Sr. Associate, Public Relations

Arlington, VA • External Engagement • Posted 03/03/2023

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WHO WE ARE

Rooted in community for more than 40 years, Communities In Schools (CIS) strives to bring community resources inside public schools, where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. Founder Bill Milliken said, “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” 

CIS programs are conducted annually throughout the United States, serving 2,900 schools; 1.61M students with over 11,000 community volunteers and 117 CIS affiliate organizations across the country. Their programs for students include providing needs assessments, support teams with corresponding plans to address academic and non-academic needs, delivery of multiple tiers of support for both students and families, progress monitoring and evaluation and assessment with parents and student support systems.

MISSION AND VALUES

Communities In Schools (CIS), is “all-in” for kids. It is our passion—it is our mission. At the National Office, CIS collaborates with local affiliate organizations to provide resources and create communities of caring adults who work hand-in-hand with educators to make sure young people have the tools they need to stay in school and achieve in life. We are the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, and we achieve our mission by hiring bright, creative, and innovative team members who demonstrate a passion for what they do. 

CIS also holds the following talent beliefs: 

• Every staff member is passionate and committed to the mission.
• As a National Office, CIS employees have a responsibility to live our values and integrate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization and lead by example.
• In turn, CIS is committed to continuously improving decision making, incentivizing creativity, and building engagement and we do this by building a diverse workforce, fostering a climate of inclusion, and shaping business practices and policies that promote equity.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The purpose of this position is to support the Marketing & Communications team by supporting Communities In Schools’ media relations strategy and cultivating press relationships. Someone in this role will also support the development of stories, blogs, reports in addition to amplifying important initiatives with corporate partners, foundations, and peer organizations.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Media monitoring and press relationship management.  
• Develop written content such as blogs, org statements, etc.  
• Provide media relations support for campaigns and org-wide announcements.  
• Support the development of media relations strategies. 
• Develop media resources such as press kits and press packages.
• Story collection and PR support for events and integrated marketing campaigns.  

SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field. 
• A minimum of three to five years’ experience in public relations, either in-house or with an agency is required.  
• A track record of developing media strategies is desirable, as is experience of working closely with journalists and responding to media requests.    
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
• Ability to promote the mission and work of CIS creatively and effectively to the media and general public.   
• Initiative, dependability, news savvy, up to date on current events, and an ability to successfully juggle multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously.  
• Familiarity with databases for conducting media outreach such as CISION or Meltwater. Must be able to learn other new technology applications for communications, data visualization, and design.   
• Excellent writing and editing skills and the ability to write compelling copy are a must.
• Awareness of the PR significance of social media is increasingly important. 
• Interpersonal skills are vital for developing relationships with media representatives, handling difficult situations and advising people within the organization.   

TRAVEL

Up to 20%

ABOUT US

CIS staff continue to work in a virtual environment; however, the national office is open and available for staff to use as appropriate. 

To ensure the health and safety of staff and job applicants, all interviews will be conducted by phone and/or video conference.

BENEFITS & PERKS

Work that makes a difference—the opportunity to contribute to an important mission!

Competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Five weeks of Paid Time Off
• Generous 403b Retirement Savings Plan contribution
• 10 Paid Holidays
• 90% of employee health care premiums paid by the organization
• Summer Work Schedule and Winter Break
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term income replacement programs, and much, much more!

Communities In Schools is committed to a workforce that is representative of the varied communities we are privileged to serve. We provide a work environment that does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable law. CIS prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

For more information on Communities In Schools please visit our website.