Deputy Director of Communications

To Apply: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/47be28c3-a5c7-4b34-b6b4-89ec95cd3c0d/North-Carolina-Justice-CenterRecruiting Until filled. Upon request, The North Carolina Justice Center will provide reasonable accommodation for all candidates with disabilities.

Location: Hybrid (Raleigh, NC)

Department: Communications

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: Director of Gifts, Endowment and Communications

Union Status: Non-Union

Supervises: N/A

Hiring Salary Range: $70,000-$80,000

Overview

The North Carolina Justice Center (NCJC) is a progressive research and advocacy organization dedicated to expanding opportunity and protecting the rights of low-income individuals and communities in North Carolina. For over 29 years NCJC has worked across policy, legal, and community platforms to address poverty and systemic inequities through legislative advocacy, litigation, public education, and coalition building.

The Deputy Director of Communications plays a critical leadership role within the North Carolina Justice Center and is responsible for advancing the organization’s strategic communications vision, operational effectiveness, and public narrative across all issue areas. This role provides leadership over day-to-day communications operations, ensures message alignment with organizational priorities, supports cross-project integration, and strengthens NCJC’s visibility, credibility, and influence with key audiences.

This position is designed as a leadership development role. The Deputy Director of Communications will be intentionally mentored and supported to step into formal supervisory responsibilities over time, in alignment with the North Carolina Justice Center’s organizational needs and growth.

Key Responsibilities Leadership and Strategy

• Supports the Director of Gifts, Endowment and Communications in setting and executing a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with NCJC’s mission, values, and long-term goals.
• Serves as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership on narrative development, message discipline, crisis communications, and reputational strategy.
• Ensures communications strategies reflect and integrate NCJC’s policy, litigation, advocacy, development, and engagement priorities.
• Anticipates communications opportunities and risks associated with legislative sessions, litigation, and major organizational initiatives.
• Through coaching, shared leadership, and progressive responsibility, the Deputy Director will build skills in staff supervision, performance management, delegation, and team development.

Program and Operations Management

• Oversees day-to-day operations of the Communications Department, including workflows, timelines, and project prioritization.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates annual and multi-year communications plans, tracking performance metrics and outcomes to improve impact and efficiency.
• Establishes and updates communications systems, processes, and best practices.

Staff Leadership and Team Development

• Alongside the Director of Gifts, Endowment and Communications, supports staff collaboration and performance.
• Coordinates communications work across project teams, development staff, and engagement staff to ensure alignment and effectiveness.

Public Relations and Spokesperson Responsibilities

• Serves as a spokesperson for the North Carolina Justice Center, in coordination with organizational leadership.
• Leads media relations strategy, including cultivating and maintaining relationships with reporters, editors, and producers.
• Oversees preparation and dissemination of press releases, media advisories, op-eds, letters to the editor, and organizational statements.
• Prepares remarks, talking points, and briefing materials for the Executive Director and senior staff.
• Monitors media coverage, analyzes trends, and advises leadership on media strategy and risk management.

Digital Communications and Advocacy

• Oversees NCJC’s digital platforms, ensuring the website, email, and social media channels function

as effective tools for advocacy, education, and fundraising.

• Supervises digital campaigns, including email, social media, paid advertising, and online advocacy actions.
• Ensures effective use of digital tools and CRM systems (e.g., EveryAction, Google Analytics, Google

Ads for Nonprofits, Meta ads).

Development and Organizational Support

• Supports fundraising efforts by contributing to donor communications and reporting requirements.
• Provides communications leadership for organization-wide initiatives that represent the NC Justice Center as a whole.

Other Duties

• Performs other related duties assigned in support of organizational goals.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or a relevant field (relevant includes Public Relations, Marketing, or Media Studies).
• Five years of progressive experience in communications, marketing, journalism, or advocacy communications.
• Strong understanding of policy advocacy, legislative processes, and/or litigation communications.
• Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and to issues impacting families or individuals with low incomes.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field. (relevant includes Communications, Journalism, Marketing Public Relations, Marketing, or Media Studies).
• Demonstrated experience leading com
• communications strategy in a complex, multi-issue organization.
• Team leadership experience to manage workflows.
• Experience in nonprofit or movement-based communications.
• Experience working at the state level on policy and legislative issues.
• Familiarity with EveryAction, Wordpress, Cision and media monitoring tools.
• Experience supporting communications across multiple issue areas, including housing, energy, health care, workers’ rights, education, immigration and criminal justice.

Physical Requirements

The employee should have the ability to maintain focus and productivity while performing sedentary tasks at a workstation for prolonged periods, including working on a computer, managing documents, or engaging in virtual meetings. Lifting up to 10 lbs. is required for work equipment.

Work Environment

Hybrid work environment, including home and corporate office.

Benefits

• Six weeks paid time off annually
• Paid parental leave and holidays
• Employer contributions to a 403(b)-retirement plan
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Disability and life insurance
• Flexible spending and health savings account options

Equal Opportunity

The NC Justice Center is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, disability, pregnancy, personal appearance, citizenship, military service, genetic information, natural hairstyles, or any protected status. We are a Fair Chance Employer and strive to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with criminal records.