Responsibilities

• Media Relations & Public Relations - Support proactive media strategies tied to organizational priorities, campaigns, partnerships, advocacy initiatives, and major announcements.
• Actively pitch, secure, coordinate, and staff national, regional, local, and trade media opportunities.
• Build and maintain relationships with reporters, producers, editors, and freelance writers.
• Draft and edit communications materials including press releases, media advisories, talking points, briefing materials, statements, FAQs, and messaging documents.
• Support media interview preparation for executives, spokespeople, self-advocates, families, researchers, partners, and ambassadors.
• Monitor news cycles, identify timely opportunities for media engagement, and support rapid-response communications and sensitive media inquiries as needed.
• Collaborate with internal teams to identify stories, spokespeople, and community perspectives that support communications priorities and help identify gaps in available stories, voices, or subject matter relevant to proactive communications efforts.
• Help maintain consistency across external communications materials and public-facing messaging.
• Help manage media lists, coverage tracking, reporting, and communications resources.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Collaborate across departments to support integrated communications efforts and ensure alignment in public-facing messaging.

Requirements

• Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field preferred. 6-8 years of experience in public relations, communications, media relations, journalism, or a related communications role.

Benefits

• Salary & Benefits Autism Speaks offers a competitive compensation, benefit and vacation package. We also provide flex work hours, weekly training sessions, tuition reimbursement and summer bonus Fridays in addition to a creative, innovative, collaborative, inclusive, kind and fun work environment.