Communications Director

Position description

Type of Position: Exempt, Full Time

Location: Remote; candidates should be able to overlap with business hours (9am to 5pm) in the U.S. Eastern Time Zone for a few hours each day.

Reports to: Executive Director

Start Date: March 2024

Compensation: Starting at $110,000*

Women Enabled International (WEI)

is now accepting applications for the position of Director of Communications. We are seeking an experienced communications professional to join our growing team at an exciting moment in the organization’s trajectory. Following a period of rapid growth and a recent leadership transition, WEI recently adopted a new strategic plan to guide the organization’s work over the next 5 years.

The newly established position of Director of Communications recognizes that strategic communications will be an essential component of the successful implementation of our new strategic plan. This is a key leadership role that supports the organization’s vision to solidify our identity, build our reputation and credibility, and cultivate support from key changemakers to join us in our efforts to advance human rights and justice at the intersection of gender and disability.

ABOUT WOMEN ENABLED INTERNATIONAL

As feminists with disabilities and allies, Women Enabled International (WEI) advances human rights and justice at the intersection of gender and disability to challenge exclusionary, unjust systems and support the leadership and center the voices of women, girls, and gender-diverse people with disabilities globally.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Communications will provide strategic oversight for Communications to advance WEI’s strategic objectives, as well as our external positioning as an organization. This is a position that requires someone who is both a big-picture thinker and a doer, who can work in collaboration with the Executive Director and other senior leadership to lead the planning and delivery of strategic communications and public relations initiatives to effectively convey WEI’s mission, activities, and impact to internal and external stakeholders.

A self-starter, the Director of Communications will bring the start-up mentality necessary to strengthen a nascent communications department by establishing core systems and processes, while also bringing experience in established communications environments to ground these department-building efforts in real-world knowledge of what works and what bureaucracy to avoid.

The incumbent will uphold WEI’s guiding values of disability justice, intersectional feminism, community, accountability, and respect and dignity—working with other senior leadership to foster an organizational environment that promotes collaboration and communication across departments in the collective pursuit of WEI’s strategic priorities.

Key responsibilities include:

Management and Leadership:

• Provide cross-functional leadership in the development and implementation of WEI’s strategic priorities.
• Serve as a champion of WEI’s mission, vision, and values internally to foster a positive organizational culture and create a collaborative and impactful work environment.
• Inspire, energize, coach, and develop a diverse international team with multiple perspectives and complementary skills, actively seeking input from all staff and fostering recognition of leadership and expertise at all levels.
• Provide oversight and guidance in the development and maintenance of relevant policies, procedures, and systems to advance the strategic positioning of WEI.
• Engage the Leadership Team and Board through strategic reporting and advisory pertaining to communications and public relations.

Strategic Communications:

• Develop the organizational communications strategy to support advocacy and awareness-raising for the rights of women, girls, and gender-diverse people with disabilities within the organization and in the broader community, leveraging thought leadership and partnerships across funders, media, and other constituents and allies.
• Build strategic communications to support the ED and Leadership Team in building and stewarding relationships with regional and international stakeholders including human rights experts, advocates, UN agencies, community leaders, governments, policymakers, and the public to cultivate a network of support and advocacy.
• In close collaboration with the ED, Director of Development, and Director of Strategy, strategically leverage WEI’s communications channels to engage with donors, philanthropic foundations, and supporters to update them on the organization’s impact, cultivate buy-in for WEI’s mission and strategic priorities, and express gratitude for their contributions.
• Advance WEI’s position as a thought leader at the intersection of gender and disability rights and justice through the development of forward-thinking communications strategies aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities.
• Support the ED and organizational leadership in representing WEI’s values, goals, and mission to the public, media, and other key stakeholders through the development of key messages, speaking notes, and overall communications guidance to enhance the strategic positioning of WEI externally.
• Maintain the organization’s brand identity and ensure consistent messaging and visual representation across all communications materials.
• Lead a team to plan and execute communications deliverables and activities to advance the strategic priorities and programmatic work of Advocacy & Accountability, Capacity & Movement Strengthening, and Strategy teams.
• Provide relevant data and leverage insights to inform continuous learning and improvement within the Communications team.

