Job Title: Assistant Director of Communications for Politics & Legislation

Purpose:

Directs and provides overall leadership to all SEIU political and legislative  communications and media work to support priorities for growth and improving working families’ lives and communities, to involve members and the public in achieving those goals, and to brand SEIU as the national union on key political and legislative issues.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: (Any one position may not include all of the specific duties and responsibilities listed.  Examples provide a general summary of the work required and should not be treated as a total and complete list of expected duties to be performed by employees in the classification.)

• Directs communications strategy and execution of communications work for SEIU’s political and legislative initiatives, including issue campaigns such as those to win passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and comprehensive health care reform.
• Directs, develops, and drives both proactive and daily rapid response communications focused on winning the public debate over SEIU’s key legislative issues and political campaigns at the national and/or state level, among elites, opinion-makers, and Congress.
• Directs and coordinates all communications work with coalitions and strategic partners.
• Serves as primary press contact at national level on political and legislative issues and campaigns.  Focus includes all print and electronic national media, national columnists, news magazines and shows, Capitol Hill media, commentators. Will also lead other direct communications aimed at elite and opinion-maker audience.
• Supervises other SEIU communications staff and consultants assigned to national level work on campaigns, and directs SEIU communications staff focused on in-state communications in priority congressional districts, and for state-wide elections or issue campaigns.  Works with SEIU’s New Media team to integrate online strategies and initiatives.
• Oversees work of communicators within locals on political and legislative issues and campaigns to ensure high quality standards, best practices, and consistency of message.

• Helps to develop and implement overall SEIU strategy as part of the International union’s communications lead management team.
• Directs strategies and activities to improve the public image and visibility of the labor movement and SEIU and to maintain effective relations with national and local media.

Management and Administration

• Coordinates with the Executive Office and political and legislative departments and field on strategies, budgets, resource allocation, staffing, and other issues. 
• Serves as surrogate for the Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer, Director of Communications, or the Deputy Director of External Communications in a wide variety of settings.
• Serves as part of the senior management team of SEIU’s Communications Department.
• Helps manage the Communications Department, including planning, budgeting, and project management, and coordinates with departments and field on those issues.
• Directs vendor management for communications work.
• Prepares and monitors political and legislative communications budget, including budgets for campaigns.
• Directs allocation of staff team resources.
• Directs recruiting, reviewing, and recommending hiring for all political and legislative communications staff.
• Directly responsible for retention of political and legislative communications staff, including training, feedback, reviews, skill and career development.
• Performs other duties as assigned in support of the work of the department.

Contacts:

Must be able to represent the International Union with local leaders, members, staff, and outside organizations utilizing independent judgment and the highest level of professionalism.

Interfaces with highest level organizational and external contacts, including:

• SEIU officers, division leadership, International senior staff, project and program managers, field and organizing directors, local union officers and staff.
• External: news media, politicians, government officials, elites, partners and allies.
• Vendors: consultants, pollsters, freelancers, video and multi-media producers, advertising agencies.

Ensures that sophisticated choices are made about appropriate vendors and support services.

Direction and Decision Making:

Reports to the Deputy Director of External Communications, and works with extreme independence.

• Must have demonstrated ability to manage own work and work of others without supervision. 
• Requires a high level of judgment and ability to take initiative and work independently. 
• Must use a high level of judgment and discretion in resolving problems within the Communications Department, the division, and throughout SEIU.
• Must maintain the highest level of confidentiality in handling SEIU affairs.
• Must be able to work with International and local union elected leaders and senior staff in complex and sometimes politically sensitive situations. 
• Must be able to act and organize time with extreme independence.
• Must be able to handle multiple “priority” projects simultaneously and set and meet deadlines, and ensure that staff team does the same. 

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's Degree in communications-related field required.  Eight or more years of experience in communications or related work, including at least five years managing strategy, planning, and program development, or a combination of education and experience that would provide for the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Experience developing and implementing strategy on a wide range of campaigns, including organizing, contract, political, and legislative, as well as experience working with community allies.
• Thorough and extensive knowledge of media relations strategies.
• Thorough knowledge of electronic and print media systems. Knowledge of advertising techniques and familiarity with all aspects of literature, audio-visual, and online production process required. 
• Excellent writing, verbal, and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to continuously develop knowledge and skills related to use of rapidly changing technology.
• Knowledge of unions or other advocacy organizations.
• Skill in the use of personal computer including Microsoft Office Suite.

To Apply:

Please send a copy of your résumé, your current compensation, writing samples, and copies of articles that demonstrate that you have been an on the record spokesperson.  Please email them as a WORD DOCUMENT to the personal email of the recruiter, which is bachgirl@aol.com.  NO TELEPHONE CALLS PLEASE.  The recruiter will contact you if there is interest.  You will be required to take a written test that will be administered by SEIU.

WHEN APPLYING: Be sure to indicate that you saw this information online at UNIONJOBS.COM. Do not just say the Internet.