Senior Political Media Strategist

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grasstop organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.

Vera has a staff of 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.

Who you are: 

As our first Senior Political Media Strategist, you are prepared to lead on the conceptualization and execution of media and communications strategies for Vera Action, Vera Institute of Justice’s independent, but closely aligned, 501(c)(4) affiliate. Vera Action’s mission is to harness advocacy, policy, and narrative change to end mass incarceration, fight for immigrants’ rights, bring dignity to people behind bars, and to build safe, thriving communities. 

As the Senior Political Media Strategist, you will supervise and be responsible for the development and implementation of communications strategies for multiple projects at Vera Action, including the organization’s work to change the politics and narrative around issues of crime and safety. You will work closely with Vera Action’s Director, Deputy Director, and a wide range of internal and external partners to ensure that media efforts are supporting Vera Action’s strategy and goals. You will also ensure that the digital teams at Vera Institute of Justice and Vera Action have the content they need to amplify advocacy priorities and issues. Ultimately, you will hold the bottom-line responsibility in overseeing the measurement of media impact across Vera Action.    

What you'll do:

Vera Action Communications Strategy   

• Develop and execute a communications strategy, in coordination with Vera Action, Vera Institute of Justice, and external partners, to drive narrative and policy change and regularly report on progress  
• Survey the media landscape for opportunities and challenges based on legislation, breaking news, elections, and other trends  
• Develop messaging to support Vera Action’s advocacy priorities and campaigns  
• Develop and execute a crisis communications response plan for a variety of scenarios related to any potential incidents 

Thought Leadership and Positioning   

• Identify and implement strategic ways to promote Vera Action’s work (i.e., reports, message testing, policy analysis, statements, etc.) and the public profile of Vera Action and its leadership. Opportunities could include conferences, speaking engagements, briefings, etc.  
• Draft and edit content to make regular contributions to the national conversation around public safety (i.e., op-eds, blogs, letters to the editor, etc.)  
• Craft statements and talking points, and provide relevant media trainings  
• Create media opportunities for Vera Action leadership and / or partners through direct pitching 

Relationship Building  

• Introduce Vera Action staff and leadership to reporters, editors, and producers, and maintain ongoing relationships with these individuals – both national press and local press in media markets where Vera Action work is focused 

Stakeholder Collaboration  

• Collaborate with Vera Institute of Justice’s communications, advocacy, research, digital, and editorial and program staff to ensure coherent messaging development and delivery  
• Collaborate with Vera Action digital and editorial teams to ensure coordination of communication strategies and tight integration with Vera Action’s overall messaging 

Other duties as assigned 

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring: 

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