Director of Communications

Position Summary

The Youth Law Center (YLC) is excited to announce that we’re hiring a full-time, remote Director of Communications. This position will play a key part in the growth of YLC’s impact, influence, and longevity by developing public awareness of YLC’s advocacy, attracting philanthropic support, and broadening our networks of allies and working partners. The Director of Communications will directly shape our organization’s messaging across a wide variety of channels, using an array of communications tools and strategies to elevate the public’s understanding that the civil rights and futures of children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems are urgent national priorities.

The successful candidate for this position will be ready, willing, and able to implement and manage the full spectrum of YLC’s communications at both the day-to-day and strategic levels. We’re looking for someone who is an avid listener and learner, ready to dive deep to understand the nuances of YLC’s unique, multi-faceted approach to advocating for system-impacted children and youth. To translate this knowledge into effective action, the Director must be a strategic thinker, with a broad perspective on how strategic communications can advance our big-picture policy and advocacy agenda and robust ideas about how to do so. In addition to high-level thinking, the person stepping into this role will also need to be equally comfortable, capable, and excited about tackling a daily, tactical communications portfolio—pitching stories to reporters, writing press releases and issue briefs, crafting advocacy messages, providing donor updates, developing grant proposals, and creating member newsletters.

The Director of Communications may supervise one or more staff and will report to the Executive Director.

About the Youth Law Center’s Advocacy

YLC’s mission is to transform foster care and juvenile justice systems across the nation so every child and youth can thrive. Attorneys and advocates at YLC use a wide variety of advocacy strategies, including policy advocacy; litigation; legislative and administrative work; collaborative systems-reform campaigns; public education and media advocacy; legal and non-legal writing; training; and technical assistance. YLC’s approach is grounded in the knowledge that those most directly impacted by systems are best positioned to transform them. We believe change comes from listening deeply to young people and the organizations that support them, helping them translate their ideas into practice and policy change, and working together to advance a new narrative about how we should transform our systems.

YLC’s broad advocacy goals include:

• Ending the incarceration of youth in the juvenile justice system and imagining new approaches to youth justice;
• Ending the use of congregate care for youth in foster care and juvenile justice and ensuring youth receive excellent parenting in families in their own communities;
• Improving access to education, including postsecondary ed, for system-impacted youth;
• Ensuring healthy transitions to adulthood for system-impacted youth and access to the services needed to make that transition; and
• Improving conditions in foster care and juvenile justice systems as supported by child and adolescent development research.

Find out more about us at ylc.org and qpi4kids.org.

Core Position Responsibilities

The Director of Communications will:

• Create and implement a multi-year strategic communications plan for YLC that includes activities to advance our advocacy priorities, enhance donor communications, attract new partners and donors, and better serve our existing network of attorneys, advocates and organizers.
• Develop California, regional, and national communications strategies that build the reputation of YLC as one of the nation’s legal champions and innovators of advocacy, justice, and hope for children and youth in foster care and juvenile justice systems, advancing the organization’s advocacy goals.
• Ensure that YLC’s website and social media content are dynamic and up-to-date.
• Oversee the creation of content and distribution of a regular email newsletter and action alerts.
• Develop and execute communications strategies and tactics related to specific advocacy and donor campaigns.
• Analyze advocacy campaigns and communications efforts to make data‐informed decisions concerning effectiveness and areas for improvement.
• Provide media training and technical assistance, including guidance on best practices, to other staff members and partners to support advocacy.
• Provide editing and design support for publications and external documents.
• Cultivate relationships with organizations and individuals working in mass media and serve as the media contact for the organization.
• Assist the Executive Director with storytelling and preparation of fresh content for donors and institutional funders.
• Support program development for organizational advocacy and donor events in conjunction with the Executive Director, Board, and other team members.

Qualifications

Below is a list of the skills and experience we believe are needed for success in this role. We also recognize that women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, and other historically marginalized people are more likely to self-select out of applying for jobs if they don’t meet 100% of the listed criteria. We encourage you to apply if you’re enthusiastic about this role, even if you can’t check off every single item on the list.

People of color and those with lived experience with the foster care, juvenile justice, or youth homelessness systems are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Education – Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, or another humanities discipline
• Experience – At least eight years’ experience in related positions, ideally showing progression through increasingly senior roles over time
• Location – Based and able to work remotely at home from within the continental United States
• Strong commitment to economic, social, and racial justice
• Outstanding writing ability and verbal presentation skills
• Ability to discern appropriate tone, language, and subject matter to support strategic communications goals and to elevate the profile and impact of YLC
• Proficient understanding of website content management and design, social media, CRM software, and electronic newsletters
• Competency in the use of data metrics for analyzing various communication strategies and performance related to email, direct mail, website, and other communication efforts
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and responsibilities
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities & projects under tight deadlines
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to work collaboratively within a team
• Ability to work well with diverse groups of people, including system-involved youth and other people with lived experience of foster care of juvenile justice
• Initiative to pursue working relationships and connections with team members in a fully-remote work setting
• Interest in working in a highly flexible and adaptable environment
• Ability to travel occasionally for a meetings, events, and other activities

Bonus Qualifications (desirable but not required)

• Master’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field
• Previous experience with the nonprofit sector, legal advocacy, and/or youth-serving systems
• Personal lived experience in the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems
• Bilingual fluency in Spanish

Equal Opportunity Employer

YLC values a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, body size, natural hair style, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.

Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Read our full DEI statement here.