Senior Strategist

Senior Strategist, West End Strategy Team

Washington, D.C.

Company Overview

West End Strategy Team is a premier, full-service strategic communications firm focused on expanding social justice, racial and gender equity and human rights. We partner with clients to drive meaningful change through strategic communications, including earned media strategy, messaging, digital strategy and crisis communications.

Through our work with clients, we’re promoting human and civil rights. We’re advocating for reproductive rights. We’re fighting against attacks on our democracy at home and around the world. We’re opposing book bans that threaten the right to education in communities across the country, and we’re pushing back against unconstitutional restrictions on voting access. We’re working on the cutting-edge issues of the moment as we partner with leading organizations working to make our world a better place.

We work closely with clients to define their goals, identify key audiences, and develop and implement customized communications strategies to achieve success. We manage media relations, lead trainings, develop messaging and content, mitigate risks and respond to crises, conceptualize and execute newsworthy events, and leverage media placements to reach key audiences.

We are a team of close to 30 passionate, engaged, talented colleagues who are committed to creating social change. Every day we drive meaningful change through our strategic communications work.

Position Overview

West End Strategy Team (WEST) is seeking applicants with at least six years of communications experience at an agency, nonprofit, government, media organization, or equivalent experience. The right candidate will have a proven understanding of the modern media landscape and an interest in using that experience to support a range of social issues.

The Senior Strategist will be the primary lead for at least two clients, owning the strategy and assigning, delegating, and reviewing the work of internal team members. Additionally, the Senior Strategist will contribute to/collaborate on other engagements across various clients on a mixture of long-term and project-based work.

The ideal candidate brings a background in strategic communications or public/media relations. They are an active consumer of the news, an excellent project manager who can handle shifting and competing deadlines, priorities, and a range of news topics with ease, and thrives at solving problems for clients. They are resourceful, effective in managing clients, and skilled at seeing the big picture. This is an excellent client leadership opportunity for someone committed to impactful and meaningful communications work for causes they believe in. If that sounds like you - apply today!

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Communications (40%)

• Contribute to the development of strategy and recommendations for traditional and digital media platforms in accordance with client objectives.
• Create and implement strategic communications plans, media outreach strategies, including researching target media, building press lists, cultivating media relationships, and communicating directly with reporters.
• Act as a liaison between clients and the media, pitching daily.
• Leverage existing media relationships and cultivate new contacts within mainstream and industry-specific media.
• Build campaigns using social media and paid media tactics in order to advance clients’ goals.
• Follow and identify trends for potential opportunities to cultivate and maintain strong media relationships.

Project Management (40%)

• Conceptualize and draft written materials to support clients’ communications goals, including press releases, media advisories, pitch notes, op-eds, talking points, social media and other content.
• Monitor deadlines and manage expectations for deliverables.
• Monitor media outlets for coverage of client-related news and developments, and actively consume relevant news sources.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of industry trends and make appropriate recommendations regarding strategies surrounding them.

Leadership (20%)

• Serve as client lead on at least two clients and provide daily counsel.
• Contribute to the growth of strategists and associates by providing frequent feedback and targeted training related to client work and skill development.
• Delegate work and ensure excellence to meet and exceed client standards.

Performs other duties or special projects as required or as assigned by a supervisor.

Key Competencies and Qualifications

To succeed in this job, you will excel in five areas:

• Mission and values: You are motivated by creating change in the world through excellent and creative communications strategies. You are excited to work alongside peers to develop and deliver bold and effective communications strategies that drive support for our clients’ missions, raise the visibility of organizations, foundations, initiatives and campaigns, and ultimately create impact for clients you believe in.

• Relationship building: You develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders. You are trustworthy and an effective collaborator who can successfully work with team members and clients to achieve results. You bring the right amount of self-awareness to those relationships to be able to both disagree and commit.

• Project Management: You have a knack for managing projects, deliverables and deadlines. You set a high bar and meet it, because you think ahead to anticipate roadblocks and come up with creative solutions. You hold yourself and your colleagues accountable to superior work products and thrive handling multiple projects simultaneously in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. You keep your eye on both the big picture and the important details and involve stakeholders appropriately. You are comfortable with Microsoft and Google Suite tools and have familiarity using Cision, Meltwater or other media contact databases.

• Communications and Public Relations: You understand the news and media landscape and culture and you have a track record of exceptional communications work. You develop sound strategy for your projects and are able to write clearly and compellingly to achieve your clients’ needs. You track industry trends, actively consume a variety of news sources, and have established relationships with media.

• Proactive, resourceful and curious: You do not let obstacles slow you down and you can get up to speed on a topic quickly. You are curious, ask questions, and seek support when you need it. You are excited by challenges and you set up systems and routines to tackle them.

Compensation, Benefits and Location

This position is in Washington, D.C. WEST employees are currently working a hybrid schedule with three days in the office and two working remotely.

The base salary range for this position is $80,000 - $100,000, commensurate with experience. WEST provides a generous bonus structure. Benefits include health, dental, long-term disability, short-term disability, paid parental leave and a 401k plan with an employer contribution.

To Apply

To apply for this position, submit a cover letter and resume online at Bamboo HR. The cover letter should be concise and compelling and outline the specific ways in which you would be a good fit for this position. Only applications submitted through this website will be considered. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Please note: Candidates who advance to the final interview rounds will be compensated for completing an interview exercise.

WEST is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ applicants. As we work to create change through strategic communications, we are also working to create change in our company and in our industry.

Keywords

Senior Strategistcommunicationsmediastrategic communicationspublic relationsproject managementrelationship buildingnewsindustry trends