The Wikimedia Foundation is seeking a Communications Manager to help lead the communications for our 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 amongst our key global audiences. 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.

You are responsible for

Overseeing proactive communications and media relations efforts across a wide-ranging portfolio

• Serving as a primary point of contact for the Global Advocacy and Legal Affairs teams; responsible for also liaising with several other Foundation teams, including Product and Technology and Trust and Safety. Provide effective partnership to craft and implement proactive strategic communications plans, with clear objectives and measurable goals that are aligned with the Foundation's annual plan, that deliver tangible results.
• Proactively develop messaging for key initiatives to help guide our communications approach. Build and enhance core narratives around the impact and benefits of the Wikimedia projects to key audiences, with clear proof points.
• Guide, produce, and review a range of communications materials, including press statements, blogs, pitch notes, briefing docs, newsletter copy, and more.
• Ensure that key messages and complex narratives are shaped consistently and clearly for public audiences. 
• Build relationships and lead cooperative efforts with internal and external stakeholders at all levels to enable the successful delivery of communications plans.

 
Leading media relations and crisis communications responses

• Act as a primary media liaison for managing and responding to daily press inquiries in a timely manner. Handle interviews, requests for information, speaking engagements, and more. 
• Lead on crisis and rapid response media efforts, including developing proactive and reactive communications plans and materials. Evaluate and triage crisis scenarios, responding quickly and demonstrating strong judgment on sensitive, fast-evolving, and complex situations.
• Proactively foster relationships with journalists to enable regular and in-depth coverage of our work. 
• Engage cross-Foundation team members at all levels in problem-solving and collaboration on solutions.
• Develop and recommend workflows and systems to enable the team to more effectively handle increasing complexity and crisis situations in our day-to-day work.

Management of people and and external vendors

• Work collaboratively with Senior Communications Manager to help define the goals and direction of the Media Relations team and ensure these are met.
• As a line manager, provide consistent feedback and coaching to direct reports in order to support the team's professional development. 
• Manage relationships with external vendors (such as public relations agencies) as directed to deliver goals.

Skills and Experience

• Must be based in the UTC-4 or UTC-5 time zones.
• 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 in the tech policy sector is a plus. 
• 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 ability to cultivate journalist relationships. 
• Experience of working with other departments, advising stakeholders at all levels on plans and tactics, with 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.