Associate Director of Communications

Transportation Alternatives; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Transportation Alternatives (TA), New York City's advocate for walking, biking, and public transit, seeks an Associate Director of Communications to advance campaigns and strengthen the organization.

You will lead digital media, craft narratives, manage press relationships, and collaborate with staff to promote safe streets and more public space across NYC.

Qualifications

• Four years’ experience in public relations, government, journalism, or communications for advocacy or political entities
• Knowledge of New York City neighborhoods and political landscape
• Ability to distill complex positions into talking points
• Experience using social media as an advocacy tool
• Strong writing, proofreading and copyediting skills
• Comfort under pressure with tight deadlines in a participatory environment
• Willingness to work outside normal hours as a press-facing role
• Commitment to reducing car use and increasing walking, transit and bicycling
• Commitment to social justice and antiracism; understanding of race and equity in advocacy

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage digital media presence across major platforms and emerging channels
• Script, film, and produce videos supporting TA’s goals
• Manage TA website content, publish reports, press releases and events
• Write weekly newsletters for a large email list
• Collaborate with partners and research team on web projects
• Design content for social and web projects
• Oversee email communications and newsletter designs
• Develop compelling narratives with the Communications Director
• Maintain TA’s Squarespace site and other digital properties
• Edit, proofread, and contribute to email communications, petitions and reports
• Identify trends to inform marketing strategy
• Coordinate with partner offices to craft messaging
• Field media inquiries and arrange interviews
• Support media pitching, releases, op-eds, and talking points
• Build and maintain relationships with media contacts
• Represent TA in on-camera interviews and briefings
• Lead media advisory drafting and staff training on media engagement

Skills

Public relations

Social media strategy

Copywriting

Editing

Media relations

Communication strategy

Project management

Storytelling

Tools

Squarespace

Email campaigns

Job description

Transportation Alternatives (TA), New York City's advocate for walking, biking, and public transit, is seeking an Associate Director of Communications to be a member of our Communications team. This position reports to the Director of Communications and will put TA’s broad array of internal and external communications and PR tools to work, advancing our campaigns, strengthening our organization and building our movement. Your charge will be to work with our staff and partners to build and undertake communications strategies that promote biking, walking and public transit, and win safe streets and more public space.

Responsibilities include:

Digital media (50%)

• Lead and coordinate entire digital media presence, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, in addition to finding opportunities on emerging social platforms
• Script, film, and produce videos that advance TA’s organizational goals
• Day-to-day management of website, including publishing reports, press releases, events, and building other pages as needed
• Write weekly engaging newsletter to a large email list
• Working with Digital Communications Manager on day-to-day management of social media channels, ensuring TA and partner content is shared and distributed
• Build out interactive web projects in support of TA priorities and campaigns, in coordination with external partners and the research and policy team
• Design content for social and web projects
• Manage and approve final outgoing email communications
• Oversee and sign off on TA newsletter designs

Communications Support (35%)

• Working with Communications Director and other staff to develop compelling narratives that help advance TA’s work
• Collaborating with the Development team to ensure communications and marketing are aligned
• Maintaining TA’s Squarespace site and other digital properties
• Editing, proofreading, and contributing to TA’s email communications, petitions, research reports, print collateral and other materials
• Identify compelling trends and opportunities to inform new/revised marketing strategy

Press (15%)

• Working with partner offices and stakeholders to collect quotes and craft/hone messaging
• Fielding and directing media inquiries, coordinating print and broadcast interviews with other TA staff
• Support the communications director in developing, pitching, and placing media stories to support TA’s advocacy goals, which includes writing and issuing press releases, statements, op-eds, and talking points
• Managing, building and maintaining relationships with media contacts
• Representing TA by speaking knowledgeably and on-the-record with reporters, including on-camera interviews
• Lead staff point person on media advisories
• Lead staff member drafting quotes for external releases
• Media-training colleagues and partners, working with others to write and place op-eds

Frequent evening and weekend engagements, and, given the 24-hour news cycle, late nights and early mornings will be a regular part of this position. Transportation Alternatives’ office is a fast-paced and collaborative work environment.

Candidates must have:

• At least four years’ experience working in public relations, government, journalism or in a communications capacity for an elected or political official, advocacy organization or public relations or media outlet
• Knowledge of New York City’s neighborhoods and political landscape
• Ability to quickly distill complex positions into sound bite-ready talking points
• Extensive knowledge of and experience in using social media as a listening and advocacy tool
• Rock-solid writing, proofreading and copyediting skills
• Comfort under pressure, with tight deadlines and working in a highly participatory environment
• Willingness and ability to work outside of normal business hours as a press-facing job often demands
• Commitment to reducing car use in New York City, and increasing walking, transit and bicycling
• Commitment to social justice and antiracism; nuanced understanding of the ways in which our advocacy issues intersect with race and equity

This position is included in the bargaining unit of TA employees represented by the Technical, Office and Professional Union, T.O.P. Local 2110 UAW.

Transportation Alternatives is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, political orientation or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local law. We value having diverse staff in gender, ethnicity, background and modal preference. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.