Press Secretary

ACS believes that law should be a force to improve the lives of all people. ACS works for positive change by shaping debate on vitally important legal and constitutional issues through development and promotion of high-impact ideas to opinion leaders and the media; by building networks of lawyers, law students, judges and policymakers dedicated to those ideas; and by countering the activist conservative legal movement that has sought to erode our enduring constitutional values.

Reporting to the Director of Communications, the Press Secretary will work with the communications team and appropriate departments to craft and implement strategic media relations plans to garner coverage for ACS, its President, and its programs. The Press Secretary will manage all media relations intake and output and be responsible for overseeing and maintaining all internal system related to media relations outreach.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Draft, develop and execute media relations strategies and plans to support ACS long- and short-term strategic goals.
• Work with Director of Communications and staff from other departments to help develop and coordinate effective messages and communications vehicles to strategically promote ACS’ campaigns, programs, and products to the media.
• Develop comprehensive plans for promoting ACS spokespeople to the media, especially ACS’ president.
• Cultivate and develop new press contacts and manage relationships with members of the media who cover ACS’ issues and pitch story ideas to journalists and editors.
• Develop, write, and produce high-quality, effective print, electronic, web, audio, and video communications materials for media outreach.
• Plan and manage press conferences, media calls and other events to promote ACS campaigns, programs, and products.
• Monitor media calls and fulfill journalist requests for information and be on-call for media requests particularly in emergencies or special circumstances (may include after office hours).
• Coordinate with the digital team as they manage ACS’ web, social media, and blog presence and with the team responsible for managing communications within our chapter networks.
• Track media coverage, provide media reports, and maintain press lists of media contacts.
• Oversee upkeep and implement of all media relations systems, including interactions with outside vendors.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of three years of experience in media relations, journalism or public relations.
• Experience working on nonprofit legal and policy issues preferred. Campaign and/or advocacy experience a plus.
• Demonstrated capacity to develop and maintain journalist relationships. Existing media contacts a plus.
• Strategic messaging background.
• Experience coordinating media strategy with digital teams.
• Ability to thrive in a high-performing and highly collaborative environment.
• Excellent writing and editing skills and a superior command of English grammar and punctuation.
• Proven success with managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Highly energetic, flexible, organized, and responsive.
• Demonstrated commitment to organization mission and progressive causes.
• Sense of humor.

BENEFITS 

Competitive salary, health, vision, dental, life insurance. Paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave.

HOW TO APPLY

ACS values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. ACS encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and veteran status.

Interested parties should send a thoughtful cover letter and resume to jobs@acslaw.org, Please include the job title of “Press Secretary Candidate” in the subject line. We will review all submissions and reach out to those candidates who best match our needs. No calls please.