BACKGROUND AND MISSION
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity.
For over 30 years, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (“Advancing Justice | Chicago”) has worked to bring together the Asian American community and create change in our communities. We are deeply committed to grassroots community organizing and we invest in the leadership of grassroots community members through trainings, community education, civic engagement, and collaborative issue-based campaigns. In order to strengthen our work and transform the inequities in our city, state, and Midwest region, we work with multiracial coalitions that emphasize racial equity, accountability to those most impacted, and an infrastructure of grassroots leadership. Our advocacy work focuses on promoting racial, economic, and immigrant justice, including initiatives in the areas of voting rights, language access, education equity, criminal justice, and immigrant rights.
As part of the national Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation, Advancing Justice | Chicago is a leader in the nationwide Asian American movement. Regionally, Advancing Justice | Chicago is prioritizing the Midwest region and collaborating with partners across Midwestern states to tackle common struggles and build collective power.
Founded in 2018, Asian American Midwest Progressives (“AAMP”) endorses progressive candidates, mobilizes Asian American voters, and holds elected officials accountable through issue-based campaigns. Currently, AAMP organizes in Illinois and Ohio.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
This role is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, creative, and analytical communications expert to co-create and manage the organization’s communications and outreach strategy to a wide variety of audiences, including the media, volunteer leaders, policy makers, and the public at large.
The Communications Manager will play an essential role in building organizational visibility and establishing a shared communications strategy to win policies that move forward the organizational priorities of immigrant rights, criminal justice/police accountability, education equity, voting rights, and language justice. The Communications Manager will manage and execute the strategy to elevate the organization’s voice and viewpoints to advance these issue and fundraising campaigns by developing relationships with local, state, and ethnic media and other key stakeholders.
The Communications Manager will work in the organizing team and report to the Campaigns Director. This position will fall under the staff sharing agreement between Advancing Justice | Chicago and Asian American Midwest Progressives (AAMP) so a portion of time will be spent on 501(c)(4) activities including partisan electoral work.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership, Strategy & Implementation
- Working closely with the Campaigns Director, the Communications Manager will function as a digital organizer and the strategic communications lead, creating and executing a robust external communications strategy for both organizations that build ladders of engagement and connect our online outreach, offline field work, public actions, and leadership development work;
- Coordinate with the Advancing Justice affiliates to release joint statements and advance federal campaign goals through narrative work;
- Track all media contacts and earned media coverage, continuously analyzing and recommending ways to improve organizational visibility;
- Track and regularly report on digital analytics and metrics, suggest and implement changes to increase engagement across digital platforms (email, social media, website);
- Maintain an informed understanding of current developments around issues and campaigns that Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP work on as well as current news and social media trends, ensuring that the organization can engage in appropriate rapid response communications and overseeing any such rapid response protocols;
- Train and build the capacity of organizing staff to integrate digital organizing technology in their roles;
- Collaborate with Development Manager and organizing staff to gather compelling stories and data to increase donor engagement and act as liaison between organizing team and the development team particularly for End of Year and AAPI Heritage Month fundraising campaign communications;
- Create an annual report for Advancing Justice | Chicago that showcases our impact.
Media Relations
- Develop and actively cultivate Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP’s relationships with media, including reporters, editors, and producers at key mainstream and ethnic media outlets by engaging in persuasive and creative pitching on a regular basis and responding to media requests in a timely manner;
- Provide media/spokesperson training to key stakeholders, including staff and grassroots volunteer leaders.
Communications & Content Creation
- Create compelling visual and written online and offline content that mobilizes supporters and partners to participate in Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP’s campaigns, including social media graphics, actions emails and pages, fliers, factsheets and popular education materials;
- Copy edit external communications, including social media content and membership newsletters to ensure consistency and accuracy of organizational messaging;
- Create and send regular Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP newsletters, manage all social media accounts, and track and update contacts in Salesforce to ensure consistent and effective membership and stakeholder engagement;
- Regularly update, clean, and segment the Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP email lists;
- Organize and track organizational photos and videos;
- Manage and update the Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP websites to ensure better communication of each organization’s mission, impact, and pathways for engagement;
- Other duties as assigned.
