Deputy Director of Strategic Outreach

SEIU (Service Employees International Union)

Job Title: Deputy Director of Strategic Outreach
Grade: MGT G
Annual Salary: $145,234
Location: Washington, DC, (HQ)

Organizational Overview: We are the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union of about 2 million diverse members in healthcare, the public sector, and property services. We believe in and fight for our Vision for a Just Society: where all workers are valued and all people respected, no matter where we come from or what color we are; where all families and communities can thrive; and where we leave a better and more equitable world for generations to come. We are an anti-racist union determined to check corporate power and uproot structural racism through unions, worker power, collective action, and government, legislative, and political action. We fight for Unions for All and a Government that Works for All so that all of us, across race and place, can have power together in unions and participate fully in our democracy.

Purpose: The Deputy Director of Strategic Outreach provides high-level leadership in the execution of SEIU’s multi-channel amplification strategy. This role integrates traditional press, digital partnerships, social media, and direct-to-member outreach (Email/SMS) into a cohesive operation that centers worker voices and builds political power. As a senior leader, this position ensures that every national moment is amplified instantly and consistently across all platforms to shift the national narrative.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Integrated Amplification Oversight: Directs the daily operations of the media relations, digital media, and Email/SMS teams to ensure a unified voice across press, podcasts, social media, and creator collaborations.
• Digital & Content Mastery: Acts as a hands-on creative lead, utilizing a solid digital foundation to oversee the quality and engagement of social media content for SEIU and the Fight for a Union pages.
• Team Management: Directly manages and mentors a high-performing team, including the Assistant Director of Media Relations and Pitching, Assistant Director of Digital Media and Partnerships, and the Program Manager for Email and SMS Outreach.
• External Partner & Creator Strategy: Guides the union’s engagement with external and internal social media creators and influencers to expand narrative reach beyond traditional labor channels.
• Project Management Excellence: Serves as the primary project manager for large-scale, multi-channel campaigns, ensuring sophisticated coordination between the organization’s Hubs and the central communications apparatus.
• Message Discipline & Quality Control: Conducts regular audits of external-facing channels to ensure high quality standards, race-class narrative alignment, and consistency of message.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partners closely with the Communications Deputy for Politics and Government Relations to align outreach tactics with the union's legislative and political offensives. Collaborate regularly to amplify union strength and organizing campaigns and initiatives.

Administrative work and operations: 

• Assists in directing administrative management functions of the department including directing personnel actions and the work of hiring managers, related to recruitment, hiring, retention and staff development and firing.
• Manages and coordinates across major contracts to ensure continuity and coordination of work as well as high-quality deliverables. Ensures that sophisticated choices are made about appropriate vendors and support services.

Contacts: Must represent the International Union with the highest level of professionalism.

• Internal: Interfaces with SEIU officers, International senior staff, and local union leadership.
• External: Media leaders, cultural influencers, digital platform representatives, and partner organization staff.

Direction and Decision Making: Reports to the Director of Amplification and Movement Building and exercises significant independent judgment in strategic planning and resource allocation. Must handle multiple "priority" projects simultaneously, maintaining the highest level of confidentiality and discretion in resolving complex problems.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum eight years of progressively responsible leadership in communications or digital strategy.

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