Deputy Director of Communications & Development

Organizational Summary:

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) is the state’s largest immigration coalition. Together with over 60 member organizations, NJAIJ fights for policies that empower and protect immigrants. We are seeking applications for a Deputy Director of Communications & Development.

NJAIJ brings together the power and strength of our member organizations to ensure immigrant communities are leaders in campaigns that advance justice, inclusion, and belonging. NJAIJ is at the forefront of every major immigrant justice fight. We are the first to speak up and the last to stand down. Joining our staff means joining an active team of leaders who are compassionate as they are courageous and working in coalition with some of the state’s brightest minds.

The Role:

The Deputy Director of Communications & Development sets and executes all organizational communications to advance our mission, brand, and advocacy goals. The Deputy Director manages all public messaging, including social media, press relations, digital content, and organizational materials. They lead public statements, newsletters, action alerts, and other public facing materials while ensuring consistent, accurate messaging and branding across all platforms. They also build media relationships, manage rapid-response stakeholder communications, and oversee analytics to measure impact and adjust strategy.

The role includes direct supervision of a part-time Narrative Content Writer and a full-time Office Manager and Scheduler, setting their priorities and guiding workflows. The Deputy Director works closely with the Deputy Directors of Strategy and Policy & Advocacy on ongoing advocacy campaigns and programmatic needs. They maintain the organization’s voice, manage branding, and ensure the organization communicates clearly, effectively, and with purpose in a fast-paced advocacy environment. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience as an effective and compelling communicator on high stakes campaigns or with large scale organizations. They will be able to distill complex policy issues into clear, actionable messages, and handle rapid-response demands without sacrificing accuracy or consistency.

This is a hybrid position that combines some remote work from home, remote work from member organization sites, and in-person attendance at our Newark office. The Deputy Director is expected to maintain a prominent, visible profile across New Jersey and will be expected to travel to press events, rallies, protests, and community organizing or training opportunities across the state. Given the external-facing nature of the Deputy Director role, a significant amount of time will be spent building relationships and communicating across a variety of audiences: media, elected officials, grassroots activists, the community, and other stakeholders in our coalition and across New Jersey. The role will include camera and screen time (tv broadcasts, livestreams, interviews, etc) and will occasionally require periods of standing, walking, and light lifting (boxes with outreach materials, banners, etc), as well as stationary desk, sitting, phone, and screen time when not in the field.

This is a senior leadership role within NJAIJ and reports to the Executive Director.

Responsibilities:

In addition to supporting NJAIJ’s overall mission, the Deputy Director of Communications and Development drives all external and internal communications for the organization. They will also be responsible for…

Strategy and Planning

• Develop and implement an annual communications strategy aligned with policy, advocacy, and fundraising goals.
• Set organizational messaging priorities and maintain a unified voice across platforms.
• Manage communications calendars, rapid-response protocols, and long-term narrative campaigns.

Content and Messaging

• Lead all social media, digital communications, press outreach, and public-facing materials.
• Draft and edit statements, talking points, op-eds, newsletters, reports, and web content.
• Ensure messaging accuracy, clarity, and consistency across all channels.

Media and Public Relations

• Build and maintain relationships with reporters, editors, and media outlets locally, nationally, and across the immigrants rights reporting beat.
• Manage press lists, pitch stories, and coordinate interviews and media appearances for NJAIJ staff and members.
• Prepare staff and partners for press engagements.

Digital Strategy and Analytics

• Oversee performance metrics of social media, email, website, and digital campaigns.
• Track metrics and produce regular reports to assess reach, engagement, and impact.
• Adjust strategy based on data and emerging trends.

Management and Collaboration

• Supervise the part-time Narrative Content Writer and full-time Office Manager/Scheduler.
• Set staff priorities, assign tasks, and ensure timely project management and execution.
• Collaborate with the Deputy Directors of Strategy and Policy & Advocacy on messaging for rapid response moments as they arise.

Branding and Organizational Materials

• Maintain and strengthen NJAIJ’s brand guidelines and visual identity.
• Oversee production of graphics templates, toolkits, organizational brochures and collateral, and event materials.

