Communications and Advocacy Associate

  • The Urban Alliance Foundation
  • 2030 Q Street, NW, Washington DC
  • Apr 14, 2021
Full time Communications

Job Description

Urban Alliance (UA), a national youth workforce development nonprofit, is currently seeking a creative storyteller with a passion for ensuring that all young people have access to opportunity to serve as Communications and Advocacy Associate. This role supports the organization’s external communications and advocacy efforts to drive increased visibility and partner and donor engagement – including media relations, digital media, and marketing. The Communications and Advocacy Associate will be an integral part of UA’s national team, reporting to the Communications Director and providing support to all four UA regions: Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, and Greater DC. The ideal candidate is a hard-working self-starter with excellent writing skills, eagerness to learn, and a strong understanding of digital media. The position is temporarily remote, but will be based in UA’s Washington, DC headquarters when in-person work resumes. Occasional travel to other regions is possible.

 

Urban Alliance (UA) believes that all young people deserve equal access to the experience, social capital, and tools needed to achieve economic mobility. UA is building a diverse next-generation workforce by providing job skills training, mentoring, and paid internships to high school youth from under-resourced communities, predominantly youth of color. Since 1996, UA has provided over 6,000 internships to youth across greater Washington, DC (including Montgomery County and Prince George's County, MD, and Northern Virginia), Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. UA fights for equity by empowering students to dream big and achieve economic mobility. UA’s work supports the development of diverse talent pipelines while preventing disconnection from school or the workforce. In partnership with over 200 employers, UA levels the playing field for young people in the workforce by equipping them with the tools to overcome the systemic barriers that prevent equal access to economic opportunity.

 

Responsibilities

  • Manage UA digital media, including developing content and strategy for UA social media accounts, regularly updating website, drafting monthly newsletter, and monitoring and regularly reporting metrics.
  • Support UA media relations, including through list building and maintenance, daily media monitoring and clips, drafting pitch materials, and conducting landscape research and monitoring.
  • Contribute to the planning and execution of public-facing events, including student speaker preparation, managing photography and videography vendors, drafting and/or editing written and designed event materials, and assisting with media outreach and press wrangling.
  • Liaise with and support regions as needed, including with events, storytelling, troubleshooting, and media opportunities.
  • Support organizational storytelling through student and partner interviews, conceptualizing and drafting written and digital content including blog posts/op-eds/videos/etc., and translating stories into compelling visual content for digital media.
  • Support the management of multiple external vendor relationships, including bidding out contracts and tracking deliverables.
  • Support organizational advocacy efforts through policy research and legislative monitoring, attending convenings, drafting internal memos, and contributing to reports and papers.
  • Basic (at least) graphic design and video editing.
  • Maintain communications libraries and databases.
  • Other duties as assigned.

 

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree and minimum one year of relevant communications experience (nonprofit, political, or agency experience is preferred)
  • Meticulous attention to detail and strong organizational skills
  • Ability to juggle multiple projects and problem-solve with limited supervision
  • Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills
  • Excellent writing and editing skills with the ability to adapt to different voices and audiences
  • Creativity and a deep understanding of the elements of compelling written, oral, and visual storytelling
  • Passion and empathy for UA’s mission and students

 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and other graphic design tools
  • Photography and video editing skills
  • WordPress and website management experience
  • Familiarity with the legislative process and workforce development landscape

 

Benefits

  • Health insurance (medical, dental, vision) and retirement benefits including a 3% employer match to 403(b) 
  • PTO: Three (3) weeks of paid annual leave, one (1) week of paid organizational leave, and all federal holidays
  • Opportunity to join a passionate and hard-working team that always places our students first while maintaining a fun work environment and a healthy work-life balance

 

To Apply

 

Note: Please do not call to inquire about the position. Any application submitted through means not stated above will not be considered. Learn more at www.theurbanalliance.org.