ProgressNow – Senior Director of Messaging and Research

ProgressNow Senior Director of Messaging & Research

 

Who We Are

ProgressNow is  the communications & digital nerve center for the progressive movement. Our state hubs deliver electoral & policy victories. As core infrastructure, we move millions of voters across our state network through data-driven best practices, organic & paid digital content, and decades of expertise. 

Our 26 affiliates serve as a marketing shop for the progressive community. Behind the scenes, we facilitate communications and digital tables that align and coordinate the community behind a shared message and strategy. From staffing issue coalitions, developing message and communications calendars, and training and pitching spokespeople to developing digital content for partners and coordinating digital ad buys to maximize impact, we organize the progressive community’s communications for maximum impact.

 

What You’ll Do:

The Senior Director of Messaging and Research will provide strategic direction to the messaging, content creation, and research that ProgressNow facilitates in support of its affiliates. Leading the Messaging, Content, and Research teams, the Senior Director will establish systems for messaging guidance and delivery, support research initiatives that our affiliates champion, and serve as a conduit of information regarding dynamic messaging and research best practices in service of our affiliates and the communities they support. 

In this role, you will:

• Develop and manage the protocol for ProgressNow’s implementation of Grow Progress’ rapid test tool to perform message and content testing within our organic content distribution project (Megaphone)
• Create and distribute messaging guidance and talking points for ProgressNow affiliate staff based on available testing and research
• Attend national message and research briefings and support ProgressNow national and affiliate staff in staying up to date on new findings
• Develop and maintain a database of messaging one pagers and guidance disseminated to ProgressNow affiliates
• Provide technical assistance and support to state affiliates with respect to research needs and methodologies
• Promote and share research findings from ProgressNow affiliates across our network and to partners
• Manage the research and content teams (Expanding to a collective total of 5 people)

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Working with the content creator to develop and run a rapid message test that implements and furthers your overall message testing and development plan.
• Meeting with a state affiliate to review their research plans & needs and provide technical assistance.
• Attending a national messaging webinar and writing a talking points summary for state affiliates.
• Meeting with the countering disinformation team to review emerging threats and state needs and sign off on the team’s proposed next steps.

Who You Are & Keys to Success
To be successful in this job, you will excel in these areas:

Strategist’s mind: You quickly grasp the subtleties of complex issues and identify patterns in challenges. You generate insightful, pragmatic, equitable, and sustainable solutions to tackle common challenges and produce positive change. You have a successful track record of taking a concept from idea to implementation.
Excellent communication skills: You have a well documented and proven track record in communications strategy. You produce clear, compelling, and concise written communications and are able to do so quickly in rapid response situations. You are comfortable engaging and talking to people, translating research data into messaging advice, presenting knowledge clearly and succinctly and providing context while asking questions to understand others’ perspectives. While not a requirement, fluency in a non-English language is a bonus.
Entrepreneurial and resourceful: You overcome challenges and leverage resources to creatively solve problems. You propose solutions to issues without much guidance (but aren’t afraid to ask questions). You proactively ask for help, anticipate problems, and course-correct where needed. You value the importance of teamwork in ensuring projects reach their stated goals.
Commitment to racial equity and social justice: You recognize the impact faced by communities that live at the often compounding intersections of oppression along the lines of race, income, age, immigration status, and other identities, and you consistently amplify community voices most directly impacted by oppression to advocate for more equitable policy solutions. You understand your personal intersections of privilege and oppression, how they comprise your identity as a person, and how it shows up in your work. You are consistently taking feedback and self-reflecting on your journey toward anti-racism, anti-ableism, and anti-oppression because the work will always continue.
Inclusive leadership and management: You inspire, motivate, and support others to take action and meet goals. You delegate skillfully. You hold the team accountable and acknowledge growing edges (in self and others) while helping others grow. You use coaching, training, and feedback to develop others and support problem-solving. Experience managing people is a prerequisite for the position.
Relationship builder: You bring enthusiasm for meeting and engaging with people regardless of title and status within an organization. You empathize with the communities and partners we serve and take seriously the responsibility of helping foster a healthy workplace culture. You practice humility as a core leadership trait and seek to meet people where they are, ensuring that people feel valued in their interactions with you. You listen closely to understand needs or concerns and take steps based on that input. You get back to people in a timely manner. You take pride in providing clear, helpful information.

Experience managing survey and message research is a plus but not a requirement. 

 

What Else You Should Know

ProgressNow is an equal opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by our issues. We especially encourage people of color, LGBQ people, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.

The position is full-time and remote, but does require about 15% travel. Expected travel includes one annual staff retreat and two ProgressNow conferences.

Compensation
Because negotiating is inherently inequitable, we want to be transparent about what benefits we can offer up front. The salary for this position is $108,000. 

Our benefits include:

• Unlimited vacation with a requirement that each staff member take at least 2 weeks each year.
• Eight paid holidays as well as an office closure annually between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• Employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance
• A 401K plan with 3% employer match
• Annual professional development stipend 

 

*Proof of COVID-19 vaccination (including eligible boosters) is required for employment unless a medical or religious accommodation is granted.

How to Apply
In lieu of a cover letter, we’re asking applicants to answer these three questions as part of their application here:

1. Why are you interested in working at ProgressNow? (max 300 words)
2. Can you tell me a little bit about your past work to center the voices of those with marginalized identities and ensure that their lived experiences were reflected in the narrative and overall messaging strategy? (max 300 words)
3. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility have been used as popular buzzwords in the past few years, but they mean so much more. What does DEIA mean to you with respect to messaging strategy and research methodology? (max 300 words)