Associate Director, Narrative Strategies

Launched in 2018, the Groundwork Collaborative is driven by the idea that We Are The Economy: when all of us are doing well, that is when our economy thrives. We fight for progressive economic policy and narrative change that builds accountable public power, breaks up concentrations of private power, and affirmatively centers people too long left out of prosperity. We understand that taken together, these actions will lead to a stronger and more resilient economy.  

Groundwork’s unique structure – part strategic communications, part think tank, and part issue advocacy organization – allows us to drive narrative and policy change with credibility, expertise, and impact. We work across four core audiences – the media, policymakers, economic experts, and grasstops leaders – and use targeted policy campaigns and timely research and messaging to advance a truly inclusive economic worldview. 

We’re savvy, strategic thinkers who know how to spot an opportunity to advance our worldview and influence national economic policy debates, identify new audiences for Groundwork’s resources, and support and amplify the great work our partners are already doing so we’re all better aligned to achieve our common goals. We’re fearless in our approach to narrative change and are focused more on how to make the right economic messages popular tomorrow than we are on the poll-tested messages of today.

Groundwork Collaborative is searching for an Associate Director of Narrative Strategies. 

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Narrative Strategies will work closely with the Director of Narrative Strategies to grow Groundwork’s narrative work. This is a job for a creative, entrepreneurial individual who is fascinated by economic issues and likes to build new things. The ideal candidate is curious, enjoys brainstorming and following the news, is at ease with many different types of people and in a lot of different settings, and prides themselves in being one step ahead when it comes to seeing opportunities for action and sparking new ideas for research and narrative strategy. 

As Associate Director, you will…

• Craft new, fresh economic narratives that center people as the drivers of our economy. 
• Assist with tracking and executing polling, message testing, and other narrative work on the economy to ensure that Groundwork continues to be a trusted resource on economic messaging.
• Draft talking points, messaging guides, and polling memos on timely economic issues, always with an eye towards advancing an overarching narrative. 
• Assist in the developing and delivering internal and external presentations about storytelling, narrative research, and Groundwork’s worldview. 
• Continually track developments in the narrative ecosystem, including new research, attending webinars and conferences, and building relationships with partners.  
• Continually stay abreast of economic news with an eye towards proactively spotting opportunities for Groundwork to help shape narratives in the media. 
• Help devise creative strategies for disseminating Groundwork’s resources and messaging to our networks, including building a more public presence for our narrative work. 
• Support Groundwork’s Popular Education portfolio, including developing quality materials to engage partner audiences on Groundwork’s economic worldview. 
• Support cross organizational priorities including working with policy experts, grasstops leaders, the media, and policymakers in support of Groundwork’s campaigns and rapid response work.
• Support logistics, operations, and contracts for programs as needed.

About You

• You’re committed to creating a just, inclusive, and robust economy that delivers opportunity and dignity to all.
• You have an entrepreneurial spirit and are excited to work in partnership with the Director to continue building and expanding Groundwork’s narrative expertise.
• You love conducting research and writing and understand that changing narratives is essential to shifting policy. 
• You are a strong writer and researcher who can draft high-quality, accurate, and compelling written materials on tight deadlines.
• You are a strong presenter and public speaker, comfortable facilitating workshops or giving presentations. 
• You have a significant interest in economic policy and are already comfortable with, or eager to learn about topics like inflation, taxes, public investment, and other issues.
• You are an experienced and successful project manager, building projects from brainstorming to execution.
• You are adept at translating complex issues into digestible communications that resonate with large audiences.
• You’re a pro at prioritization and working under tight deadlines in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• You’re a problem solver who suggests solutions when you see challenges. 
• You’re willing to push yourself to try new things but also ready to pitch in on operations or administrative tasks. 
• You are flexible and can manage ambiguity. 
• You’re comfortable using (or learning) Google Suite, Slack, major social media platforms, and Microsoft Office.

In addition, it would be a bonus if…

• You have experience working on economic issues. 
• You have experience designing and drafting survey research. 
• You have experience with social media strategies. 

The salary band for this position is $97,000-$134,000. We offer a generous benefits package, including five weeks of vacation and personal leave, two week-long office closures, additional time off for floating and federal holidays, zero-premium health insurance, a generous HRA, a retirement match of up to 6%, up to 16 weeks parental leave, health club and cell-phone reimbursements, among other benefits.

We are a hybrid workplace, with two days a week in the office (located in Washington, D.C.) and three days remote, as well as the occasional need to work in person for events and special projects. 

Groundwork is a unionized workplace and is represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). This position is in the bargaining unit and is covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. 

How to apply

To begin the application process, please submit an application on our career page, including your resume, writing sample, and cover letter. The cover letter should describe your specific experience related to this position. 

New Venture Fund Careers

Groundwork Collaborative is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. The New Venture Fund is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. The New Venture Fund’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

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