DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS + STORYTELLING

Apply Here

submit

Organization: Founded in 2005 by Harry Belafonte and led since 2010 by President and CEO Carmen Perez-Jordan, the mission of The Gathering for Justice is to end child incarceration and eliminate the racial inequities that permeate the justice system. The Gathering for Justice has two state-based task forces, Justice League NYC (established in 2013) and Justice League California (established in 2017), both of which bring together juvenile and criminal justice experts, cultural leaders, advocates, artists and individuals who’ve experienced or been impacted by incarceration directly. We believe in an intergenerational organizing model which draws from diverse communities to utilize our combined power to build the agenda for sustained Black and Brown liberation and healing. In the footsteps of our legendary founder’s activism, The Gathering for Justice and its Justice League state task forces utilize Kingian nonviolence as a social application for systemic change and civic engagement.

Since 2013, The Gathering has stepped up our work building justice initiatives and supporting movements on multiple fronts. We’ve led policy initiatives for police accountability, organized as a diverse ‘family coalition’ to build the agenda for sustained Black and Brown liberation, catalyzed policies to stop the school to prison pipeline, end racial profiling, and stop the militarization of police, and shifted narratives about youth and people who are formerly incarcerated. Since organizing and providing the foundation for the 2017 Women’s March, the largest single-day of protest in history at the time, we’ve expanded our work throughout the country, and built the foundation for long-term justice reform in California, New York, and across the country. 


Job Summary:  The Director of Communications + Storytelling is a member of The Gathering for Justice’s leadership team, responsible for shaping our overall narrative and messaging for each aspect of our work, and developing and implementing integrated communications strategies with media and across The Gathering’s digital platforms. This position works closely with the Executive Team to manage internal and external communications as we build The Gathering’s profile and audience, and to ensure timely, cohesive messaging mobilizes networks of supporters and builds the foundation of our work. 



Responsibilities

Strategy and Alignment

  • Develop and drive major narratives and implement communications strategies that will shift the ways that people think and talk about Black and Brown youth, juvenile justice, and police accountability, and broaden The Gathering’s reach and deepen our impact 

  • With the direction of the Executive Team, develop organizational strategy and oversee implementation plans as a part of the senior leadership team, ensuring alignment with organizational vision, mission, goals, and resources

  • Develop and implement data-driven strategy to grow an engaged audience overall and on each of our digital platforms

  • Cultivate and develop strategic media relationships at the national, state and local levels and translate The Gathering’s values, policy positions, and campaigns into messages that resonate with media, and generate media coverage that amplifies our work

  • Monitor and support organization-wide communications IT systems needs, including our CRM system, our communications software, supervising consultants and volunteers, and identifying future technology and data system needs

  • Promote a culture of high performance and continuous learning that values quality and impact across the organization

  • Mentor, develop, and supervise a growing team of digital and strategic communications professionals, including volunteers and contractors; recruit and manage a communications support team, relying primarily on volunteer talent to support the development and execution of the communications strategy; 

  • Embody the core values of The Gathering and model for staff and volunteers

  • Externally represent The Gathering at in-person and virtual conferences, events, and meetings as needed

  • Develop and nurture partnerships and promote executive visibility with proactive pitching to media (print and broadcast)

Messaging and Audience

  • Continuously refine The Gathering’s values-based messaging that engages new audiences and leads to measurable action, and ensure strategic alignment across digital platforms including website, social media, and email communication

  • Manage the growth and engagement of our email list to consistently increase actions, including donations and petition signatures, through list management and A/B testing

  • Grow and manage each of The Gathering’s digital platforms to align messaging that engages supporters, partners, and new audiences 

  • Prepare and execute a monthly communications editorial calendar that includes goals and activities for social media, press, and email communication that amplifies events, increases our reach, and mobilizes our audiences

  • Build and maintain strategic relationships with local and national media and partner organizations to expand the reach of our messaging and continue strengthening The Gathering’s role in the movement

  • Provide strategic, technical, and logistical support for digital engagement activities and convenings, targeting a variety of participant and stakeholder groups, including virtual town halls, webinars, events, and conferences.

  • Collaborate with The Gathering for Justice’s staff, volunteer task force members, partner organizations, and funders to address communications needs and tasks, and ensure strong, clear messaging always reaches relevant audiences on time

  • Track press coverage on developing stories and campaigns related to justice reform, closing youth prisons, and movement building, including print, digital, social, radio, and broadcast

  • Vet communications from our partners to determine suitability for sharing on The Gathering's platforms or adding our organization onto a list of supporting organizations

Media and Content

  • Write and/or edit media advisories, press releases, and opinion pieces

  • Create content, including digital assets and messaging for social media posts

  • Prepare staff and volunteers for interviews and speaking engagements, and assist with preparing briefing materials, talking points and presentations, as needed

  • Update website content and related blogging platforms; write new content as needed

  • Create messaging guides for all campaigns and programs, train staff, and ensure timely, aligned communication internally and externally, including for the website and across digital platforms, print materials, email communication, and media

  • Develop toolkits, infographics, fact sheets, advocacy letters, program summaries, and other collateral materials for The Gathering’s programs and activities

  • Design and manage the production of public-facing materials, including reports, newsletters, and presentations, and ensure all staff and volunteers apply branding principles to all materials, assets, and products

  • Develop innovative and creative ways of disseminating reports and other written materials to increase reach and impact

  • Manage the creation of an annual report summarizing activities for each year

  • Support grant proposal and report writing, as needed

  • Other responsibilities as developed and agreed upon

Requirements

The Gathering for Justice is a team of leaders who build leaders. We are a highly collaborative group of people who take initiative, look for opportunities, and stay accountable to each other and to the communities we serve. This role is good for you if you have: 

  • Strong, demonstrated commitment to the vision, mission, and core values of The Gathering for Justice

  • Minimum 5-7 years experience managing strategic communications that include media relations, marketing, and digital platforms, preferably in a movement building and/or social justice organization

  • Experience in nonprofit management, including setting up new systems, working across departments, and managing staff

  • Experience with and understanding of criminal justice reform, juvenile justice, racial justice, and/or grassroots movements 

  • Strong strategic vision and agility, including leadership, management, and communication skills, and the ability to develop productive working relationships with a variety of internal and external individuals and groups

  • Understanding of restorative justice practices preferred 

  • Excellent writing and editing skills

  • Enthusiasm, passion, patience, flexibility, and high-energy

  • Proficiency in Google Apps, MS Office, Salsa and robust understanding of communications data system management and development concepts 

  • Proficiency in Canva, Photoshop, Squarespace, Asana, Give Lively and similar platforms required

  • Strong media strategy, media relations and media relationships particularly national news media, culture, criminal legal system, nonprofit and social justice



Salary Range: $90,000-$120,000/year commensurate with experience

Job Type: Full-time salaried

Location: New York, California preferred or National

Application procedure: Additional information about recruitment will be available on our website - www.gatheringforjustice.org/careers 

If you have questions about the recruitment process, please email recruiting@gatheringforjustice.org and include “Director of Communications + Storytelling” on the email subject line.

Deadline: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. 


The Gathering for Justice is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, uniform service member status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. Women, people of color, including bilingual and bicultural individuals, LGBTQIA2A+ persons, formerly incarcerated people, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.