Vice President of Media Relations

Change Consulting is seeking a Vice President of media relations to lead our earned media team, grow and manage the earned media department, and drive client-facing media relations projects. As the leader of our earned media team, the VP will provide cutting-edge expertise and leadership to the agency and to our clients to help them succeed in their policy advocacy, organizing, and culture-change related goals.

As with the work of the entire agency, this work will be rooted in our values: belief in the power of changemakers, the courageous and creative people who believe a better world is possible; cherished, long-term partnerships with our clients and communities; racial justice, and centering all our work on the liberation of Black people and people of color; love, and bringing our whole hearts to everything we do; focus on high impact and low ego and drama; holding ourselves and our clients in the light of possibility; and believing in a world where more connection and joy is possible.

The VP of media relations will lead the earned media team to build on Change Consulting’s reputation as industry leaders in media relations for racial and social justice nonprofits, coalitions, and foundations, and as conduits/trusted sources and thought partners for members of the media.

• This position calls for an experienced leader who leads with care for people. The selected candidate will work with earned media team members to build, connect, and strengthen their expertise and leadership by providing feedback, tactical and professional development support, and direction as needed.
• The right candidate is also an entrepreneurial-minded leader who understands how to build and maintain processes and systems for a media relations department. This position contributes to the identification, cultivation, and support of new business.
• Finally, this position also requires a leader who has experience with and thoroughly understands the media ecosystem. The ideal candidate knows how earned media efforts support the continuum of strategic communications services that Change Consulting offers to help our clients achieve systemic and transformational change for Black communities and communities of color. The ideal candidate has their finger on the pulse of a rapidly changing media landscape and will place stories that center our clients’ core issues, solutions, and ideas to shape narratives and break through to key audiences.

The VP will help our clients compete in the marketplace of ideas by identifying the right story at the right time, the best outlets to target, and working with media contacts to frame the story that will serve the client's goal. The right candidate loves pitching reporters and can show us that they are persistent and creative in following up as long as it takes to place the story. Building relationships with reporters and other editorial staff will come naturally to them. They know the difference between effective and opportunistic storytelling. They will have demonstrated creative storytelling ideas, identifying themes across clients and projects to inform unique story and pitch ideas. This position is responsible for the day-to-day management of assigned accounts, including developing and executing strategies and tactics, managing budgets, and serving as a primary client liaison.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Management and Leadership:

• Serve as a leader on the earned media team in creating earned media strategies and providing thoughtful counsel to clients, strategic support for team members
• Thoughtfully manage CC earned media team members, elevating their work and their experience, facilitating consistent client delivery, and fostering a community of growth and learning
• Coordinate and manage earned media team, providing counsel and feedback to elicit thoughtful and powerful work towards achieving each earned media clients’ communications objectives
• Demonstrate a commitment to Black liberation, racial justice, and an understanding of the systemic issues impacting Black communities and communities of color, as well as the ability to communicate, strategize, and write from this lens
• Demonstrate industry, client, and issue area knowledge and understanding in order to present breakthrough ideas and strategies relating to earned media, including but not limited to: racial justice, criminal justice reform, economic justice, youth empowerment, social determinants of health, equitable development, and civic engagement
• Demonstrate an understanding of the unique communications challenges and opportunities for 501(c)(4), 501(c)(3) organizations, and PACs
• Develop at least one post for the CC blog and design and lead one CC team learning session annually lifting up your expertise and thought leadership
• Identify and support the CC team in implementing new tools, strategies, and processes to offer our clients, and support recruitment and hiring for additional positions in the department
• Manage vendors and subcontractors; act as an ambassador for the earned media team across the rest of the agency’s function areas and to new and existing partners
• Attend regular staff and team meetings, providing input and feedback on business improvement, including client services, staff development and office procedures

Lead/Manage Client Accounts:

