Director, Communications & Editorial Strategy

Builders Network; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

25 days PTO

401K with company match

Remote-friendly work environment

Gift matching

Impactful work

Job summary

Builders is seeking a communications leader who will own strategy across earned media, editorial, and campaigns. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, you will guide messaging and crisis response, build cross-partisan credibility, and supervise the editorial calendar and team.

You will cultivate national and Texas coverage, manage relationships with journalists and creators, and shape Builders' voice across channels while leveraging AI tools to modernize the function.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of PR or communications experience, with the majority in earned media and at least 2 years leading strategy or managing people.
• Proven pitching track record in national and major regional outlets.
• Established relationships with political, civic, and national news reporters, producers, editors.
• Experience advising senior leaders on communications strategy, reputation, and rapid response.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and editorial judgment.
• Servant leader with experience managing team members or freelancers.
• Technology-forward mindset and fluency in the modern PR tech stack, including AI tools.
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.
• Genuine enthusiasm for Builders' cross-partisan mission.

Responsibilities

• Set and own Builders' communications strategy and editorial priorities with clear goals.
• Lead crisis and rapid-response communications across channels during key news cycles.
• Develop messaging frameworks for campaigns and evergreen content.
• Lead and develop communications and editorial team members and freelancers.
• Own the communications tech stack and champion the thoughtful use of AI tools.
• Report on coverage, share of voice, and audience impact using data to drive decisions.
• Lead the proactive earned media operation, identifying story angles and securing coverage, especially in Texas.
• Monitor the news cycle to spot opportunities and respond quickly.
• Treat creators as a core earned media channel in partnership with the Social team.
• Build relationships with journalists, producers, editors across politics and civic life.

Skills

PR strategy

Earned media

Crisis communications

Staff management

Editorial judgment

Story pitching

AI tools in PR

Media relations

Writing & editing

Job description

About Builders

Builders is a non-partisan movement of millions, uniting Americans across lines of difference, grounded in the belief that curiosity, compassion, courage, and creativity can move us beyond division. Founded by Daniel Lubetzky, our community spans 5M+ citizens, 650M video views, and 400+ movement partners including José Andrés, Katie Couric, Adam Grant, Lonnie Ali, and Karl Rove. Through a growing ecosystem of content, tools, partnerships, and activations, we turn civic engagement into meaningful action, empowering people to participate, collaborate, and deliver real-world impact to enact lasting change.

About the Position

Builders is searching for a communications leader who is already operating in what comes next. This role leads traditional comms/PR and extends into all communication verticals, including CRM, SMS, social, and key campaign messaging. We are looking for a plugged-in leader in the news, politics, media, or lifestyle space who has mastered the fundamentals of earned media and brings deep, trusted relationships across the political media landscape on both sides of the aisle.

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, you will own Builders' communications and editorial strategy and lead its earned media operation, driving coverage across national and Texas outlets, independent media, creator, and emerging platforms.

This is a communications-first role with editorial upside. The editorial scope gives the right leader room to shape how Builders thinks and speaks across channels and strengthen our audience strategy.

Responsibilities

Communications Strategy and Leadership

• Set and own Builders' communications strategy, aligning earned media, editorial, and organizational priorities with clear goals and measures of success.
• Serve as the judgment-setter on if, when, and how Builders engages in cultural, political, and civic conversations at the national and Texas levels.
• Lead crisis and rapid-response communications, aligning messaging across channels during key news cycles.
• Develop messaging and communications frameworks for dedicated campaigns and evergreen content, ensuring consistency, clarity, and cross-partisan credibility across all channels.
• Lead and develop communications and editorial team members and freelancers, setting a high bar for quality, speed, and voice.
• Own the communications tech stack and champion the thoughtful use of AI tools.
• Report on coverage, share of voice, and audience impact, using data to make strategic decisions, not just report metrics.

Earned Media and Pitching

• Lead the proactive earned media operation, identifying story angles, shaping pitches, and securing coverage across national outlets and key regional markets, most notably Texas.
• Monitor the news and culture cycle in real time to spot reactive opportunities and move credibly and quickly.
• Treat creators as a core earned media channel, building relationships to reach audiences traditional press does not, in partnership with the Social team.

Political and Media Relationships

• Bring and expand a network of trust-based relationships with journalists, producers, and editors who cover politics, civic life, and solutions-oriented news, positioning Builders as a go-to source for cross-partisan civic stories.

Editorial Voice and Content

• Help define and operationalize the "Builders lens": balanced, solution-oriented, values-driven commentary that safeguards organizational reputation and public trust.
• Distill complex policy and political issues into compelling content with non-partisan framing that moves audiences beyond "us vs. them" thinking and surfaces common ground.
• Lead the editorial calendar for the Builders and Builders TX newsletters, blog, and SMS, and contribute to social channels, aligning earned media moments with owned content.

• 7-10 years of PR or communications experience, with the majority in earned media (pitching, placing, and managing press) and at least 2 years leading strategy or managing people.
• A proven pitching track record: you can point to placements you drove in national and major regional outlets, and you know what made them land.
• Established relationships with political, civic, and national news reporters, producers, bookers, and creators, with demonstrated credibility across the political spectrum, and deep familiarity with the beats, outlets, and fault lines that shape civic life.
• Experience advising senior leaders on communications strategy, reputation, and rapid response, including supporting executive spokespeople or public figures in media contexts.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and editorial judgment: you can draft or edit a pitch, press release, op-ed, or reactive statement that is clean and compelling under deadline, and you know what will land with a skeptical, politically diverse audience.
• A servant leader with experience managing team members or freelancers and building a high-performing function, willing to roll up your sleeves and get the work done.
• A technology-forward mindset and fluency in the modern PR tech stack, including AI tools.
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment where priorities shift.
• Genuine enthusiasm for Builders' cross-partisan mission: you believe most Americans share more common ground than our political moment suggests, and you see reaching both sides of the aisle as a feature, not a constraint.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with the Texas political and media landscape, including key outlets, reporters, and civic players.
• Experience building or growing a trusted editorial voice, publication, or newsletter, including the use of audience analytics.
• Experience in nonprofit, advocacy, or civic sector communications.

What Builders Offers

• Competitive annual compensation
• Excellent health, dental, and vision insurance with company coverage options of 100%
• 25 days Paid Time Off (20 personal, 5 sick)
• 401K with company match
• Flexible, remote-friendly work environment
• Charitable gift matching program
• The opportunity to make a real impact through your day-to-day work

EEO

At Builders, we are committed to an inclusive workplace where diversity in all its forms is championed. Builders is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity, or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. For applicants with disabilities, our recruiting team will actively work with you to accommodate any needs in order for you to be able to interview at your best.