Responsibilities

• Communications strategy and operations: Set the communications strategy, core messages, and a 12-month editorial calendar that grows Atticus's media coverage. Build the operational infrastructure that makes it all run.
• Earned media strategy : Build a public relations program that consistently lands Atticus in the outlets that shape public and policymaker perception. You’ll turn our data into the kind of insight reporters can’t find anywhere else, earning placement in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and major trades that cover SSA, disability and consumer access to legal help.
• Policy newsjacking and rapid response : Build the muscle to move quickly when SSA or adjacent policy news breaks: commentary, data, spokespeople, op-eds. Make Atticus the first call when a report needs perspective on the benefits system.
• Public affairs and Congressional engagement : Partner with our Public Affairs and Advocacy team to design and execute DC fly-ins that put client stories in front of members and staff. Support Congressional briefings, roundtables, and hill events.
• Corporate communications : Own execution positioning for our CEO and leadership team, thought leadership platforms, and crisis preparedness.
• Agency and stakeholder management : Quarterback our PR and public affairs agencies. Partner closely with Policy, Legal, Product, and Growth to make sure that our external voice reflects the full company.
• Communications operations: Own the operational infrastructure for PR and Comms at Atticus – media strategy, content calendar, approval workflows, messaging frameworks, and performance measurement.
• Team building : Hire and develop the comms team over time as the function grows.
• What Success Looks Like In Year One (optional added for clarity) : Atticus is a regular, credible voice in tier-1 coverage of Social Security and retirement, the SSA, disability benefits, and consumer access to the legal and benefits systems.
• We have a rapid-response operation that consistently shows up in the first 24 hours of major SSA policy moments.

Requirements

• 10+ years in communications , with meaningful time in a policy-adjacent environment – advocacy, government, a regulated industry, a mission-driven consumer brand, or a firm serving those clients.
• Track record of earned media wins delivered through data and original insight , not just relationships. You know how to turn a data set into a story a reporter will actually run.
• Public affairs chops . You’ve organized fly-ins, staged Congressional events, worked with hill staff, and know how to move a policy narrative through Washington.
• A strong writer and editor . You can move fluently between a reporter pitch, a CEO op-ed, an internal memo, and a set of talking points. You set a high bar for the writing coming out of the function and our agency partners.
• A cross-functional quarterback . You’re comfortable holding the middle across agencies, Legal, Policy, executives, and Growth, and getting to clarity when interests don’t automatically align.
• Government affairs fluency . You understand how Congress and federal agencies actually work, and you have the relationships (or the ability to build them quickly) to be effective in DC.
• Genuine compassion for the people we serve . Our clients are often at the hardest moments of their lives. The comms leader for this company must care about that in a way that shows up in the work.
• Comfort in a performance-driven culture . Atticus is a data-first company. You’re excited to bring comms thinking into that environment and hold your own function to a similar bar.

Benefits

• Medical and dental insurance with 100% of employee premiums covered
• 15 vacation days & ~20 paid holidays each year (including two weeks at end-of-year)
• Free membership to OneMedical
• $600/year reimbursable stipend for internet service
• $1,000 reimbursable stipend for education and training outside of work
• Up to $1,200/year student loan repayment assistance
• 401(k) and optional HSA/FSA
• Humble, thoughtful, smart, fun colleagues