Manager, Communications

Builders Network; United States; Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401K with company match

PTO 25 days (20 personal, 5 sick)

Job summary

Builders is seeking a communications professional to lead earned media, owning the daily pitch operation and driving coverage across national outlets, independent media, and creator platforms. Reporting to the Editorial Director and CMO, you will craft pitches, press releases, and reactive statements, and build a strong media list that includes political, civic, and cultural beats.

You will identify opportunities in real-time, manage media relationships, and collaborate with programs,

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of PR or communications experience with a focus on earned media.
• Proven pitching track record with placements in national or major regional outlets.
• Ability to build relationships with reporters across politics, civic, lifestyle, and national news.
• Sharp, fast writing for pitches, press releases, and reactive statements.

Responsibilities

• Own the daily pitch operation, drafting sharp pitches and following up for coverage.
• Monitor news and culture to spot reactive opportunities for Builders’ voice.
• Draft press releases, media advisories, op-eds, and story memos for journalists.
• Develop and maintain a robust media list across national political, civic, and cultural beats.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with creators (podcasters, newsletters, YouTube channels).
• Support media appearances and contributed content opportunities for Builders spokespeople.

Skills

Pitching

Media relations

Strong writing

Strategic thinking

Tech-savvy

Crisis communications

Collaboration

Tools

Muck Rack

SmartSuite

TVEyes

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

The media landscape has fundamentally changed - and Builders needs someone who not only knows that, but is already living it. We’re looking for a communications professional who has mastered the brass tacks of traditional PR - the pitch, the placement, the press release, the relationships - and who also sees clearly where media is heading and knows how to operate there.

Reporting to the Editorial Director and CMO, you will be the engine behind Builders’ day-to-day earned media operation - driving coverage across traditional outlets, independent media, and creator platforms alike. You think in audiences, not just outlets. You use technology to move faster and smarter. And you bring a point of view on where the media ecosystem is going - not just where it has been.

This is an ideal role for a PR professional who has done the foundational work and is ready to help define what modern communications looks like for one of the most important civic movements in the country.

Responsibilities

Earned Media & Pitching

• Own the daily pitch operation - proactively identifying story angles, drafting sharp pitches, and relentlessly following up to secure coverage across national media outlets and key regional markets (most notably, Texas).
• Monitor the news and culture cycle in real time to spot reactive opportunities where Builders’ voice, insights, or programs can be inserted credibly and quickly.
• Draft compelling press releases, media advisories, op-ed drafts, and story memos that make it easy for journalists to say yes.
• Develop and maintain a robust media list across national political, civic, and cultural beats.
• Treat creators as a core earned media channel - identifying, vetting, and building relationships with podcasters, newsletter writers, YouTube channels, and social creators whose audiences align with Builders’ mission and reach demographics traditional press doesn’t. Managing execution in collaboration with the Social team.

Media Relationships

• Build and maintain genuine, trust-based relationships with journalists, producers, editors, and bookers across print, digital, broadcast, and podcast platforms.
• Serve as a consistent, reliable point of contact for media - responding quickly, providing useful background, and positioning Builders as a go-to source for cross-partisan civic stories.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with emerging media voices and non-traditional platforms where Builders’ message can reach new audiences.
• Support the placement and preparation of Builders spokespeople and Movement Partners for media appearances, interviews, and contributed content opportunities.

Technology & Tools

• Leverage AI tools actively across your workflow - pitch drafting, media research, coverage analysis, and contact list building - staying ahead of emerging PR tech.
• Own the team’s media monitoring and outreach stack (Muck Rack, SmartSuite, TVEyes) - maintaining lists, tracking coverage, and generating regular performance reports to sharpen strategy.
• Use social listening and trend-monitoring tools to identify story opportunities early and keep Builders positioned to move quickly when moments arise.
• Bring a continuous improvement mindset to the comms tech toolkit - evaluating new tools, testing what works, and making recommendations to the Editorial Director.

Strategy & Collaboration

• Contribute to messaging and communications frameworks - both providing input on strategy, and running the execution.
• Partner with the Editorial Director to align earned media efforts with the broader editorial calendar, newsletter content, and organizational priorities.
• Collaborate with programs, partnerships, and community teams to surface stories, data, and voices worth pitching.
• Support crisis and rapid-response communications as needed, helping to draft reactive statements and coordinate media inquiries under pressure.

Required

• 5- 7 years of PR or communications experience, with the majority of your time spent in earned media - pitching, placing, and managing press.
• A proven pitching track record: you can point to placements you drove in national or major regional outlets, and you know what made them land.
• Ability to build relationships with political, civic, lifestyle, or national news reporters
• Sharp, fast writing: you can draft a pitch, a press release, or a reactive statement that is clean, on-brand, and compelling without heavy editing.
• Deep familiarity with the national political and media landscape - you know the beats, the outlets, and the reporters who cover civic life.
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment where priorities shift and no two days look the same.
• An instinct for what’s newsworthy - you read the news constantly and can immediately spot the angle that connects a story to Builders’ mission.
• An overall technology-forward mindset - you proactively seek out tools that make you faster and smarter, and you bring that curiosity to the rest of the team. Including fluency with the modern PR tech stack - media monitoring, outreach, AI tools, and measurement platforms are part of your daily workflow, not a learning curve.
• Collaborative spirit and genuine enthusiasm for Builders’ cross-partisan mission - you understand that reaching both sides of the aisle is a feature, not a constraint.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with the Texas political and media landscape - knowledge of key outlets, reporters, and civic players is a genuine plus.
• Existing relationships with creators, podcasters, or newsletter writers in the political, civic, or culture space.
• Experience in nonprofit, advocacy, or civic sector communications.
• Familiarity with op-ed placement and thought leadership development.
• Experience supporting executive spokespeople or public figures in media contexts.
• Competitive annual compensation [$100,000-$115,000]
• Excellent health, dental & 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. We will keep any medical information you provide confidential and separate from the rest of your application.