Communications Coordinator

Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab are seeking a Communications Coordinator 

About Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab

Local Progress (501(c)4) and the Local Progress Impact Lab (501(c)3) - together known as Local Progress and the Impact Lab - work collectively to advance a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of government. Local Progress (LP) is a movement of more than 1,500 local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. The Local Progress Impact Lab (the Impact Lab) brings together local leaders, partners, and experts to build the knowledge, skills, and leadership needed to advance racial and economic justice at the local level.

About the position:

Working as part of a small but mighty communications team, this role will serve as a critical implementer of LP’s communications strategy. The Communications Coordinator will be primarily responsible for supporting the organization’s day-to-day communications needs (network emails, social media, and website) and public brand (which includes both our visual identity and organizational voice). 

The Communications Coordinator will report to the Managing Director, Communications & Narrative Strategy

Location: This is a remote, U.S.-based position.

Travel requirement: This position is required to travel to in-person events at minimum twice a quarter.

Language preference: Strong preference will be given to candidates who are bilingual in Spanish and English. We will also consider candidates who are not bilingual but have demonstrated  experience working with Spanish-speaking spokespeople and cultivating relationships with Spanish-language media outlets and reporters.

Primary Responsibilities 

Network communications (email, social media, website)

• Owns and leads the LP website, with close guidance and oversight from the Managing Director.
• Support Comms Team with ideating, producing, and laying out both written and visual content across digital platforms (email and social media), including through video content.
• Develops and manages cross-team execution of communications and earned media strategies for national campaigns, state-based work, and issue-based projects. 
• Support Comms Team in ensuring consistency in narrative and messaging across strategic communications tactics, including network email, social media, and earned media engagement. 
• Provide direct support (including communications guidance and media training or prep) to local elected officials and LP staff in a variety of geographies, and in the first year, focused on MI. LP has state-based staff in NY, TX, MN, PA, CO, and CA, and members in 46 states, including D.C. 

Communications infrastructure support

• Help track what’s happening across our membership and contribute to the work to build infrastructure that supports storytelling, including processes for reviewing, identifying, sharing and packaging stories. 
• Identify and cultivate relationships with key outlets and reporters, and develop strategies to pitch and place stories and/or spokespeople to print and broadcast opportunities in local, state, and national media.

Public brand and organizational identity 

• Supports Comms Team in graphic design and branding responsibilities 
• Support Managing Director of Communications & Narrative Strategy in ensuring consistency in our visual identity and organizational voice.

• 3 years of strategic communications experience required.
• Strong understanding of branding, design, and visual communications; skills in one or more graphic design platforms a plus (preferably Canva). 
  • Experience with creating video content for social media, a plus.
• Strong writer with ability to quickly review and edit materials to ensure consistency of an organizational voice. 
• Strong organizational skills, with the attention to detail necessary for successful implementation of communications activities.
• Ability to keep multiple projects on track, anticipate obstacles and identify ways to navigate challenges, and communicate expectations and progress regularly with a remote team.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build strong relationships with Local Progress members, organizational partners, and staff.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and an interest in local policy, politics, and government.
• Experience with online campaigns using email or social media; knowledge of online advocacy tools or a willingness to learn. 

Salary and Benefits:

This position is expected to start at step 11 of our salary scale and other factors such as years of
experience and advanced degrees will be taken into account, with an expected range of $76,200-$88,200. 

This position is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific terms and conditions of employment are subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. With a collectively bargained salary scale, we are not able to negotiate once a salary offer is calculated based on the factors that determine placement on the scale. 

We operate on a four day workweek with a default schedule of Monday through Thursday. We have a generous benefits package, including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, five weeks of vacation per year, 20 sick days per year, paid holidays, and contributions to individuals’ 403(b) plans. The Local Progress office is closed between December 24 and January 1 annually. 

Timeline:

We encourage applicants to apply by April 10. Applicants will be screened on a rolling basis and the job posting may close before the deadline if we receive an overwhelming amount of applications. If you have any time constraints, please indicate as much in your application. Ideal start date is June 15. 

How to apply: 

Please submit your cover letter and resume through the JazzHR portal. 

Please submit an application that includes 1) resume, 2) cover letter and 3) at least 2 recent work samples. Work samples can be any of the following: a copy of a communications plan you created and executed in the past year; design work including report layout or social media graphics, or a pitch and corresponding news clips of a story you helped secure (links or PDFs). Please submit all documents (resume, cover letter, and work samples) through our portal as an attachment in a single PDF using the “Upload resume” function. 

Local Progress Values

• Respect: We value people and treat each other with dignity. We strive to understand each other as full human beings, and give each other grace and room to grow. 
• Honesty: We communicate directly with each other, are honest about our strengths and our shortcomings, and are transparent about who has what level of information and authority and why. 
• Groundedness: We are authentic, and have high humility and low ego. We ground our work in the day-to-day reality and needs of our members. 
• Mutual accountability: We do what we say we're going to do, follow through on our commitments to each other and to our members, and we hold each other to a high bar. We self-reflect and develop each other’s skills as leaders. 
• Nuance: We understand that our work is complex and hold space for multiple viewpoints, contradictions, and tensions. We can hold many things as true while making decisions that advance our mission. 
• Impact: We empower our team to make decisions to drive their work. We are focused on results, persistent in overcoming obstacles, and adapt to changing external conditions. We take pride in our work. 
• Collaboration: We come together across different levels of power to advance shared interests. We center what’s best for the organization and are team players. 
• Joy: We value playfulness, humor, and joy as ways to create community, connection, and goodwill that sustains us through the challenges inherent in our work. 

Local Progress is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, womxn, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTIQAA+ community.