Director of Communications

Responsibilities

• Communications Strategy & Organizational Positioning
• Drive and continuously align JLUSA’s communications strategy, including annual and quarterly planning.
• Steward JLUSA’s organizational narrative, messaging, and voice across programs, departments, and external channels.
• Partner with organizational leadership to ensure communications clearly connect JLUSA’s programs and activities to its broader impact and theory of change.
• Development Communications
• Partner closely with the Vice President for Development to align communications and fundraising strategy and maintain an integrated donor communications calendar.
• Develop impact stories, fundraising campaigns, annual reporting, and other materials that support donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Ensure Development has a strong pipeline of stories, evidence, and communications assets demonstrating what investment in directly impacted leadership makes possible.one
• Content, Storytelling & Digital Communications
• Lead JLUSA’s editorial and content strategy across website, email, social media, publications, and other channels.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible communications experience, preferably in a nonprofit or mission-driven environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing communications strategies, organizational messaging, and content strategies that advance organizational goals.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, including the ability to translate complex systems-change, policy, research, or social-impact work for different audiences.
• Proven people-management experience, including budget management, supervising staff and consultants and collaborating effectively across teams.
• Strong understanding of digital communications, including email, websites, social media, audience segmentation, and content strategy; experience with earned media and thought leadership strongly preferred.
• Experience partnering with fundraising or Development teams and developing effective funder and donor communications.
• Strong project-management and organizational skills, with the ability to set strategy while remaining hands-on, manage competing priorities, and build effective systems and workflows.
• Comfortable using data and analytics to set meaningful metrics, assess performance, and refine communications strategy.
• High level of comfort with technology and emerging tools, including generative AI, and sound judgment about their responsible and effective use.

Preferred

• Experience in criminal justice, economic mobility, movement-building, or adjacent fields is valued but not required.
• Lived experience with the criminal legal system is valued and encouraged, though not required.
• Demonstrated ability to approach storytelling about lived experience ethically and respectfully, with a strong commitment to agency and dignity.
• JLUSA’s mission, social justice, racial equity, and the leadership of people directly impacted by the criminal legal system.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: All eligible full-time employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in employer-sponsored benefit plans, with coverage beginning on 1st of the month following 30-days of continuous full-time employment. JLUSA pays full premium cost for core dental and vision insurance, with higher coverage plans available with employee contributions. JLUSA pays 80% of medical insurance premium, including plans that cover dependents.
• Paid Holidays: All federally observed holidays plus Christmas Eve and the day after Thanksgiving.
• Sick and Vacation Time: Full-time employees accrue 20 days of paid sick leave and 15 days of paid vacation per year. Vacation accrual rate increases after 5 years of employment.
• Additional Paid Time Off: Two-week office closure around December holidays.
• Short- and Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance: JLUSA covers full premiums for all eligible full-time employees. Life insurance benefit is up to 2 times employee’s annual salary.
• Retirement: JLUSA offers full-time employees with the opportunity to participate in 401(k) Tax Deferred Savings Plan. JLUSA adds $1.00 for every $1.00 an employee contributes to their 401(k) account, up to the first 4% of their eligible compensation.
• Wellness: Confidential and professional assistance available through contracted Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for personal, family or workplace problems.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Employees may enroll in flexible spending accounts for health, dependent care, and commuting costs, in accordance with IRS guidelines.