Public Relations:

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with media outlets, journalists, and influencers to secure positive coverage, interviews, and feature stories that promote WEI’s mission and impact in line with the organization’s strategy.
• Oversee the creation of compelling content, including press releases, articles, social media posts, and marketing materials, to communicate the organization’s initiatives and achievements.
• Provide oversight and strategic guidance around the organization’s online presence, including the website and social media channels.
• Build and maintain relationships with external partners, donors, and supporters, promoting collaboration and raising the organization’s profile.
• Address inquiries and provide information to promote the organization’s mission and activities.
• Develop communications strategies to support the visibility of and successful delivery of events, press conferences, and awareness campaigns to engage the public and raise awareness about WEI’s mission and values.
• Address crises and sensitive issues with transparency and sensitivity by developing and leading the delivery of robust crisis communications plans to manage responses and protect WEI’s reputation in cases of emergencies or challenging situations.
• Strategically engage with the public and stakeholders to manage and mitigate potential risk to the organization.
• Maintain and enhance the organization’s public image and brand reputation, ensuring consistent and positive messaging and visual representation.

Team Operations:

• Build and lead a team in advancing WEI’s strategic priorities through the Communications function, including engaging third-party resources as needed.
• Establish clear objectives, key performance indicators, and timelines for communications and PR initiatives.
• Grow and strengthen a nascent communications department by establishing core systems and processes.
• Empower team members to build processes and capture insights to support continuous improvement across WEI’s Communications function in line with the organization’s strategic priorities.
• Oversee the budget for Communications activities, ensuring resources are efficiently utilized to achieve team objectives.
• Lead with transparency and accountability by engaging with Communications team members to keep them informed about key developments, organizational achievements, and changes in strategy or priorities to create a sense of alignment and purpose among the team.
• Manage across teams, including cross-functional teams, to inform internal team planning to help proactively manage capacity within the team.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong leadership and people management skills, including setting departmental goals, and managing resources effectively in anon-profit organization or similar environment.
• Familiarity with human rights, intersectional feminism, and/or disability rights and justice. Knowledge of/lived experience with the challenges and barriers faced by women and/or gender-diverse people with disabilities with disabilities preferred. Lived experience with disability is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience with advocating for a cause or mission through strategic communications and public relations efforts, driving support and awareness.
• Understanding of the non-profit sector and its unique dynamics, including fundraising strategies, donor relations, and advocacy efforts.
• Proven success in cultivating and maintaining relationships with media outlets, journalists, policymakers, and other stakeholders. This includes securing positive media coverage and managing media inquiries effectively.
• Demonstrated experience in managing communication and PR teams. This includes a track record of leading and developing staff members, setting departmental goals, and managing resources effectively.
• Proficiency with digital communication, content creation, graphic design, and social media tools and technologies.
• Advanced written and verbal communication with the ability to adapt communication styles for the speaker and the audience.
• High level of comfort with content creation, including writing press releases, and thought leadership pieces.
• Proficiency with overseeing the budget for communications and PR activities ensuring efficient use of resources to achieve communications objectives.
• Proficiency in Spanish preferred, as WEI Communications are developed in both English and Spanish.
• Ability to travel, including to/within the United States and other global locations, for conferences, activities, staff meetings, and stakeholder engagement (up to 5% of the time).

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field—or the equivalent in work experience. A master’s degree in a relevant field is a plus.
• Candidates should have at least 5-7 years of professional experience in strategic communications and public relations, with a proven track record of success in promoting non-profit organizations and advocacy campaigns.
• Ideal candidates will have at least 2-4 years of management experience.

* Annual salary is dependent on experience and reflective of a position based in our headquarters of Washington, D.C. Salary may be subjected to a locality adjustment depending on work location.

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net