State Policy Network is a coalition of 62 state think tanks representing all 50 states, over 66 state allied organizations in key capacities (like litigation, journalism, and issue advocacy), and 107 national partners, all dedicated to the principles of liberty and federalism. SPN exists to make these organizations better, faster, and stronger than if each worked alone. The power of the Network is in scaling critical state and local solutions so they spread from state to state, leading to national impact.
Current Opening:
Director of Communications Strategies
Why State Policy Network?
We love it when local leaders, families, and communities have the freedom to chart their own course. For 30 years, SPN has worked to strengthen, accelerate, connect, and support policy organizations and leaders in all 50 states who want the same thing.
As a connector organization for 64 state-based think tanks and over 90 national partners, we exist to serve our network and every day, we partner with them to help make them better, faster, stronger. Together, we create national impact, one local solution at a time.
As a growing team, we need more entrepreneurial leaders to help take us to the next level.
Why you?
You are a seasoned communications professional who loves to set ambitious goals and inspire high performers. You have a reputation of being a servant leader and want to parlay that skill into advancing SPN’s vision.
Your mission—what this role looks like
This team provides coaching, strategy design, and capability development to organizations and individuals across the country with a focus on executive and senior leaders in high-performing think tanks. You will coach communications professionals, connect these professionals through peer groups, and assist organizations with strategic planning and deploying communications and marketing strategies.
What success looks like
You worked with high-performing teams solving major challenges in America. You helped those teams develop the communications and marketing strategies needed to solve major problems in the states. You coached high-potential professionals into high-performing professionals.
The Director of Communications Strategies will have the following main roles:
- Serve as a consultant and advisor to members on organization, communications, and marketing strategy. You will help SPN member organizations evaluate their communications performance to spot opportunities for improvement. You will advise these members on changes they can make to their systems, procedures, and skills to further improve their communications and marketing.
- Cultivate and support high-capacity communications professionals throughout the network with content and coaching that helps these individuals improve.
- Build a robust peer network and mentor program for communications professionals in the network.
- With a broad view of the network you will identify common challenges SPN members face in communications. Your task will be to develop or identify solutions that help the network overcome these common challenges.
- Work on SPN’s Organization Accelerator projects.
- This Organization Accelerator is designed to help 3-5 SPN member organizations plan and achieve their organization growth and policy advocacy goals within two years.
- This role assists in facilitating a process that helps member organization align their team around a vision, mission, change model, policy goals, and capability-building goals to be pursued over the next two years.
- The Director then works directly with the member organization on aligning their communications strategy and systems toward achieving these goals. Performance is measured by the member achieving the measurable goals set in the process within two years.
Qualifications:
- Proven work experience as a communications and/or marketing professional. Experience in communications/marketing for non-profits or state think tanks is preferred
- In-depth knowledge of communications/marketing strategy, processes, skills, and performance metrics
- Experience with a range of communications/marketing strategies
- Entrepreneurial mindset, ability to spot opportunities and challenges then formulate a strategy
- Experience in a consulting role and/or working with multiple clients or projects at one time is preferred
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills
- Organizational and time-management skills
- Customer service oriented
- Passion for free markets, federalism, and state think tanks
- Ability to travel 15-20% of the year
How to Apply:
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:
- Resume
- Cover letter detailing your interest in the position, SPN’s mission, compensation requirements, and travel availability.
Applications should be submitted to careers@spn.org.
There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.
While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.