Director of Communications

Responsibilities

• Lead proactive media outreach by cultivating press relationships, identifying timely story opportunities, and pitching NC Child research, policy positions, experts, and constituent perspectives. Prepare press releases and media advisories, maintain media contacts in Meltwater, and promote NC Child's Child Health Report Card, Data Center, County Data Cards, and KIDS COUNT Data Book.
• Manage incoming media requests, recommend response language, coordinate subject-matter input, and route materials through established review and approval processes.
• Develop crisis, issues management, and rapid-response communications protocols; assess communications considerations; and recommend response strategies.
• Provide communications counsel on organizational positioning, message strategy, executive visibility, public communications, and stakeholder engagement.
• Develop executive remarks, presentations, testimony, briefing materials, talking points, op-eds, and thought-leadership content.
• Prepare NC Child leadership, board members, staff, and constituent spokespeople, including parents and youth, for media appearances, and provide media training.
• Create and manage multi-channel communications, including action alerts, biweekly newsletters, website content, blogs, social media, advertising campaigns, and signature event communications. Participate in planning, execution, and promotion of the annual State of the Child Summit.
• Set communications goals and performance measures; monitor earned media, website, email, social, audience, and campaign results; and recommend improvements.
• Steward NC Child's brand, organizational voice, visual identity, editorial standards, and messaging framework.
• Maintain an integrated editorial calendar and coordinate content development, fact-checking, appropriate review, approval, publication, and archiving workflows.

Requirements

• Demonstrated proficiency with email, content management systems, and digital and social media platforms.
• Experience working with the press and developing persuasive, audience- centered communications.
• Strong copywriting, editing, publishing, verbal communication, and presentation skills, including the ability to copyedit research reports, one-pagers, fact sheets, and other external materials.
• Proficiency in AP Style and Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Sound judgment, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a changing political and nonprofit environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, synthesize complex information, and translate research and policy issues into clear communications.
• A strong commitment to NC Child's mission and core values.

Preferred

• Existing relationships with North Carolina media.
• More than five years of communications experience in government, business, or a nonprofit organization.
• A bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Experience managing digital content across multiple platforms.
• Experience with search engine marketing, analytics, online advertising, or communications platforms such as Meltwater, WordPress, Adobe Creative Suite, Raiser's Edge, Airtable, or SharePoint.
• Professional proficiency in Spanish or another language relevant to the communities NC Child serves.

Benefits

• Health and dental insurance
• Paid sick days, PTO, paid family leave
• Sabbatical program
• Professional development opportunities