.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a small team-oriented environment while also carrying out responsibilities with considerable independence.
  • Willingness to  travel to participate in staff retreats. 
  • Eligibility to work in the United States.

PREFERRED ASSETS

  • Fluency in Spanish and/or French.
  • Long-term commitment to or involvement in international women’s/LGBTQI rights movements.
  • Ability to listen actively, synthesize input, build consensus, and respond effectively to opportunities and challenges.
  • Willingness to embrace critical feedback with a positive attitude; embodies humility, diplomacy, and strength of character.
  • Track record of working with media and journalists.

COMPENSATION AND CULTURE

Salary Range: $111,760-139,700  depending on experience.

FJS offers a benefits package that includes:

  • 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for all eligible employees and their spouses, domestic partners, and eligible dependents.
  • 15 Paid vacation days, and office closure Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day.
  • 401(k) retirement plan (with employer match).
  • 100% employer-paid life insurance, supplemental short-term disability, and long-term disability.
  • Generous paid parental leave with full salary continuation.
  • Educational support benefits – tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment, dependent tuition assistance.
  • Supplemental benefits for adoption, reproductive health, surrogacy, and transgender and intersex health.

Preference will be given to candidates that apply by September 19th.

Covid-19 Guidelines

All staff are expected to be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination on, or before the official start date. Failure to provide proof of vaccination will result in revocation of FJS’s offer of employment.

FJS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

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