Strategic Communications Leader — Associate Director

Paralyzed Veterans of America; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 87,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Employer-Paid Benefits

Healthcare Insurance

Optional Insurance

401k Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Work-Life Balance

Additional Benefits

Job summary

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) seeks an Associate Director of Communications to lead multiple program accounts, guiding strategy, media outreach, and collateral development to promote PVA’s mission and programming.

You will collaborate with leadership, staff, partners, and vendors, delivering timely communications plans and reports while acting as a key PR liaison across departments and events.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7 years of media and public relations experience.
• Proven experience working with members of the media
• Strong project management skills, with experience managing multiple projects and leading individuals or groups in developing, implementing, and managing strategies, tactics and projects.
• BS degree in Communications, Marketing, or a relevant field.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to work independently.
• Excellent proven written and oral communication skills.
• Previous supervisory and management experience required.
• Experience in budgeting and forecasting.
• Great at customer relations
• Excellent copywriting skills
• Analytical and multi-tasking skills.
• Minimal travel required to support events and initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a project lead on all assigned departments, including attending all departmental meetings and reporting out on any important items impacting the Comms team or leadership, being responsive to all departmental requests, and following through on all tasks
• Proactively develop media and public relations materials, including written collateral like communications plans (complete with timelines), recap reports, monthly metric reports, news releases, magazine/newsletter articles, media pitches, fact sheets, talking points, quotes, speeches, as well as occasional assistance with audio-visual materials like sizzle reels, video promos, and highlight videos.
• Assist with writing opinion pieces and letters to editors when called upon.
• Establish, manage, and maintain media lists impacting your accounts/departments.
• In collaboration with the team, assist in the managing the development and execution of PVA’s annual report from concept to delivery.
• Assist with the planning and coordination of select photography efforts (to include crafting shot list, etc).
• Develop, analyze, and present monthly media metrics to show media and public relations efforts.
• Serve as a lead PVA media relations rep to relevant PVA departments, chapters, and staff.
• Provide public relations outreach for annual and special programming events, as well as annual contests.
• Provide public relations support at annual meetings and special events.
• Develop story ideas to promote PVA programs on the website (as a collaborative effort), as well as in an annual report, PN magazine, national Communications initiatives, and more.
• Manage requests from media, public, external parties, and staff; (and as necessary), handle inquiries and referrals to appropriate PVA departments or external parties.
• Manage, along with the Director of Communications and Marketing, all relevant vendor and contractor selections and select RFPs for special projects, including the distribution of vendor contracts as needed.
• Manage and oversee all relevant vendors, freelancers, and interns when required.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Marketing and Communications.
• Assist the Director of Communications and Marketing with other tasks, as assigned.

Skills

Media relations

Public relations

Project management

Copywriting

Team leadership

Budgeting

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications/Marketing or related field

Job description

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) seeks an Associate Director of Communications to lead multiple program accounts, guiding strategy, media outreach, and collateral development to promote PVA’s mission and programming.

You will collaborate with leadership, staff, partners, and vendors, delivering timely communications plans and reports while acting as a key PR liaison across departments and events.