Job Abstract

Located in a historic neighborhood in the nation's capital, Georgetown offers rigorous academic programs, a global perspective, exciting ways to take advantage of Washington, D.C., and a commitment to social justice. Our community is a tight knit group of remarkable individuals interested in intellectual inquiry and making a difference in the world.

Requirements

Communications Director - Knight-Georgetown Institute - Georgetown University

The Knight-Georgetown Institute (KGI) serves as a central hub for translating research into practical resources that policymakers, journalists, and private and public sector leaders can use to tackle information and technology issues in real time, ranging from artificial intelligence to the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

KGI is seeking an experienced communications professional to serve as its first Communications Director. KGI was recently established to translate research about technology and the online information environment for policy and industry audiences, and to connect and convene academics with policy stakeholders. External communications are at the heart of everything we do. We are seeking a Communications Director to lead the creation and implementation of the organization’s communications strategy.

Job Overview

The Communications Director crafts and shapes how KGI appears in the world, ensuring that KGI’s mission, brand, and work are effectively communicated to all of our audiences: policymakers, industry, academia, civil society, the media, and the public.

The role involves conceptualizing and executing a full suite of communications and external affairs functions - for example, developing brand voice and compelling narratives around KGI’s work, creatively editing and refining content for publication, driving engagement with KGI through a variety of digital communications channels, and strategically engaging with the media. KGI is a brand new organization and the Communications Director has the opportunity to build KGI’s presence and reputation at the intersection of policy and research. 

The Communications Director necessarily brings both strong commitment to quality and ability to thrive in a collaborative environment. Ideally, they are both a superior communicator and a strategist with deep knowledge of the media ecosystems influencing tech policy today.

As well, their responsibilities require a strong track record in policy-oriented communications, experience helping organizations grow their brand, dedication to using data to guide decisions, and an ability to independently drive and execute communications strategy.

Work Interactions and Work Mode Designation

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communications Director works collaboratively across the small but growing organization. Forming strong connections with journalists, civil society organizations, and other academic institutions shaping the technology policy landscape is an essential element in this role.

As well, they collaborate and align internally with central Georgetown University communications staff.

This position has been designated as Hybrid. Please note that work mode designations are regularly reviewed in order to meet the evolving needs of the University.  Such review may necessitate a change to a position’s mode of work designation. Complete details about Georgetown University’s mode of work designations for staff and AAP positions can be found on the Department of Human Resources website: https://hr.georgetown.edu/mode-of-work-designation.

The KGI team presently splits our time between our Washington, DC office and working remotely. We prioritize in-person days together as a team at least once per week and we rely heavily on Slack, Gmail, Asana, and Zoom to stay connected synchronously and asynchronously.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 10+ years of experience in policy-oriented communications, public relations, or public affairs
• Experience working with press and media outlets
• Experience developing communications, marketing, or brand strategy
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor technical or scientific information to a variety of audiences
• Ability to communicate effectively to diverse tech-focused audiences, including journalists, policymakers, researchers, industry, and civil society
• Proficiency using a wide variety of social media channels as part of organizational communications strategy
• Experience using WordPress, Google Suite products, Adobe products, and Canva
• Familiarity with engagement and marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, or Cision
• Understanding of the policymaking process at the U.S. federal level
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Proven ability to take initiative independently, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines
• Intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn
• Passionate about technology policy and committed to the mission of informing policy for the common good

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience communicating about the impact of social media or other tech platforms on users or society
• Experience in a communications role working with academic researchers
• Track record of growing online audiences and stakeholder engagement in a non-profit or academic setting

The expected pay range for this position is $103,723 and $140,000 per year.

Georgetown University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Current Georgetown Employees:

If you currently work at Georgetown University, please exit this website and login to GMS (gms.georgetown.edu) using your Net ID and password. Then select the Career worklet on your GMS Home dashboard to view Jobs at Georgetown.

Submission Guidelines:

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at Georgetown University you must submit a resume for each position of interest for which you believe you are qualified. Documents are not kept on file for future positions.

Need Assistance:

If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please click here for more information, or contact the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA) at 202-687-4798 or ideaa@georgetown.edu.

Need some assistance with the application process? Please call 202-687-2500. For more information about the suite of benefits, professional development and community involvement opportunities that make up Georgetown's commitment to its employees, please visit the Georgetown Works website.

EEO Statement:

Georgetown University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse faculty and staff.  All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation), disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits:

Georgetown University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, retirement savings, tuition assistance, work-life balance benefits, employee discounts and an array of voluntary insurance options. You can learn more about benefits and eligibility on the Department of Human Resources website.