You should apply if (KEY QUALIFICATIONS):
- You have 2-4 years of Communications experience, preferably at a non-profit or in media;
- You are a digital organizer and storyteller who can hold multiple perspectives: You understand the power of narrative and storytelling in all forms for movement work, are passionate about things like ladders of engagement and moving people from online to offline activism (and vice versa) and are already personally active on social media; you can think through different perspectives on a topic to develop distinct content for different audiences and make the connections between issue areas and policies for diverse communities;
- You can synthesize and distill: You can break down big complex issues into their components and essential elements;
- You like to keep up to date with the news and the world around you;
- You are both relational and analytical, able to switch seamlessly from an audience interaction (training, presentation, etc.) to writing an insightful analysis of campaign performance and translating the organization’s strategic goals into a tactical media plan;
- You are an expert across a variety of media, including digital, social, and traditional, demonstrating advanced knowledge in all areas;
- You have a depth of paid media experience to inform your work but also bring new ideas and thinking to the team;
- You are detail oriented and have excellent organizational, time management and project management skills; you can handle multiple priorities, keep projects moving while keeping the team informed, make sure things don’t slip through the cracks, respond to email and other communications in a timely manner and meet deadlines;
- You are a clear, effective, and empathetic communicator and have excellent written and verbal communication skills whether writing an internal email or giving a presentation; you can speak clearly on behalf of the organization and support community members in doing the same;
- You are deeply committed to self-reflection, growth mindset, accountability, and navigating conflict directly and compassionately; you understand that self-awareness, personal healing and transformation are critical to movement work;
- You are deeply committed to social justice, racial equity, and civil rights; you recognize how race, class, gender, immigration status, and other identities impact different communities, and you see how your own identities show up in the work;
- You have strong self-starting work habits that demonstrate creativity, initiative, and mission-orientation; you constantly exercise independent judgment to make things happen in alignment with your responsibilities while also being open to receiving direction;
- You want to learn new skills and welcome coaching, training, and feedback;
- You know movement work is ever evolving and are open and willing to adapt and respond to changing environments;
- You can be flexible in working hours, including working some evenings and weekends, to meet community members and stakeholders when they are available (flex time is offered for evening and weekend work – typically 1-2 evening or weekend events per month for this role);
- You are proficient in online platforms and work tools such as Zoom, Google Drive, and Microsoft 365/Microsoft Office Suite; you can learn how to use new technology relatively quickly.
Experience with any of the following is helpful but not required:
- Working in Asian American or immigrant communities;
- Issue area expertise around any of our five priority areas;
- Working for elected officials or in government in another capacity;
- Bilingual in English and an Asian language.
COMPENSATION
This is an exempt, full-time position. This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit and is subject to the terms and conditions of the contract between Advancing Justice | Chicago and the Chicago News Guild. The starting salary range is $65,000 – $75,000, depending on experience. Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP offer a generous full benefits package.
INQUIRY AND APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications should be submitted electronically via email to work@advancingjustice-chicago.org and include:
- Cover letter describing interest in the position, qualifications, and expectations,
- Resume;
- Two writing samples of your choosing;
- Two design samples of your choosing or link to portfolio; and
- Names and relationship of three references who can speak to the range of qualifications sought.
Please include “Communications Manager Application” in the subject line of your email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Note: Given the COVID-19 pandemic, Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP staff are currently working in-person at our Uptown office two days a week (Tue/Thu) with optional work-from-home three days a week (Mon/Weds/Fri), which is subject to change. If you are invited for an interview, the interview may be held in person or over video conference.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, marital or domestic partner status, or religious affiliation.