Position description
The Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) is a global leader at the intersection of government, media, and technology. Incubated at the Atlantic Council in 2016 as a field-builder studying, defining, and informing approaches to the global information ecosystem and the technology that underpins it, today DFRLab has grown to encompass DFRLab Research, the Democracy + Tech Initiative, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, and in 2024, an expanded capacity-building initiative. We are an action-oriented team producing timely primary research, training an ecosystem of others who share our passion, and convening those on the front lines of our industry to elevate new ideas and chart a path forward.
We seek a creative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial Associate Director, Communications to lead our communications strategies, channels, and processes. This includes managing and supporting social media content creation and distribution on social media and our website, media relations (writing press releases and coordinating press engagement), and communications inputs related to events coordination. The candidate will have worked in prior communications roles and is ready to take the next step in their career, be curious and hungry to experiment with new tools and approaches, and will be keen to engage with DFRLab’s global research team and elevate the work of our programs in collaboration with the Atlantic Council at large.
This position is based in our Washington, DC, headquarters on a hybrid schedule. Pay is commensurate with experience, education, and organizational equity, with offers starting at $65,000. Applications submitted by May 3, 2024, will be prioritized for consideration.
Job responsibilities:
Strategic communications
- In collaboration with leadership, design, implement, and update as necessary a comprehensive communications strategy for the DFRLab to include brand and communications goals, channels for engagement (ie. social, email, web), and process for team management and implementation. As part of this:
- Sustain and grow DFRLab’s strong social media following and presence;
- Ensure that DFRLab branding and voice is consistent across digital platforms and in designed products; and
- Create and maintain templates, processes, and systems to manage the implementation of DFRLab communications.
Media/press relations
- Coordinate incoming interview and other media requests to our global team;
- Coordinate established relationships with journalists covering our issues, maintain press lists, and regularly notify them of report launches, investigations, and events;
- Manage a press page on the DFRLab website;
- Draft and manage press releases, press notices, and other press resources;
- Track media mentions of the DFRLab, its work, and people; and
- As needed, coach DFRLab research staff on best practices for press engagement.
Social media channels
- Build out weekly social media content calendars for the DFRLab’s accounts, proactively planning to incorporate trainings from around the world, published articles, and event promotion throughout the week, to include strategic advertising posts when relevant;
- In collaboration with the Capacity Building team, engage with our external community (Digital Sherlocks) as DFRLab on social media, specifically via Facebook and LinkedIn;
- Stay current on changes in social media platform rules, performance, and audiences;
- Disseminate social media templates and best practices among our research team and provide direct training as needed in order to help DFRLab staff build their own followings and credibility;
- Track metrics across all digital platforms and produce monthly reports tracking engagement with DFRLab’s work.
Email/copywriting
- Build out monthly email calendars for routine newsletters, event invites, and reports;
- Build multiple emails each week in a marketing automation platform, ensuring quality and timeliness from initial build through to hitting send;
- Integrate events, reports, and other relevant releases into email calendars, with templates and communicated deadlines to staff for copy and input; and
- Manage, maintain and curate DFRLab email lists, in collaboration with the broader DFRLab team.
Events
- Develop and implement differentiated communications strategy related to DFRLab event promotion across the entire events lifecycle, including but not limited to:
- Contributing to decisions on event format and platforms for hybrid or virtual events;
- Liaising with Atlantic Council communications and events teams on event RSVP systems and webpages, event streaming sites and platforms, and other related tools;
- Manage the input, formatting, clearance, and posting of event publication materials such as event webpages, email announcements, social media, and press releases;
- Producing, managing, or facilitating event collateral such as logos, event tiles, and other imagery;
- Tracking and facilitating team decisions on the request for event transcripts, write ups, clipping, or other additional resources;
- Managing audience curation on social media, through email blasts, and with the press.
- Tracking, facilitating, and managing post event promotions through write-ups, summaries, clips and their dissemination via our newsletter and other channels;
- Coordinate with internal Atlantic Council Engagements team to manage relevant event logistics (A/V, etc.) and metrics tracking/reporting.
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Qualifications
- 3-6 years experience in prior communications roles with exposure to strategic communications, press and media management, social media strategy and management;
- Ability to work a minimum of 3 days/week from Atlantic Council’s offices in downtown Washington, DC;
- Demonstrable experience with drafting content for public-facing digital platforms, whether for email, social media, or web;
- Demonstrable interest in social media trends and best practices, with proven success with audience growth and engagement across digital platforms a plus;
- Demonstrated facility managing press relations; established relationships with journalists relevant to DFRLab work highly desired;
- Familiarity with email best practices and facility with email platforms, from creating drafts to proofreading and hitting send;
- Experience with tracking performance metrics for social media platforms, email, and web are essential; integrating performance metrics into communications strategy highly desired;
- Track record of managing competing projects on short and long deadlines, with demonstrated facility adapting to the news cycle on the fly;
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential;
- Experience owning and managing processes, and working with distributed teams;
- Experience working across hierarchies with colleagues and counterparts in the United States and abroad will be an asset;
- Superlative writing skills and attention to detail;
- Passionate about the intersection of foreign policy, media, and tech.
Bonus Qualifications:
- International experience and foreign language skills are highly desired;
- Work experience in graphic design and video production;
- Experience using Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects);
- Familiarity with Salesforce/Marketo or other similar contact management systems;
- Experience with executing digital ad campaigns on social media platforms and web;
- Familiarity with Google Analytics, website development, UX/UI;
- Experience with website management (WordPress or others);
- Experience commissioning and managing relationships with outside vendors for graphics, videos, website maintenance, etc.
Application instructions
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