Senior Media Relations Manager

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Design and implement Way to Win’s earned media strategy in alignment with organizational and political objectives.

• Cultivate and sustain relationships with key national, political, philanthropic, and other priority reporters and media organizations.

• Proactively present stories, organizational viewpoints, leaders, research, partners, and political insights.

• Manage responses to incoming media inquiries and coordinate organizational replies.

• Spot emerging news opportunities where Way to Win has a pertinent perspective or the chance to influence discussions.

• Continuously refine and maintain targeted media lists.

• Monitor media engagement, placements, reach, and outcomes.

• Formulate media strategies for the President, executive leaders, advisors, and other organizational spokespersons.

• Identify chances for interviews, commentary, panels, podcasts, op-eds, quotes, and other thought-leadership placements.

• Prepare executives for interviews and events by providing briefing materials, talking points, message preparation, and media coaching.

• Accompany executive members during interviews, panels, and other external speaking engagements.

• Translate intricate political and organizational strategies into accessible external narratives.

• Create a proactive executive visibility calendar.

• Enhance executive voice and presence through strategic messaging and copywriting for LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, and other social platforms.

• Draft and/or revise press releases, statements, talking points, media advisories, pitches, op-eds, executive commentary, FAQs, and briefing documents.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure consistent organizational messaging.

• Ensure external communications embody Way to Win’s voice, strategy, values, and positioning.

• Rapidly develop communications materials in response to political and news events.

• Amplify external understanding of Way to Win, its unique approach, and its impact.

• Identify stories that showcase the effectiveness of Way to Win’s political strategy, donor advising, partnerships, and investments.

• Collaborate with Program and Advising to surface stories and insights for external-facing content.

• Link earned media strategy to broader organizational narratives and brand priorities.

• Stay informed on relevant political and media developments.

• Advise when Way to Win should engage or refrain from engaging.

• Assist in coordinating rapid-response messaging and approvals.

• Provide support to executive leadership with sensitive or high-profile communications.

• Help formulate communications protocols for reputational and crisis situations.

• Establish systems for identifying announcements, reports, investments, political events, and milestones with media potential.

• Collaborate with external consultants or specialized communications partners.

• Oversee media-related vendors and contractors.

• Create processes for managing media requests, approvals, spokesperson preparation, and follow-up.

• Develop a proactive earned-media strategy and an annual media calendar.

• Foster relationships with priority journalists and outlets.

• Enhance the quality and consistency of Way to Win’s earned media presence.

• Strengthen the external profile of key organizational leaders.

• Establish an internal pipeline for identifying media-worthy stories and insights.

• Improve organizational readiness for rapid-response communications.

• Decrease reliance on external PR firms for routine media strategy and execution.

• Create measurable reports on media outreach, placements, executive visibility, message penetration, and audience reach.

⛳️ Requirements

• Around 7+ years of progressive experience in communications and media relations.

• Ideally experienced in politics, advocacy, philanthropy, campaigns, movement organizations, public affairs, or related environments.

• Strong pre-existing relationships with political and/or national media.

• Proven success in pitching reporters and securing earned media.

• Exceptional writing, editing, messaging, and storytelling abilities.

• Strong political judgment and news instincts.

• Capacity to translate complex strategies into engaging public narratives.

• Experience in preparing senior executives for media engagement.

• Comfortable operating in fast-paced and politically sensitive settings.

• Strong project management skills and follow-through.

• Ability to collaborate across functions while independently managing a portfolio.

• Prior experience with a media database such as Cision, MuckRack, etc.

• Sound judgment regarding confidential and sensitive information.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive and robust 100% employee and family-paid health care coverage for all employees.

• Employees become fully vested in the company’s retirement plan 90 days after their start date.

• Way to Win contributes 6% of the base salary to the employee’s retirement account, regardless of employee contributions.

• Employer-paid Life Insurance, Disability, and AD&D.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off.

• 30 days of holiday time, including Spring break, Summer break, Thanksgiving break, and an End of Year break.

• Three different tax-deferred FSA accounts: Health, Commuter (transit/parking — including UberPool), and Dependent Care.

• HSA ($2,000 per year).

• 12 weeks of paid Family Leave for the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child after one full year of employment.

• Annual stipend for staff to receive training and development.

• Confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to all full-time employees.

• $150 monthly mobile phone stipend.

• Fully remote work environment.