As well as other organizational priorities aligned with our mission and scope of work.

Qualifications & Core Competencies:

The selection process will consider a wide range of lived and earned experiences.

All candidates must be able to demonstrate the following experiences and competencies:

• 3-5 years managing direct reports and/or small teams.
• Demonstrated communications experience and media training.
• Proven ability to communicate complex ideas in concise, accessible language (verbal and written).
• Rich network of reporter relationships and record of successful pitches.
• A personal obsession with both accuracy and timeliness (have you found the typo in this job description?).
• Familiarity with New Jersey media as well as non-English language media outlets across the state and region.
• Excellent computer literacy and willingness to incorporate new tools and technology into their work.
• Eagerness and courage to take on the nationalist, anti-immigrant xenophobia and rising authoritarianism that is defining this present moment.
• Strong commitment and personal ties to immigrant, racial, social, and economic justice and critical analysis of systemic racism and structural inequities in New Jersey.

Once satisfying the above, competitive applicants will also possess a majority of the following:

• Eagerness to work in fast-paced environments that require transitioning quickly between tasks.
• Sense of independence and ability to make strategic decisions, even with limited information.
• Careful attention to detail and well-developed time and project management skills.
• Demonstrated relationships with New York City and Philadelphia media markets and/or connections to national reporters and outlets.
• Bi- and multilingual candidates who have reading and writing proficiency in Arabic, Haitian Creole, French, and/or other West African languages, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and other Asian Languages are strongly encouraged to apply.
• A strong track record of collaboration, organizing toward collective change, and demonstrated experience building deep, trusted relationships, even across diverse communities, backgrounds, and beliefs (we know this can mean many things, tell us how it manifests in your work!).
• Enthusiasm for snacks, cute pictures of animals, and building collective community power.

Compensation:

Full time NJAIJ staff receive a benefits package including health care, dental, vision, life insurance, commuter benefits, and more.

NJAIJ staff receive 15 vacation days per year in their first year and 20 days per year in all subsequent years. Annual leave also includes 4 personal days, 12 sick and health, and birthdays. Staff leave also includes 14 paid public holidays and 3 heritage days for staff who observe celebrations outside those 14 days. NJAIJ’s office is closed twice per year, during the first week of July and the last week of December.

This position has a salary range between $75,000-$83,000 annually. NJAIJ uses a fixed compensation structure to provide pay parity across similar roles in the organization. To preserve equity, salary range is not up for negotiation.

To Apply:

Interested applicants should submit PDF versions of their resume to jobs@njaij.org with the words, “Deputy Director of Communications & Development: (First & Last Name)” in the subject line. Cover letters are encouraged and applicants that include past portfolios of previous work will receive priority consideration for interview.

Interview Process:

Applicants will be notified if they are invited to a first round screening. Following first-round screenings, applicants will be notified if they have proceeded to the next stage of the interview process and will be expected to complete a case exercise. Applicants will have a fixed time to complete the case exercise, for which all participating applicants will be compensated $100 for their labor, regardless of final selection for this position.

Following the completion of the case exercise, final applicants will be notified if they have been selected for final interview, during which we will request candidates provide 3-5 contacts for professional reference, one of which must be a prior direct report.

NJAIJ is fiscally sponsored by NEO Philanthropy.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that fosters belonging and empowerment in our work.

We strongly encourage a diversity of identities and experiences to apply.

Full time NJAIJ staff receive a benefits package including health care, dental, vision, life insurance, commuter benefits, and more.

NJAIJ staff receive 15 vacation days per year in their first year and 20 days per year in all subsequent years. Annual leave also includes 4 personal days, 12 sick and health, and birthdays. Staff leave also includes 14 paid public holidays and 3 heritage days for staff who observe celebrations outside those 14 days. NJAIJ’s office is closed twice per year, during the first week of July and the last week of December.

Bi- and multilingual candidates who have reading and writing proficiency in Arabic, Haitian Creole, French, and/or other West African languages, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and other Asian Languages are strongly encouraged to apply.