Communications Manager

Youthlaw; Washington, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Paid family leave

Flexible spending account

Retirement plan

Paid sabbatical

Disability insurance

Job summary

National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) seeks an experienced Communications Manager to drive earned media and external visibility for the organization and its senior leaders.

You will monitor daily developments across issue areas, identify moments for a public response, and turn those moments into meaningful media opportunities, building relationships with reporters and editors as you shape an editorial calendar that strengthens NCYL’s public voice.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years in media relations, strategic communications, journalism, public affairs, advocacy communications, or related fields.
• Proven record securing media coverage, interviews, op-eds, and other thought leadership opportunities.
• Experience elevating the public profile of senior leaders, experts, or spokespersons.
• Sharp news judgment and ability to move quickly without losing discipline.
• Experience working with advocates, attorneys, youth, elected officials, and community leaders.
• Excellent writing and editing for media, executive, and public audiences.
• Experience managing editorial calendars and translating complex issues into public language.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, with a racial and social justice lens.

Responsibilities

• Manage NCYL’s earned media strategy, monitor daily news and developments, identify opportunities and risks, and recommend engagement including interviews and podcast appearances.
• Help implement the strategic communications plan with clear priorities, measurable objectives, strategies, and tactics.
• Coordinate with leadership, program leads, and development to set communications goals and timely opportunities.
• Build and maintain relationships with reporters, editors, producers, podcast hosts, and other external partners nationally.
• Draft and edit press releases, statements, talking points, media materials, and other public-facing content.
• Partner with writers to develop and maintain an editorial calendar for blogs, op-eds, statements, and related content.
• Align earned media with digital distribution and lead rollouts for major moments, reports, campaigns, events, and fundraising communications.
• Manage strategies and priorities with communications consultants (creative and website), including timelines and budgeting.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Media relations

Strategic communications

Crisis communications

Public affairs

Advocacy communications

Job description

NCYL is a national nonprofit that puts children — especially those pushed to society’s margins — at the center of every fight for justice. For more than 50 years, we have partnered with young people, families, and communities in efforts to dismantle racism, discrimination, and inequity wherever they appear. We recognize that harmful policies don’t affect children in isolation. Each young person’s well-being depends on their family’s stability, their community’s resources, and the opportunities they can access. By working across all systems that shape young people’s lives in a rapidly evolving society, we advance solutions that are holistic, intersectional, and transformative.

At NCYL,communicationsis a strategic function. It helps shape public understanding, elevate urgent threats and solutions, and ensure that the rights of children and youth remain part of the national conversation.

Position

NCYLseeksa strategic and nimble Communications Manager to drive earned media and external visibility for the organization and its senior leaders.

This person willmonitordaily developments across our issue areas,identifythe moments that require a public response, and turn those moments into meaningful media and thought leadership opportunities. They will build relationships with reporters, editors, producers, podcast hosts, and other influential partners, while working closely with NCYL’s writers to shape an editorial calendar that strengthens the organization’s public voice. The position will also work to help support cross-team relationships with organization leadership, program leads, development, and others toidentifycommunications goals

This is a high-judgment role for someone who understands how to connect policy, litigation, and advocacy to the news cycle and how to elevate leaders and experts in ways that aretimely, disciplined, and impactful.

The position reports to NCYL’s Managing Director, Public Affairs & Advancement.

Essential Functions

• Manage NCYL’s earned media strategy,monitoringdaily news and developments relevant to NCYL’s work,identifyemerging opportunities and risks, and recommend when and how NCYL should engage publicly, including securing interviews, podcast appearances, and other thought leadership opportunities for NCYL’s leaders
• Help implement the strategic communications plan for the Communications team and organization, including setting priorities and goals, measurableobjectives, strategies, and tactics.
• Manage strong cross-functional partnerships with organizational leadership, program leads, andthedevelopment team toidentifycommunications goals, define target audiences, and executetimely, strategic opportunities that advance shared priorities—while delivering effective communications support and project management to NCYL’s program teams.
• Build andmaintainstrong relationships with reporters, editors, producers, podcast hosts, newsletter writers, and other external partners, with a focus on high-impact and national outlets.
• Draft and edit press releases, statements, talking points, media materials, and other public-facing content.
• Partner with NCYL’s writer to develop andmaintainan editorial calendar for blogs, op-eds, statements, and related thought leadership content.
• Ensure earned media, thought leadership, and digital distribution are aligned and mutually reinforcing and lead digital rollout for major moments, including reports, campaigns, events, rapid-response efforts, and fundraising communications.
• Help manage strategies and priorities with communications consultants (creative and website), including needs assessment, timelines, and budgeting.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualification

• Minimum offive (5) years of experience in media relations, strategic communications, journalism, public affairs, advocacy communications, orrelated fields.

Other Qualifications

• A deep record of securing media coverage, interviews, podcasts, op-eds, and other thought leadership opportunities.
• Experience elevating the public profile of senior leaders, experts, or spokespersons.
• Sharp news judgment, strong editorial instincts, and a clear understanding of how to move quickly without losing discipline.
• Experience working with advocates, attorneys, youth, elected officials, and/or community leaders.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, including experience drafting formedia,executive, and public audiences.
• Experience managing editorial calendars and translating complex issues into compelling public language.
• Experience with promoting responsible, human-centered storytelling – including thoughtful partnership working with people affected by systemic racism and other injustices.
• Strong knowledge of values-based or asset framing and working with diverse audiences to advance solution-oriented messages.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment across multiple complex issue areas.
• Meticulous attention to detail, sound editorial judgment, and a high bar for execution.
• Experience supervising the work ofa small team.
• Strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with the ability to apply a racial and social justice lens to advocacy whilecenteringthe marginalized voices of children, youth, and their families.
• Commitment to NCYL’s mission and goals.

Physical Requirements

Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. This position will require some travel.

Salary, Benefits and Location

This is a full-time, exempt position with a competitive salaryrangeof $105,000.00to $130,000.00annually. Once an offer is made, the salary is not open to negotiation.

A geographic salary differential may be applied if the candidateresidessomewhere other than the Oakland, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Washington,DCor equivalentmetro areas. This means that the salary would be reduced if the candidateresidesin an area where the cost of labor is less than that of the San Francisco Bay Area.

NCYL provides a robust benefits package including health, dental, vision, and life insurances, generous vacation and sick benefits, paid family leave, flexible spending account, employer contribution to a retirement plan, paid sabbatical, and short-term and long-term disability insurance.

NCYL is registered to do business in the following 13 locations:California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin.We are currently registering inMinnesotaandWashingtonstate.If a candidate is hired but lives in a state where NCYL is not currently registered to do business, their start date may need to be delayed until registration can be completed in the new state. This process may take a few weeks to complete.

All positions at NCYL are at-will and paid for by grants and donations, thus employment with NCYL will be contingent upon continued receipt of funding. Nothing in the statement changesthe at-willemployment relationship.

This position is part of the bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW). While a collective bargaining agreement is not currently in place, it isanticipatedin the future.

We welcome applications from individuals with different ideas, experiences, and perspectives.

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,reproductive health decision-making,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. NCYL makes all employment decisions based on job-related factors.

You can be part of the mission to Center Youth and create a world where every child thrives.