• Demonstrate a deep understanding of client goals and the full range of earned media strategies and tactics available for our clients to use to achieve those goals
• Lead earned media strategy development and implementation for clients and projects, working within the limits of clients’ authentic voice, goals, and capacity; producing client-ready content
• Conceive and implement high-impact earned media strategies to help clients win coverage, including media events, media projects, press materials, pitching and relationship building, spokesperson preparation and talkings points for media interviews
• Provide day-to-day management support for assigned clients, including communications, facilitating check-ins and workshops
• Assign, review, and approve earned media materials such as press releases, media advisories, media lists, pitches, and more
• Demonstrate ability to strategize across the breadth of CC’s work to find opportunities for cross-team and client collaboration, including cross pitching clients
• Provide ongoing status and final reports on progress towards client goals internally to CC team and externally to clients
• Efficiently manage projects internally using tools including Asana, Harvest, Meltwater, PR Newswire, as well as internal tools including a project management dashboard and service delivery manual
• Identify new best practices, service offerings, and tools to support earned media service delivery and to deepen our earned media expertise; building, documenting, and championing new processes and best practices
• Help design and lead workshops on earned media for clients for the purpose of training and capacity-building, including designing and sharing the agenda and facilitating breakout sessions

Business Development and Team Management:

• Introduce and maintain systems and processes for the earned media team to ensure client and team success
• Support in securing new business along with CEO, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff:
  • Identifying new business prospects
  • Holding new business intake calls, reporting back to the administrative team recommendations on moving forward
  • Contributing to proposals or major components of proposals
  • Ensure current clients are aware of CC’s full service offerings beyond earned media

Overall Knowledge and Expertise:

• Experience working in an agency, political campaign, newsroom, or other fast-paced environment
• Ability to ideate, execute, and deliver results as needed while juggling multiple priorities
• Strong commitment to racial justice and social justice
• Excellent written, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage and move projects, as well as manage relationships across organizations and teams
• Ability to stay plugged into what’s happening in racial and social justice, mass media, and popular culture
• Relevant media relationships are a plus
• Frequent use and general knowledge of industry practices, techniques, and standards
• Demonstrate sound judgment and present best ideas to clients
• Acting as a model of good citizenship
• Fun to work with, and doesn’t take themselves too seriously

About Change Consulting

Change Consulting is a Black-owned social change communications agency based in Oakland, California. For the past 16 years, we have worked in service of and in partnership with changemakers – visionaries at nonprofits, foundations, and mission-driven entities – who are committed to making justice a reality. We have a particular focus on racial justice, including criminal justice reform, economic justice, youth empowerment, social determinants of health, equitable development, and civic engagement. Our clients bring the vision and subject matter expertise, and we provide the communications counsel, strategy, and hands-on implementation support to help move key audiences to action.

Our multi-racial team has backgrounds in philanthropy, media, social enterprise, publishing, politics, advocacy, public relations, and strategic communications. Our work is rooted in the movement for racial justice; everything we do is in commitment to ending systemic anti-Black racism and making just futures possible for Black communities and communities of color.

Current and former clients include: Akonadi Foundation, Black Organizing Project, Black Futures Lab and Black to the Future Action Fund, California Black Freedom Fund, Essie Justice Group, Grantmakers for Girls of Color/Black Girl Freedom Fund, PowerSwitch Action, Stop AAPI Hate, The California Endowment, and more. More information about us can be found on our website: change-llc.com.

Compensation and Details:

• This position reports to the CEO
• This position has a starting salary of $115,000-$139,000
• We are based in Oakland, California; however, this position can be remote for the right candidate
• We offer health and dental insurance; three weeks of paid time off per year plus paid holidays and quarterly shut downs; monthly work from home and quarterly mental health stipends; and a budget for professional development

Applications:

Please submit a resume, cover letter, three references, and three recent media placements to hello@change-llc.com.

Change Consulting is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a diverse workforce and we value our inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals from all races, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, national origins, immigration/marital/veteran/disability statuses. If you’re excited by this role but your professional experience doesn’t perfectly align with the qualifications listed, we still encourage you to apply.