Communications and Development Assistant

Who We Are:

The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is a leading research and advocacy organization advancing human rights in the Americas. We envision a future where public policies protect human rights and recognize human dignity. We create strategic partnerships with courageous people making a social change: advocacy organizations, academics, religious and business leaders, artists, and government officials. We are passionate about our work and strive to make our organization a healthy and safe space for all to work and feel appreciated. WOLA supports our staff with a culture of innovation, collaboration, understanding, and integrity.

Our External Relations team is made up of a small but dedicated team, including a Vice President, a Partnerships Director, and a Communications Assistant Director. The team is responsible for fundraising from institutional partners and individual donors, managing relationships with outside parties, managing WOLA's public presence, and facilitating the production of all of WOLA's outputs in English and Spanish including but not limited to commentaries, media advisories, joint statements, opinion pieces, social media posts, videos, and documentaries.

Your role:

This is an entry-level, administrative role. The selected candidate will provide support across the team. The standard daily tasks include coordinating digital content flow and working with our digital platforms, supporting events, translating documents, monitoring digital platforms, and working with the team to complete other tasks. The Communications and Development Assistant will work with staff across the organization, receive an entry-level introduction to the nonprofit advocacy world and human rights, social justice, and foreign policy communities in Washington D.C. and Latin America with a development and communications lens. Qualified candidates should have excellent language, organizational, and interpersonal skills, and demonstrate a passion for social justice, human rights in the Americas, and anti-racism. They should aim for innovation and keep up with today’s rapidly changing world of human rights, fundraising and communications.

Reports to: Vice President for External Relations

Supervises: One intern a year, in tandem with the Internship Coordinator

Responsibilities:

• Content Management: The Assistant will be responsible for uploading material to digital platforms and drafting copy for social media, ensuring that content is timely, accurate, and aligned with the organization’s goals.
• Production and Editing: They will support the production and editing of both written and multimedia materials, adhering to WOLA’s guidelines, and will manage distribution through our CRM system, social media, and email.
• Website Management: The Assistant will assist in overseeing WOLA’s new website, including coordinating with other teams and ensuring that content is optimized for web performance.
• Translation: They will draft and translate content in English and Spanish for the website and other platforms, ensuring linguistic accuracy and consistency with WOLA’s style guide.
• Media Relations: The Assistant will help maintain databases of media contacts, assist in managing the press account and coordinate the monitoring of global media coverage.
• Digital Monitoring: The Assistant will monitor digital platforms to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• CRM and Email Management: They will update contact and donor lists in our CRM and schedule and monitor email and other communications.
• Event Support: They will occasionally assist with logistics and technology for both virtual and in-person events, including setup, managing the guest list, live-streaming, and troubleshooting.
• Perform other tasks as needed to support the work of the external relations team and organization’s objectives

Qualifications:

Note: We view this section as a guide, not a checklist. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t satisfy every bullet on this list. The ideal candidate must align with our values.

• Full written and spoken fluency in Spanish and English. Native Spanish abilities preferred.
• Excellent writing skills and a good eye for detail.
• Ability to work and organize various administrative tasks in a fast-paced environment and under pressure.
• Experience working with a collaborative team as well as being able to own a project.
• Problem-solving skills, critical thinking, good intuition, attention to detail, and troubleshooting abilities are essential.
• Experience working with any of the following: Social media platforms, WordPress, Canva, podcast production, CRMs (particularly EveryAction), or working with the press.
• A demonstrated understanding of or experience working on issues related to human rights, democracy, and social justice in Latin America.
• Additional job requirements: full-time position; some long hours and occasional weekend work required.

Office Culture: While we would prefer this role be located in the greater DMV area we are willing to consider a remote employee that can work the majority of their hours in the Eastern Time Zone. Generally, our office setting is flexible and hybrid; no one is required to work from the office daily. Staff is encouraged to go in 1-2 days a week based on their tasks and program needs.

Salary: $45,000-$60,000 depending on previous experience and location. Benefits for employees include full health, dental, vision, and life insurance 100% paid by WOLA; four weeks of annual vacation, 5% retirement match at one year of employment, four weeks of sick leave, and twelve weeks of paid parental leave. The office is closed between Christmas and New Year’s.

Deadline: Accepting rolling applications and conducting rolling interviews.

Start date: March 2025

To apply: Please submit a 1-2-page resume, in English, and a 1-2-page cover letter, one copy in English and one in Spanish in PDF format. The cover letter should indicate why you are interested in working with the External Relations team and what location you will work from. If you have any more materials that are applicable for our skills requested feel free to include them as well. Submit your package to employment@wola.org with the title “Comms Assistant”. During the interviews, your Spanish speaking and writing will be tested for proficiency.