Senior Director, Communications
Senior Director, Communications
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Job Description
Senior Director Communications
R Street Institute
Washington D.C.
The R Street Institutea free-market think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with staff located across the countryis seeking a creative strategic and audience-focused Senior Director of Communications. If you are a compelling storyteller a strong manager and passionate about public policy this may be the role for you.
This role reports to the Vice President of Public Affairs and leads a talented team spanning media relations digital communications creative and design research publications and events. Youll be responsible not only for shaping and executing the strategy that ensures R Street reaches and resonates with policymakers funders the media and the broader policymaking ecosystem but also working closely with the executive team to help implement R Streets larger brand strategy.
Your typical day might involve advising a member of the executive team on messaging flagging a breaking news moment for amplification coaching communications directors across functional teams or counseling a policy scholar on how to frame an op-ed. Youll collaborate on R Streets annual policy research agendas and impact strategies by bringing a lens to how we communicate our work and who were trying to reach lead our annual end-of-year impact report and help drive major organization-wide initiatives like our biannual summit and America 250 initiative. The goal Advance our limited effective government mission create meaningful public policy change and steer our ship toward exciting new outreach opportunities (pirate hat optional).
This is a strategic leadership role. Were looking for someone who can lift up out of the trenches to empower a team of communications experts to deliver high-impact work that reaches and moves the right audiences. Youll be responsible for setting the vision and helping drive effective communications and brand products and programming.
This role collaborates closely with our Executive Policy Federal and State Affairs and Business Development teams. Youll help ensure that our public voice reflects and reinforces our mission values and strategic goals.
Other Aspects of Your Role
- Lead manage and mentor a high-performing team responsible for media relations branding digital and social media presence design publications and events.
- Develop and implement communications strategies that build credibility and strengthen engagement with R Streets key audiences.
- Partner with and support the executive teams work to advance R Streets larger brand products and programming.
- Support the executive teams visibility by identifying opportunities for media events and thought leadership that advance R Streets brand and influence.
- Guide the Events and Publications teams in delivering audience-centered research products and programming that reinforce R Streets brand.
- Collaborate on R Streets policy research agenda and impact strategy to ensure communications is integrated into the organizations public impact efforts.
- Align communications strategy with organizational priorities in research fundraising and strategic partnerships.
- Use data to evaluate communications performance audience engagement and messaging effectiveness.
- Anticipate shifts in the changing media and political landscapes audience behavior and information access particularly related to emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence (AI) and adapt strategy to ensure continued relevance and discoverability.
- Represent the department on the Senior Management Team and participate in cross-functional initiatives.
Who You Are
- You believe deeply in R Streets classical liberal values and its free-market limited effective government mission.
- You have significant experience leading communications efforts managing teams and shaping narratives that resonate with key audiences.
- You are a decision-maker.
- You are comfortable resolving disconnects.
- You are willing to iterate and adaptable to change.
- Youve led diverse teams and enjoy helping others succeed.
- You are familiar with the think tank ecosystem.
- Youre fluent in both narrative and analytics and are comfortable switching between message strategy and audience metrics.
- You understand the value of a brand narrative and developing an organization-wide brand promise.
- You understand how communications supports institutional credibility and public policy brand and fundraising impact.
- You think across platforms but start with the people youre trying to reach.
- You are solutions-minded and help resolve conflicts in real time.
- You have excellent judgment a collaborative spirit and a good sense of humor.
- No specific educational background is required. Demonstrated success and alignment with our values matter most.
R Street Institute consistently offers pragmatic real solutions that foster American innovation bolster competition and safeguard individual libertyall with the understanding that life in a democratic society sometimes requires compromises that dont necessarily represent first best solutions. We focus on deep scholarship and pragmatic policy solutions that many groups tend to neglect. Our goal is to publish timely relevant research and analysis that advances a market-oriented society and limited effective government. To that end our motto is: Free Markets. Real Solutions. Read more about our mission and impact here.
Workplace
R Street is a remote-first organization. This is a full-time position that can be performed remotely or from our D.C. office. The Senior Director of Communications will lead a distributed team and should be comfortable managing across work environments. For candidates based outside of Washington D.C. regular travel will be expected for events and in-person convenings.
Compensation Benefits and Perks
R Street strives to offer a compensation and benefits package that is competitive transparent and supportive of employee well-being. The salary range for this position is $140k-$160K commensurate with addition to thiscompetitive salary we provide the following:
- Unlimited paid time off including all federal holidays the day after Thanksgiving and two weeks holiday closure in December
- Alternating Fridays off
- A health insurance option entirely paid by the employer (even for families)
- Dental and vision insurance
- 401(k) contributions with up to a 4 percent match
- HSA employer contribution match
- Quarterly wellness reimbursement
- Mobile equipment/mobile plan reimbursement
- Home internet subsidy
- Annual educational and professional development reimbursement
- A choice between child care assistance pet care assistance and student loan repayment assistance
At R Street Institute we strive for preeminence in every area where we engage driven by our commitment to excellence and innovation. Our culture thrives on action creativity and courage with an unwavering focus on quality credibility and impact. We believe progress requires diverse experience and expertise which is why we champion non-traditional yet prudent approaches to public policy. This principle guides how we build our programs recognizing that each team members uniqueness strengthens our collective identity.
We approach our mission with intellectual rigor embracing free inquiry and honesty to ensure our work is grounded in solid research and thoughtful analysis. While serious about our purpose we value the joy of collaboration and the fun that comes from working together. Our collaborative spirit fosters trust and transparency with respect and openness guiding our actions. We celebrate our individual contributions while recognizing that we are stronger as one team united in our work and relationships.
Thus R Street does not discriminate on the basis of age sex race creed color national origin sexual orientation era of military service gender identity or expression relationship structure or anything else thats illegal immoral or stupid to use as a basis for hiring.
We plan to accept applications for this job until filled. We will contact qualified individuals for telephone screenings and conduct them on a rolling basis. Interviews take place virtually via Zoom.
To apply please copy and paste your cover letter into the text box and upload your resume as a Microsoft Word document or PDF. If generative AI is used during the application process it must be disclosed.
The R Street Institute stands for free markets limited effective government and pragmatic solutions to difficult problems. We envision:
A free society where public policy begins with freedom as its initial premise and governments exist primarily as guardians of inherent inalienable rights.
An inclusive society that provides a place a voice and equal opportunity for all.
A just society that holds everyone accountable to the same laws.
Our Values
The following values are the principles that guide how R Street fulfills its mission and operates. Our organization believes in these values and we live them:
Always be better
We want to achieve preeminence in every area where we work. We encourage a bias for action innovation creativity and courage in everything that we do. We measure ourselves by the quality credibility and impact we achieve as a result.
Different is good.
We believe that great minds think differently and building broad coalitions has made us who we are. Making progress on policy requires that we operate outside of the echo chamber and take non-traditional approaches to policy making. We apply this same principle to the way we operate and how we build our teams: with a focus on diversity and inclusion. We are all unique but belong to the same team.
Serious(ly)
Were serious about our work but dont take ourselves too seriously. We believe in the intellectual rigor free inquiry and honesty that is required to achieve our mission but having fun doing it is equally as important.
One Team
We all work together and work with humility. We strive to cultivate trust and transparency at all levels between ourselves as individuals and as an organization with our stakeholders and in our work. We demonstrate respect and openness in our actions at all times. We are all unique but belong to the same team.
Required Experience:
Senior Manager
Employment Type
Full-Time
