SUMMARY

The Wikimedia Foundation is seeking a Communications Manager to oversee and lead communications for our legal, advocacy, and public policy work, and a number of other initiatives that aim to advance and protect the reputation of the Foundation, Wikipedia, and other Wikimedia projects, and the global Wikimedia community of volunteers.
With experience in leading high-profile media and communications campaigns that drive impact, and a core expertise in fast-moving crisis communications, the Communications Manager will be a vital member of the Media Relations team within the Foundation’s Communications Department.
In this position, your role will be to develop proactive, innovative media, storytelling, and creative communications approaches that can help us move the needle and secure influence among our key global audiences. You will regularly interact with members of the press, cultivating strong relationships with key journalists, assessing inbound opportunities, pitching stories, and more. You will also play a leading role in our reputation management work, responding to crises, developing reactive communications plans, and ensuring consistent messaging across the organization.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Must work UTC-4 hours every day (i.e. core hours of 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm UTC).
• Minimum of 8 years of communications and media relations experience.
• Experience in advocacy, policy, and legal communications, with demonstrable experience of developing and implementing cross-channel campaigns that drive impact, with clear audiences, goals, and tactics.
• Experience leading crisis and rapid response media efforts, and developing systems to proactively prepare organizations for crisis response.
• Excellent knowledge of the global media landscape, with the ability to cultivate journalist relationships.
• Experience of working with other departments, advising stakeholders at all levels on plans and tactics, with the ability to bring in others as necessary.
• Excellent written and verbal communications, with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to proactively shape and translate complex messages into those that are compelling and engaging for external audiences.
• Experience in working with external vendors, leading relationships to drive key results.
• Ability to work flexibly, balancing longer-term priorities with urgent and changing needs, ensuring work is kept on track.
• Experience working on a global team with diverse demographic and cultural characteristics, as well as the flexibility to virtually meet with people in multiple time zones.
• Experienced in working autonomously in a fast-paced team.
• People management experience, leading others to achieve impact.
• A commitment to consistently modeling the Wikimedia Foundation’s organizational values.