Senior Speechwriter for CEO Communications & Leadership

The Trust for Public Land; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

The Trust for Public Land seeks a Senior Speechwriter to shape the voice of our CEO and advance nationwide thought leadership. This role develops speeches, op-eds, talking points, articles, social media copy, internal and Board communications, briefing materials, and visual presentations.

As TPL’s subject matter expert for executive communications, you will translate mission, strategy, fundraising goals, program results, and community stories into persuasive narratives and advise leaders on

Qualifications

• . Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, English, public policy, political science, or a related field.
• . At least seven years of experience in executive communications, speechwriting, thought leadership, journalism, communications, or a related field.
• . Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with substantial speechwriting experience and the ability to capture and sustain an executive’s voice.
• . Experience advising and preparing CEOs or other senior leaders for speeches, panels, presentations, and other high-stakes moments, including rehearsals and delivery.
• . Strong PowerPoint and presentation development skills, including narrative structure, slide development, and visual storytelling.
• . Ability to translate complex data, research, policy, fundraising, program work, and community stories into clear, compelling narratives.
• . Strong audience judgment and the ability to adjust tone, format, and level of detail across audiences and channels while maintaining message consistency.
• . Excellent project management skills, including the ability to manage competing deadlines, track complex workflows, and keep work moving.
• . Strong collaborative and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to synthesize input, reconcile edits, and provide clear, candid counsel.
• . Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information.
• . A strong commitment to TPL’s shared values - Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope - and the ability to work effectively across the organization.

Responsibilities

• CEO communications speechwriting and presentations, 60-70 percent of time: serve as speechwriter and executive communications lead for the CEO, developing speeches, op-eds, articles, talking points, briefing documents, social media content, CEO-to-staff and CEO-to-Board communications, and other high-stakes internal and external materials.
• Lead CEO presentations and speaking opportunities from concept through delivery, including narrative development, slide structure, visual storytelling, speaker notes, rehearsals, and supporting materials for Board meetings, donor engagements, staff convenings, major events, and external appearances.
• Translate complex data, research, policy priorities, fundraising goals, program achievements, and community stories into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Advise the CEO and other senior leaders on format, tone, level of detail, and delivery, and provide practical feedback on pacing, clarity, and audience connection.
• Create event scripts, run-of-show documents, panel materials, briefings, and other supporting content for national and regional events.
• Maintain the organization-wide benchmark for writing and editing standards to support clear, consistent, and compelling communications across channels.
• Organizational thought leadership and priority moments, 20-30 percent: support moments by partnering with relationship managers, program teams, and collaborators to develop remarks, scripts, and run-of-show materials.
• Develop remarks, presentations, and supporting visuals for TPL leaders in coordination with Creative team and templates.
• Write op-eds for national campaigns and major media moments, developing original content for the CEO and other leaders and adapting for broader use across the organization.
• Collaboration project management and tracking, 10 percent: serve as central coordinator and project lead for CEO communications opportunities and speaking engagements.
• Maintain a central tracker of assignments, deadlines, owners, approvals, decisions, and status; provide concise updates and flag risks early.
• Synthesize stakeholder input, reconcile competing edits, and help teams reach timely decisions.
• Build strong working relationships across teams and handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Qualifications: summarize as above.

Skills

Executive communications

Speechwriting

Storytelling

PowerPoint/Presentation

Audience adaptation

Project management

Collaboration

Discretion

Data translation

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, English, public policy, political science, or related field

Tools

PowerPoint

Job description

The Trust for Public Land seeks a Senior Speechwriter to shape the voice of our CEO and advance nationwide thought leadership. This role develops speeches, op-eds, talking points, articles, social media copy, internal and Board communications, briefing materials, and visual presentations.

As TPL’s subject matter expert for executive communications, you will translate mission, strategy, fundraising goals, program results, and community stories into persuasive narratives and advise leaders on