Posted on July 14, 2012

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Press Secretary

Opportunity Nation – a campaign of Be The Change, Inc. – seeks a talented Press Secretary to join its growing communications team.

The Press Secretary is responsible for increasing awareness and understanding of Opportunity Nation to our target audiences through comprehensive media coverage. As part of the communications team, the Press Secretary will be responsible for implementing and executing an aggressive media relations operation, as well as supporting other areas of the organization’s communications and outreach program under the supervision of the Director of Communications.

The ideal candidate will have at least four years working in a demanding public relations field (i.e. on Capitol Hill, in a political campaign, or as part of a nonprofit advocacy organization). He/she should have established relationships with media in key outlets and the ability to build new relationships on an ongoing basis.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Foster new and nurture existing relationships with key journalists, editorial writers, assignment editors, and other key decision makers in newsrooms
• Regularly pitch and secure placement of stories about Opportunity Nation activities
• Monitor news coverage and determine areas for Opportunity Nation to plug in to existing storylines
• Work with Opportunity Nation team to arrange media interviews and other public appearances for the Executive Director
• Write, edit, and distribute press-related materials and develop targeted pitch lists for local, regional, and statewide events.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrated success pitching media at the state and national level, as well as securing placement of challenging storylines in print, broadcast, and online media
• Superb verbal and written communications skills
• Unparalleled ability to think one-step ahead of the national storyline and insert an organization into the dialog
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced campaign-like environment and fielding multiple requests at one time
• At least 4 years in a communications or public relations field.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY NATION:

Opportunity Nation launched to critical acclaim in November 2011, landing on the cover of TIME Magazine and being named one of “10 Nonprofits to Watch in 2012” by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Opportunity Nation brings together more than 200 diverse organizations all working collectively to provide Americans with greater access to the American Dream. The campaign has already helped raise the profile of the key issues behind improving opportunity by releasing the Opportunity Index, a new measure that pulls together more than a dozen data points to rank every state and award nearly every county in the country a first-of-its-kind Opportunity Score. Over the coming year Opportunity Nation and its coalition will work to see that improving opportunity in America is a key part of the national discussion in 2012, a focus of policymakers and key stakeholders at the state and national levels, and a priority for our expanding network of coalition partners.

Opportunity Nation is a campaign of Be The Change, Inc. Be The Change creates national issue-based campaigns that are driven by broad, diverse, and cross-partisan coalitions. Through our campaigns we are able to inspire culture change and accelerate public policy development to bring about positive changes in our society.

Application Instructions

Please send resume, cover letter and two writing samples to jobs@bethechangeinc.org. Include the words “Press Secretary” in the subject line.