Director of Strategic Communications

Job Description

About the role

The Pulitzer Center seeks a visionary communications leader to shape how the world engages with critical global journalism—transforming breakthrough reporting into public discourse, movement-building narratives, and lasting impact.

As Strategic Communications Director, you’ll craft the narrative strategy that amplifies our journalists’ work, positions our organization as a trusted voice in global conversations, and drives engagement across audiences from policymakers to students to donors. You’ll lead integrated campaigns that don’t just share stories, but shift worldviews and catalyze action on the world’s most pressing issues.

This isn’t about managing communications channels—it’s about strategic narrative leadership. We’re looking for someone who sees the big picture: how a climate investigation can reshape public understanding, how crisis reporting can influence policy debates, how storytelling can build movements. Someone who can translate journalistic excellence into communications campaigns that earn attention, build trust, and create measurable impact. Someone who has a data-driven approach to communications with ability to leverage analytics for strategic decision-making.

If you’re energized by the challenge of elevating journalism’s role in public discourse, building audience-centered narratives at scale, and leading teams to do their most innovative work, this role offers remarkable creative freedom and strategic influence.

Communications Strategy

• Build and deploy communications campaigns with clear content pillars to support program work, fundraising, and organizational positioning
• Define and steward the Pulitzer Center’s communications strategy across all platforms, overseeing development, production, and dissemination of content (web, social, newsletters)
• Ensure communications reflect the Pulitzer Center’s mission, center audiences, and amplify the impact of our work, supported issues, and grantees worldwide
• Strengthen the Pulitzer Center’s capacity for movement-building storytelling
• Oversee revamp of Pulitzer Center website
• Set strategic direction, coordinate the team’s yearly work plan, and lead communication priorities and execution
• Drive content innovation, including short-form video, storytelling projects, podcasts, and influencer engagement
• Leverage the team’s data analysis capabilities to support the organization’s communication goals

Programs and Campaigns

• Define issue-specific communications campaigns with program staff, ensuring they are achievable and evidence-based
• Ensure program content builds trust, earns attention, and shifts worldviews over time
• Ensure paid strategies drive audience growth and measurable persuasion
• Oversee production workflows from strategy through evaluation
• Oversee influencer and creator partnerships, ensuring alignment, accountability, and long-term value

Communications Team & Systems Leadership 

• Manage the Communications team, including staff, consultants, and budgets
• Strengthen systems, tools, and processes to operationalize communications strategy
• Train and coach staff to strengthen organization-wide narrative capacity
• Translate strategy into actionable briefs, budgets, timelines, and workflows
• Make strategic budget decisions aligned with impact, across paid, production, technology, and external consultancy
• Manage internal and external stakeholders, vendors, and agencies to align organizational needs and vision
• Lead rapid response, crisis communications, and reputation management

Narrative Leadership 

• Lead integrated public campaigns that elevate the Pulitzer Center’s voice and influence
• Position the Pulitzer Center and its leaders for impact in the international landscape, driving thought leadership across organizational and individual staff channels
• Define and drive the overarching narrative and audience journey for all content across the ecosystem
• Maintain a cohesive, emotionally resonant, and persuasive narrative across multiple brands, formats, and platforms
• Collaborate with Development to ensure narrative alignment and leverage high-performing content in external storytelling and fundraising
• Ensure strategic alignment across marketing, communications, and development touchpoints
• Serve as a key advisor to leadership and program teams on brand, narrative, and reputation

Participation in efforts and projects that support Pulitzer Center culture and values 

• This may include task forces, training sessions, meetings, committees, special projects, organizational events, and any other activities that support the Pulitzer Center
• Participate in the planning processes for the organization

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in strategic communications, digital strategy, nonprofit communications, or related fields
• Proven track record leading integrated communications campaigns that drove measurable outcomes
• Strategic thinking combined with operational excellence and ability to execute across multiple channels simultaneously
• Deep understanding of narrative strategy, audience development, and movement-building communications
• Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal) with ability to craft compelling narratives for diverse audiences
• Team management and leadership experience with track record of developing high-performing teams
• Track record managing website redevelopment or major digital transformation projects
• Budget management experience including oversight of paid media, production, and external partnerships
• Experience with digital platforms, social media strategy, and emerging communications technologies
• Commitment to equity and inclusion and experience centering diverse voices and perspectives
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment with strong self-direction and accountability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in journalism, media, or news organizations
• Knowledge of international issues, crisis reporting, or global affairs
• Experience with crisis communications and reputation management
• Track record managing website redevelopment or major digital transformation projects
• Experience working with influencers, creators, or thought leaders
• Grant writing and fundraising communications experience
• Understanding of nonprofit communications landscape and trends
• Established network within journalism, media, or communications fields

Your impact will be measured by:

• Effectiveness of communications campaigns in advancing organizational priorities and program goals
• Expansion in reach, engagement, and diversity of audiences across platforms
• Success in positioning the Pulitzer Center and its leadership as trusted voices in key conversations
• Measurable outcomes from integrated campaigns including awareness, engagement, and persuasion metrics
• Development and successful implementation of new content formats and distribution strategies
• Effectiveness, growth, and satisfaction of direct reports and broader communications capacity across organization
• Quality of partnerships with Development, Programs, and other teams
• Effectiveness of systems, processes, and workflows supporting communications execution

Compensation for US-based employeesThe salary range listed above is for US-based employees. Our benefit package includes paid time off (holiday, vacation, parental and sick), health care coverage (including medical/dental/vision), health savings accounts 403(b) retirement plan, transit benefit, parental leave, and Life & ADD/LTD/STD Insurance.

Compensation for non US-based employees All non-US salaries are calculated using an international conversion index, which includes estimates for comparable positions in the country of residence and the estimated cost of health insurance. We do offer paid leave benefits which include hours in recognition of local holidays,vacation, sick, parental, and bereavement leave. We do not offer health or retirement benefits for employees outside of the US.

Remote work arrangement with flexibility for work-life balance.

This position supports a  global team with a majority  in the United States, so will be required to work a significant portion of work hours in alignment with the  Eastern or Central time zones to facilitate collaboration with team members, organizational leadership, and key stakeholders.

This role requires 10-15% domestic and occasional international travel annually for:

• Strategic planning sessions and team meetings
• Major organizational events and conferences
• Partner and stakeholder meetings
• Professional development and industry convenings

The ideal candidate will be comfortable with regular virtual collaboration, occasional multi-day travel commitments, and flexible scheduling to accommodate global time zones and breaking news cycles.

The Pulitzer Center is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans. We value diverse perspectives and life experiences. To learn more about our work, visit pulitzercenter.org.

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is committed to supporting in-depth international journalism and using storytelling to drive public discourse and civic engagement on critical global issues. Join us in shaping how the world engages with the stories that matter most.

The pay range for this role is:

100,000 - 118,000 USD per year (USA)

About the Organization

The Pulitzer Center champions the power of stories to make complex issues relevant and inspire action. We have a bold vision: to be the venue for the world’s most innovative and consequential reporting, with journalism as the key element for mobilizing society through audience engagement strategies. Founded in 2006, the Center is an essential source of support for enterprise reporting in the United States and across the globe. The thousands of journalists and educators who are part of our networks span more than 80 countries. Our work reaches tens of millions of people each year through our news-media partners and an audience-centered strategy of global and regional engagement. We believe that people and communities who actively engage with systemic challenges will find solutions together. By supporting journalists as they conduct in-depth investigations, produce compelling stories, and engage diverse audiences, we create a ripple effect of world-changing impact.