Job Description

Who We Are:
American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. We use multiple tools, backed by aggressive litigation, to fight attacks on democratic institutions, threats to civil rights and liberties, abuses of power, and erosion of government transparency. We expose and disrupt these attacks, and the officials and networks behind them, by forcing the government to turn over records officials would rather keep secret.

Since our founding in 2017, American Oversight has:

• Shut down Trump's bogus "voter fraud" commission.
• Revealed the Trump-sanctioned pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government by forcing the Trump administration to turn over records initially withheld from Congress.
• Uncovered rampant preventable deaths of immigrants in federal custody.
• Unmasked taxpayer-funded sham "audits" of the 2020 election.
• Obtained the fake electors' forged certificates submitted by fake electors during the 2020 election.
• Exposed networks of election denialists and subverters around the country.
• Halted the impeachment of a newly elected state supreme court justice in Wisconsin.
• Blocked state election board members in Georgia and Wisconsin from taking anti-democratic actions in secret.

We are committed to fighting threats of democracy at the federal, state, and local levels, using time-tested and innovative tools to expose misconduct, defend against attacks on marginalized communities, and demand accountability.

About the Role: 
Reporting to the Director of Strategic Communications and Media Relations, American Oversight is seeking a Senior Press Secretary to join its team. 

The Senior Press Secretary will serve as a critical link between American Oversight and the press by maintaining robust relationships with key reporters and editors on a range of American Oversight’s issue areas, including through skilled writing and editing and by pitching stories about investigations, public records, lawsuits, and other organizational priorities.

Additionally, the Senior Press Secretary will lead or provide support to communications plans and project rollouts as assigned, closely track the work of reporters as well as coverage of American Oversight issue areas, and serve as a thought partner to the Director of Strategic Communications and Media Relations by identifying opportunities to amplify core messages and to inform the public about issues at the heart of American Oversight’s mission.

 

What You Will Do:

• Work closely with the Director of Strategic Communications and Media Relations to implement American Oversight’s strategic communications and media relations strategy.
• Develop and pitch stories (by phone, email, etc.) about American Oversight’s work to reporters, including highlighting newly obtained public records and/or sharing updates about key developments.
• Write, edit, and distribute press releases, talking points, statements, advisories, investigation updates, pitches, and other communications products (op-eds, blog posts, etc.) as assigned.
• Build and maintain robust relationships with reporters and news outlets that cover American Oversight’s areas of work and ensure that American Oversight is partnering effectively with appropriate press, including by identifying new reporters, outlets, or newsletters and by maintaining and updating targeted press lists.
• Manage press relations for ongoing American Oversight investigations, lawsuits, or issues, including by contributing to or developing communications plans, responding to and effectively managing incoming press inquiries, and identifying opportunities to proactively share information or expertise with the press.
• Coordinate, prepare for, and staff interviews between reporters and American Oversight expert spokespeople, including developing talking points and preparing experts for interviews as needed.
• Compile and circulate media coverage featuring American Oversight, including tracking mentions and flagging notable trends or narratives to inform communications strategy.
• Monitor news coverage related to American Oversight’s priority issues to identify potential communications opportunities or developments that could impact American Oversight’s work.
• Collaborate with colleagues to develop effective media outreach strategies for designated topics, projects, and areas of responsibility.
• Track and follow up on pitches, projects, or other initiatives to assess the success of strategies and use lessons learned to improve future plans.
• Provide on-the-record comments to reporters regarding American Oversight’s work as needed and approved by the Director of Strategic Communications.

What You Will Bring:
4+ years of experience in press relations or a related field, including roles that involve generating earned media or engaging in fact-based advocacy, with 3+ years of experience working on issues related to U.S. politics, government, or public policy.

• Familiarity with pro-democracy issues, including but not limited to abuse of power, corruption, or undue influence, voting rights, election administration, or civil rights and civil liberties.
• Exceptionally strong skills in the following areas:
  • Attention to Detail: Thoroughly and accurately completes tasks, demonstrating a strong understanding of the underlying facts to ensure all details, no matter how small, are correct and align with AO’s standards.
  • Collaboration: Is an inclusive, highly engaged team player; proactively seeks and provides thought partnership, assistance, and/or resources with/to colleagues.
  • Communication:
    • Oral: Effectively conveys information, ideas, and emotions in a clear, concise, and engaging manner; uses language that is understandable and relevant; appropriately adapts language to different audiences and contexts.
    • Written: Effectively distills complex ideas into clear, concise, and engaging written content; appropriately adapts language to different audiences and contexts; ensures work product is free from errors, typos, or inconsistencies.
  • Judgment and Decision Making: Carefully assesses information and weighs competing priorities before making sound and timely decisions; predicts likely results based on patterns, experiences, and logical inferences; considers potential consequences and ensures alignment with AO’s values and objectives; makes thoughtful recommendations or decisions that lead to effective outcomes.
  • Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Identifies and anticipates problems and surfaces creative solutions to achieve desired outcomes; scans the landscape and connects dots among many disparate data points and situations.
  • Project Management: Ability to multitask and independently manage multiple projects with varying scopes, timelines, and stakeholders; adapts priorities as necessary to meet organizational goals while maintaining good judgment of relative priorities.
  • Strategic Thinking: Obtains information and identifies key issues and relationships relevant to achieving a goal or vision; evaluates potential risks and benefits to potential plans of action before recommending courses of action; adjusts plans as needed to achieve key objectives.
• Exercises a high degree of confidentiality and discretion, professionalism, integrity, diplomacy, and ethics.
• Position is located in the United States; must be available to work East Coast business hours with occasional evening and weekend hours, as needed.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree
• Experience working among a diverse employee base that works remotely and is distributed across the United States.
• Experience working for other pro-democracy organizations, campaigns, or congressional offices with high standards of responsiveness and accuracy.

We encourage individuals to apply even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.  

What We Offer:
American Oversight offers its employees a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes 80% of health, dental, and vision premiums paid by the organization, a retirement plan with a matching contribution, and remote office reimbursements for personal devices and wireless connectivity.

Location:
This is a remote position and may require occasional travel to American Oversight’s Washington, DC office for team meetings and staff retreats. Our office in Washington, DC is an optional workspace.

Salary Range :
$85,000 to $110,000 (commensurate with experience)

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:
At American Oversight, we value and strive to hire, develop, and grow a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer, and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals to apply for opportunities at American Oversight even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.

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