Director of Communications

Stimson Center; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 125,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation days — 15 days annual

Sick days — 10 days

Paid holidays — 13

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement match

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Flexible spending plan

Commuting benefits

Wellness benefits

Education benefits

Parental leave

Bereavement leave

Job summary

The Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington, DC seeks a Director of Communications reporting to the Vice President of External Affairs.

This senior leader will drive strategic communications for our mission-driven work, enhance our brand in government, media, policy circles, and academia, and oversee a multi-channel program across web, email, video, events, and press. Qualifications include 8+ years in communications, strong writing and editing skills, experience with WordPress/CRM systems, and

Qualifications

• Track record of nonprofit or policy organization leadership and management experience with progressively increasing communications responsibilities and successes
• Demonstrated success translating nuanced policy issues into clear, accessible content
• Ability to communicate clearly and collaboratively
• Extensive website experience, including custom webpage builds and vendor management
• Excellent writing, editing, and presentation skills
• 8+ years of communications or related experience

Responsibilities

• Design and manage communications plans to promote Stimson's brand and research
• Lead a multi-channel communications program across web, social media, email, video, events and press
• Oversee public event and video production
• Lead digital strategy across Stimson's platforms
• Manage the Communications Department and external vendors
• Maintain and grow Stimson's brand and ambassador network
• Ensure ethics, integrity, and independence in publishing
• Provide tools and training for policy staff to produce accessible research
• Advise programs on communications strategy and audience engagement
• Lead media engagement and develop press materials and briefings
• Train staff to develop press strategies and build media relationships
• Maintain communications infrastructure and data systems for content production
• Lead data-driven measurement of impact and donor-facing reporting
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Nonprofit leadership

Narrative development

Clear communication

Media relations

Strategic communications

Digital strategy

Team leadership

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

WordPress

Elementor

vMix

OBS

Premier

Mailchimp

Salesforce

Airtable

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Illustrator

Job description

The Henry L. Stimson Center (Stimson), a nonpartisan global security think tank located in Washington, DC, seeks a Director of Communications reporting to the Vice President of External Affairs. This role ensures that our practices support our mission-driven work, align with Stimson's vision, values, strategic goals, standards of conduct, and operational objectives, and demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee well-being.

We seek a highly motivated, organized, entrepreneurial, and collaborative individual committed to Stimson's mission and core values. This person understands that any organization is only as good as the people working there and the relationships they build and sustain. This job will require building authentic relationships with staff and affiliates that facilitate the successful candidate's ability to challenge, develop, and support them.

About the Program and Position Summary

This position will lead the strategic development and delivery of the Stimson Center's externally facing work to highlight Stimson's thought leadership, showcase our expert authority, and drive maximum engagement with target audiences.

Responsibilities:

As the senior member of the Communications team, the Director of Communications reports to the Vice President of External Affairs.

In this capacity, the Director of Communications will:

• Design and manage communications plans and systems to promote Stimson's brand and research among high-priority external audiences in government, media, industry, the policy community, and academia;
• Promote the Center's mission, values, brand, image, and research;
• Lead a multi-channel communications program: Coordinate research and institutional content production, distribution, and promotion across web, social media, mass email, video, events, print, and press
• Oversee public event and video production;
• Lead digital strategy across Stimson's platforms, including website, social media, podcasts, and shortform video
• Manage the Communications Department: Over time, the Director of Communications will lead and manage the communications team to execute the responsibilities of the position and the department including oversight of external vendors;
• Maintain Stimson's brand, empowering the Board, CEO, and staff to be its ambassadors;
• Manage and enable the publishing process to ensure ethics, integrity, transparency, and independence policies are followed and that published products meet Stimson's highest standard of excellence
• Provide the tools, training, and guidance necessary for policy staff to produce accessible and compelling print and digital research products
• Advise research programs on communications strategy and tools as a partner and sounding board for research programs
• Advise programs and staff on how to reach their audiences, engage their stakeholders, tell the story of their programs, and turn complex policy analysis into a clear and persuasive narrative
• Lead media engagement strategies, including coordinating media opportunities for staff, as well as the development of media briefings and preparation of institutional and programmatic press releases and related content
• Coordinate with, guide, and train program staff to develop press strategies for their work, build media relationships, and write compelling placed content
• Maintain and improve communications processes, infrastructure, and technology: Ensure communications and policy staff have the tools necessary to securely and efficiently manage a high volume of public facing content production, including: The primary Stimson.org website and related sites; mass email subscriber and stakeholder data; production pipeline, event management, and related tools; and an internal tools/resources intranet
• Lead a data-driven approach to measuring impact, enabling programs to provide accurate, and compelling measurements of reach to donors; and use data and analytics to make evidence-based decisions
• Perform other duties as assigned

The above specified tasks may not be the only duties assigned. Employees will be required to carry out any other job-related instructions requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodations. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter with a keen eye for detail, collaborative spirit, and a commitment to impeccable work products.

Qualifications:

• A track record of nonprofit or policy organization leadership and management experience with progressively increasing communications responsibilities and successes
• Demonstrated success in narrative and message development, working with subject matter experts to translate nuanced policy issues into clear, accessible, and persuasive content
• Ability to communicate clearly and collaboratively
• Strong knowledge and proficiency with a wide range of communications technologies and tools, including content management systems (such as Wordpress), web design tools (such as Elementor), video production (such as vMix, OBS, and Premier), social media platforms, CRM/mass email (such as Mailchimp and Salesforce), databases and project management tools (such as Airtable)
• Extensive website experience, including custom webpage builds and working with vendors on website launches, sprint enhancement, and web maintenance
• Event experience, including building event programming, speaker coordination, and day‑of execution
• Eye for detail and impact - Familiarity with graphic design, layout, and publishing (such as Adobe InDesign and Illustrator);
• Data-driven approach to measuring impact, with familiarity in major digital analytic tools
• Excellent writing and editing, verbal communication, presentation, and training skills
• 8+ years of communications, public relations, or related experience;

We welcome applications from candidates who may not meet all preferred qualifications.

Application requirements:

• Qualified candidates should submit a writing sample, a cover letter with salary requirements, and resume

Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position

Employee Benefits

15 Vacation Days, 10 Sick Days, 13 Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Retirement Match, Long-Term and Short-Term Disability Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Plan, Commuting, Wellness, Education Benefits, Parental Leave, and Bereavement Leave.

Stimson is an equal-opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable laws.