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Salary range: $66,000-$77,000

Description

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization advancing policy solutions that work for people with low incomes and people of color. We advocate for public policies and programs at the federal, state, and local levels with the goals of eliminating poverty, improving the lives of people with low incomes, and advancing racial and economic justice. Our solutions directly address the barriers individuals and families face because of race, ethnicity, low income, and immigration status.

For more than 50 years, we have kept our vision alive through trusted expertise on policy and strategy, knowledgeable and committed staff, partnerships with directly impacted people and grassroots leaders, and bold, innovative, and inclusive approaches to economic and social justice and racial equity.

Within our broad anti-poverty mission, CLASP comprises five policy teams: Child Care and Early Education; Education, Labor, & Worker Justice; Income and Work Supports; Immigration and Immigrant Families; and Youth Policy. The Youth Policy team houses two cross-cutting bodies of work focused on the justice system and mental health.

CLASP Values for Racial Equity

We understand that inclusion is the first step toward fostering sustainable racial equity in our society and organizational culture. At CLASP, we value the importance of including multiple perspectives in shaping our organizational culture and engaging in our policy and advocacy efforts. However, we also know that to move beyond inclusion and achieve true racial equity, we must intentionally center and prioritize the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of people of color. Historically white-founded and led policy and advocacy organizations must commit to full and immersive racial equity to achieve true and sustainable change in our country.

About CLASP’s Communications Team

The communications team provides strategic communications guidance and tactical support to CLASP’s policy teams. Among the key communications functions provided by the team are editorial support and review, media relations, website and social media engagement, event support, and marketing/writing support for CLASP fundraising efforts.

We are seeking a communications manager to join our six-person communications team.

The communications manager will be the project manager for the communications team. The person’s primary responsibility will be to use Asana, the communications team’s project management platform, to manage the volume of internal requests from CLASP departments for communications support. Asana is essential for the communications team’s day-to-day planning around workload, capacity, and priorities.

The communications manager will oversee Asana and use it to track requests for communications support, i.e., editorial review, graphic design, digital/social media; organize the workflow on the Asana platform; align requests for communications support with capacity and workflow; and collaborate with teams around timelines. With Asana, the communications manager will help the communications team stay on track with its workload, keep projects organized, and manage and meet its deadlines.

The position is an ideal opportunity for someone who can multi-task and manage multiple projects with differing timelines. As a communications team member, this person will engage with colleagues to offer communications guidance/counsel on shaping policy content to achieve a positive impact with targeted audiences in support of CLASP’s external outreach and fundraising goals.

This position is based in the Washington, D.C., office. It reports to the deputy executive director of external affairs and strategic communications. CLASP is currently working under a hybrid office model.

This position is full-time and located in Washington, D.C.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the communications team’s project manager and liaison to policy teams; monitor communications support requests; and manage and prioritize project and editorial planning, timelines, content writing, and editing.
• Oversee the CLASP editorial calendar to ensure it is updated and current. Track progress and work with communications colleagues to manage volume and workload.
• Attend policy team meetings and serve as a key point of contact and strategic partner for policy colleagues by providing updates on the team’s capacity/workload and planning an integrated strategic communications plan to expand reach to core and new audiences.
• Assist occasionally with communications guidance and writing, review, editing, and oversight of all editorial content–including blogs, briefs, fact sheets, reports, email news alerts, statements, op-eds, and policy team newsletters.
• Support CLASP’s commitment to racial equity priorities throughout the editorial review process, ensuring that CLASP products reflect that commitment in policy analysis, engagement with people with lived experience, and outreach to diverse, multicultural audiences.
• Occasionally participate in organization-wide working groups and committees.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 3 – 5 years of relevant communications-related work experience is required.
• Strong organizational and project management skills and attention to detail, based on experience with project management; multi-tasking; juggling multiple projects/requests/demands; tracking deliverables; and meeting deadlines.
• Comfort working in a highly collaborative environment focused on high-impact policy goals.
• Some experience executing communications tactics that engage audiences and knowing how to pivot to connect the work with the moment and/or relevant events.
• Keen interest in and commitment to racial, social, and economic justice.
• Some communications experience in a policy or advocacy environment.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely, as well as to serve as a thought partner and creative thinker in distilling complex policy ideas and language into compelling and realistic narratives.
• Familiarity with and use of the AP Style Guide and the Chicago Manual of Style.
• Understanding the vital role of communications in integrating racial, social, economic, and gender equity into policy ideas and strategies.
• Collegial, a good listener, and willing to bring innovative, fresh ideas and opinions to the table.
• A self-starter who can work independently and as a team member.
• Have a sense of humor.

Desired Skills

• Fluency in basic computer programs: Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
• Experience using a project management system (ideally, Asana), content management system (ideally, WordPress), customer relations management system (ideally, Every Action), and media contact database (ideally, Cision).
• Familiarity with using Adobe Creative Cloud programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects, Lightroom) is a plus but not required.
• Diligence and follow-through on many simultaneous communication threads.
• Experience working with cross-cultural communication styles and approaches.
• An awareness of or interest in current communications trends and best practices and strategies, including the shifting landscape of communications tools and the growing use of AI.

COVID Requirements:

Full COVID 19 vaccinations are required for new hires effective February 2022 or weekly negative COVID test (for non-vaccinated employees) with documentation shared with Human Resources.

Compensation

Starting salary for the first year ranges from $66,000-$77,000 and is commensurate with experience.

CLASP offers exceptional benefits, including several health insurance options (most that currently require no employee-paid premiums). In addition, we provide the following benefits that currently require no employee-paid premiums: dental and vision insurance, life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. Additionally, we offer a 403(b) retirement program with employer contributions, flexible spending accounts, and a no-cost gym onsite at our D.C. office. Finally, we provide generous vacation (4 weeks in the first year), paid sick leave (3 weeks annually), two personal days a year, paid family and medical leave, and holiday schedules.

Application Process

Please upload your resume and two writing samples (blogs, fact sheets, statements, or original pieces you authored). Also, please include a cover letter explaining your interest in CLASP’s mission and why you are the best candidate for this position. (You will need to merge the cover letter and writing sample to upload).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. You must send all materials requested and follow the instructions outlined above to be considered. NO PHONE CALLS, please.

CLASP is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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