Communications Director

Who We Are

The Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) is building long-term power for Asian Americans in Pennsylvania. We coordinate political, electoral, and legislative work to hold our elected officials accountable, engage in culturally competent and linguistically accessible direct voter contact, and build solidarity with other aligned communities of color across the state. As the first and only political organization directly advocating for the needs of Asians and Pacific Islanders in Pennsylvania, we operate primarily in South Asian, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese communities in 15 different languages.

Since our founding in 2020, we have run the largest Asian American voter contact programs in the country, introduced a groundbreaking community-driven API Policy Platform for PA, established Pennsylvania's first-ever pan-Asian organizer training program, and successfully elected community champions who represent us at every level of government throughout the Commonwealth.

Position

API PA is actively seeking a Communications Director dedicated to elevating the organization's external profile. The Communications Director will craft and disseminate compelling, on-brand content that resonates both online and in mainstream news. Entrusted with the entirety of API PA’s communication and digital strategy, spanning owned, paid, and earned media, they will ensure that API PA's messaging remains strategic and consistently aligned across all external materials and communications. In addition to direct communications, press, and digital work, the Communications Director will manage a team of up to 3 digital organizing staff to ensure that we are meeting every segment of our base where they are. This is a Full Time Exempt position located in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Duties (Short)

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Strategic Development: Craft and implement a communications plan aligned with API PA's mission, engaging stakeholders to ensure targets are met.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Play an active role in the leadership team, offering insights on decisions and promoting inter-departmental collaboration.
• Executive Partnership: Serve as a pivotal thought partner to the Executive Director.

Team & Budget Management

• Team Supervision: Directly manage staff and consultants, ensuring top-tier performance and alignment with the organization's direction.
• Financial Stewardship: Oversee the communications department's budget.
• Digital Platform Coordination: Manage the EveryAction digital organizing platform for diverse campaigns.

Content & Branding

• Content Strategy: Create and maintain a robust content calendar, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Brand Management: Steer the API PA brand, ensuring content consistency and spearheading potential updates with expert collaboration.
• Content Review: Oversee and approve all content across platforms, from social media to digital ads.
• Messaging: Develop the overarching messaging for API PA, ensuring it's echoed consistently in all communications.
• Campaign Narratives: Design narrative strategies for significant political and organizing campaigns.

Press & Research

• Press Outreach: Develop press releases, pitch stories, and build lasting relationships with media members.
• Media Inquiries: Manage incoming press requests, guide reporters to suitable spokespeople, and prepare them for interviews.
• Research Strategy: Outline plans for API PA’s research initiatives, including polling and focus groups, and support their implementation.
• External Research: Assist with external research campaigns as needed, collaborating with partners on polling, focus groups, and other message tests.
• Ethnic Media: Craft and maintain a holistic ethnic media strategy.

Duties (Long)

Core

• Strategic Planning: Develop and execute a communications plan aligned with API PA's mission. Engage staff and stakeholders, ensuring objectives are achieved.
• Team Management: Oversee staff and consultants, ensuring optimal performance through effective management practices.
• Performance Monitoring: Continuously track progress against set goals, reprioritizing and adjusting strategies as necessary.
• Content Coordination: Establish and manage a year-round content calendar that reflects organizational, programmatic, and developmental objectives.
• Amplify Programs: Champion the work of external-facing departments, ensuring they gain the visibility they merit.
• Support & Guidance: Advise the Organizing Team, the Field Team, and other departments, ensuring their external outputs remain on-message and on-brand.
• Budget Oversight: Formulate and uphold the communications department's budget for API PA.
• Team Alignment: Foster trust, unity, and alignment between your team and the overarching direction of the organization's leadership.
• Leadership Participation: Engage actively in the leadership team, providing insights on strategic decisions and collaborating on various issues as they arise.
• Decision Communication: Guarantee that all organizational decisions are effectively communicated to and through your team.
• Strategic Consultation: Act as a valuable thought partner to the Executive Director on pivotal topics.
• Digital Platform Management: Assist in the administration of the digital organizing platform, EveryAction, for both long-term and swift-response campaigns.
• Collaboration: Foster a culture of collaboration, ensuring your team remains in sync with other departments and meets cross-team dependencies.

Brand Identity

• Consistent Messaging: Develop messaging for API PA, ensuring uniformity across all external materials and communications.
• Brand Stewardship: Supervise the API PA brand, ensuring all content remains aligned. Recognize when a brand refresh is necessary, collaborating with both internal and external experts for the update.
• Content Oversight: Review and approve all content for social media, emails, digital advertisements, and the website.
• Narrative Strategy: Formulate narrative strategies for pivotal political and organizing campaigns, including endorsements.

Press & Media Relations

• Media Relations: Craft press releases and advisories, pitch compelling stories, and foster enduring relationships with press members.
• Press Inquiries: Handle incoming media requests, directing reporters to the most suitable API PA staff or members. Prepare designated spokespeople with tailored talking points, provide context on reporter's focus, and facilitate mock interviews for practice.
• Research Planning: Devise strategies for API PA’s Research Programs, encompassing polling, focus groups, and counter-messaging efforts, while assisting in their execution.
• External Research Support: Contribute to external research campaigns and message tests as required.
• Ethnic Media Approach: Design and sustain a comprehensive ethnic media strategy throughout the year.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in Communications, Digital, or similar departments
• 2+ years managerial experience with increasing responsibilities
• Strategic Execution: Proven ability to transform ideas into successful projects within large teams.
• Expert Writing: Skilled in crafting compelling content across media platforms, capturing the API PA voice.
• A strong vision for graphic and visual design that speaks to a broad cross-section of Asian Americans in Pennsylvania, especially at a cultural level
• A deep understanding of the role of data and testing in implementing and iterating thoughtful programs that reach and move intended target audiences
• Press Engagement: Demonstrated success in securing media coverage, from formulating impactful press materials to building media relationships.
• Mentoring: Adept at training and weaving effective communication strategies into diverse roles.
• Organizational Skills: Proficiency in managing complex processes, including content calendars and project timelines.
• Strategic Vision: Balances overarching objectives with detailed execution and resource distribution.
• Equity & Inclusion: Champions the identification and rectification of disparities in practices, promotes equity values, and creates an inclusive team atmosphere.
• Asian Communities Familiarity: Possesses experience with or a deep understanding of Asian communities, ensuring culturally sensitive and relevant communications.

Compensation & Benefits

This position has an annual salary of $80,000 - $90,000 commensurate with experience. This is a full-time exempt position.

Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• A generous health insurance plan with 100% coverage of premiums
• Accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) and sick time, including a separate provision for COVID-19-related leave
• Paid holidays off, including a variety of cultural holidays
• Retirement savings account
• Technology stipend of up to $500

Additionally, individuals outside the Greater Philadelphia Area may qualify for relocation reimbursement. Candidates are required to live in or be willing to relocate to the Greater Philadelphia area.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

API PA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.