Communications Coordinator

Montana Legal Services Association; Helena (MT); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Montana Legal Services Association is seeking a Communications Coordinator to lead MLSA’s communications and outreach efforts to promote awareness, support, and access to civil legal services for low-income Montanans. The role involves building partnerships across the state, coordinating training, and managing clients’ education materials.

You will work in a hybrid environment, travel within the state, and collaborate with the Executive Director and staff to expand MLSA’s reach and impact.

Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build partnerships and work across diverse groups.
• Strong project management and organizational abilities.
• Familiarity with evaluating outreach strategies and budgets.
• Willingness to travel within the state (~30–40%).
• Knowledge of confidential data handling and ethical guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and evaluate MLSA communications and outreach strategies and budgets.
• Build community relationships and partnerships for referrals and collaboration.
• Train MLSA staff on collaboration and external communications.
• Create training materials and communications tools for clients and partners.
• Manage MLSA's social media and expand reach of client education.
• Maintain printed client education materials and update as needed.
• Track civil legal needs and emerging issues affecting low-income Montanans.
• Coordinate press releases and maintain media relations.
• Represent MLSA at meetings, task forces, and community events.
• Support grant reporting with data and progress reports.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Project management

Training & mentoring

Adaptability

Data collection

Attention to detail

Independent work

Cultural competence

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

The Communications Coordinator is responsible for creating and managing MLSA’s communications and outreach to promote awareness and support for MLSA and to inform and educate applicants, clients and the public in furtherance of MLSA’s mission. The Communications Coordinator will also be responsible for building relationships with agencies around the state to support sustainable collaboration to assist with the civil legal needs of low‑income Montanans.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, maintain and evaluate communications, outreach strategies, and budgets for MLSA and specific projects with the support of the Legal Education Project Coordinator.
• Build community relationships and cement partnerships by conducting regular community education and outreach to build partnerships and systems for referral in order to serve the civil legal needs of Montanans living in poverty.
• Train and advise MLSA staff on collaboration efforts between partners, community organizations, and MLSA to streamline external and internal communication efforts.
• Develop and coordinate training, referrals, strategic communications, and data collection for MLSA and MLSA projects. This can include fact sheets, brochures, articles, videos, and other communications tools for clients, community partners, and the Montana legal community.
• Work with MLSA’s Legal Education Project Coordinator to oversee MLSA’s social media accounts related to client community education. Develop, implement, maintain and evaluate communications strategies to expand MLSA’s reach.
• Manage and maintain MLSA’s printed client education materials.
• Track, review, and address the changing civil legal needs for low‑income Montanans and other emerging issues that impact MLSA clients.
• Facilitate meetings with MLSA advocacy and practice groups to understand MLSA services and communicate information received from community organizations and partners back to MLSA staff.
• Assist in the grant reporting process by providing data, progress reports, and designing reporting tools for various audiences including grantors, legislators, judges, and community partners to describe MLSA direct service outcomes and outreach presence.
• Develop press releases and press kit materials and work with the Executive Director, Deputy Director, and MLSA staff to build and maintain positive media relations.
• Help support MLSA staff to participate in outreach events throughout the state, including providing staff with the education and tools needed to deliver a consistent message and report those outreach activities in Legal Server.
• Represent MLSA by providing training and attending task forces, committees, meetings, etc.
• Participate in Community Ed Access to Justice Commission and MJF Collaborative Campaign.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Supervisor, Director of Development, or Executive Director.

Qualifications

Required

• Ability to effectively communicate, to motivate others, and to work collaboratively with diverse groups of people with varying perspectives, experience and expertise, and demonstrated cultural competence with client communities.
• Initiative, creativity and problem solving abilities; must be not averse to risk, and must be able to embrace change and uncertainty.
• Ability and willingness to learn and integrate new technologies and methodologies to efficiently perform responsibilities.
• Skilled at project management, and effective at working across distances.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to facilitate teamwork and mentor staff.
• Ability to maintain client confidentiality as required by the Montana Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Proven ability to respond flexibly and creatively to challenges and emerging opportunities, and able to make creative and efficient use of available resources.
• Ability to work independently in a deadline‑oriented environment.
• A “can do” attitude and a willingness to pitch in where needed.
• Computer literacy, including ability to use word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent professional experience.

• An understanding and demonstrated commitment to address the civil equal justice legal needs of low‑income people, including the unique needs of populations that experience particular barriers to access to justice systems, and of effective approaches and methods for addressing those needs.
• Experience working collaboratively and empathetically with diverse groups of colleagues, firm partners, and clients who have varying cultural backgrounds, perspectives, experience, and expertise.

Competencies

• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and trauma‑informed practice.
• Ability and willingness to work cooperatively and collegially with multiple timelines within a decentralized statewide law firm.
• Ability to use technologies to communicate with colleagues, partners, and other organizations.
• High attention to detail and consistent follow‑through.
• Skilled interpersonal communicator able to work in multidisciplinary teams.
• Respect for confidentiality and strong ethical judgment.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid work environment.
• Primarily sedentary and performed in an office environment, requiring regular computer use and the ability to alternate between sitting and standing at a workstation for most of the workday.
• Willingness to travel in state (approximately 30‑40% of the time) with occasional travel to out‑of‑state conferences.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.