Reports to: Communications Director 

About us: 

As the JVP family of organizations, we are growing, developing and mobilizing a powerful grassroots, multiracial base of Jews toward a future of Judaism beyond Zionism, Palestinian freedom and the end of Israeli apartheid and occupation. 

About you:

A sharp and talented communicator, you have a passion for changing hearts and minds, driven by your commitment to Palestinian liberation. You understand the importance of traditional media and thrive on getting progressive messages out in mainstream outlets. 

About the role:

The Media Coordinator will be tasked with growing JVP and JVP Action’s earned media coverage, conducting proactive media outreach about JVP and JVPA’s campaigns and analysis, translating our work and perspectives into pitches that will be of interest to reporters and outlets.

JVP is a union workplace, and this role is part of our staff bargaining unit.

As part of the role, you will: 

• Write and disseminate press material and engage proactively with reporters

• Coordinate with JVP/A’s social media accounts to maximize media outreach 

• Support media outreach for JVP/A campaigns and chapter-led advocacy

• Op/ed placement: Draft, ghost-write, edit and pitch opinion and analysis pieces by JVP/A staff and members

• Coordinating the member-led Letter-to-the-Editor (LTE) team, you will provide draft content and identify opportunities for JVP/A members 

• Maintain a portfolio of JVP earned media coverage and track media engagement

In particular, you will:

Build and maintain relationships with reporters and media outlets

• Maintain and grow JVP/A’s relationships with journalists and editors 

• Use and expand Muck Rack

Provide consistent media support to JVP/A campaigns and during rapid response scenarios

• Design media outreach strategies and campaigns

• Support on overall messaging, develop talking points and key messaging approaches

• Coordinate with staff, leaders, and partner organizations 

Support op-ed placement

• Identify opportunities for op/eds

• Support drafting and editing, and ghost-write as needed

• Coordinate with organizational partners in pitching 

Ensure JVP staff, chapters and members are press-ready

• Respond to media inquiries, coordinate and prepare staff and members for interviews

• Support and train staff on relevant talking points and best practices for media

• Support and train local chapters and member leaders in their press work for actions and events

• Provide messaging trainings to JVP staff (3-4 per year) and members and chapters (separately, 2-3 per year)

Support JVP/A messaging and content creation for organizational priority issues

• Contribute to organizational policy statements 

• Participate in weekly messaging team meeting

• Support messaging research projects and data collection

Support JVP’s media strategy

• Track JVP coverage in the media, share media hits in the JVP Wire and in quarterly reports

• Coordinate media outreach across three time zones

• Support the design and implementation of JVP/A strategy for growing media coverage
  

Additional duties and responsibilities:

• Limited fundraising and other responsibilities that all staff share

• Ad hoc support to other areas of Communications department work 

• Travel 2-3 times per year pending COVID restrictions

Skills Required 

• Sharp, flexible messaging and storytelling skills, and experience in crafting values-based messages on less well known and/or highly stigmatized topics or issues 

• Demonstrated success in gaining and growing mainstream media coverage for grassroot progressive causes

• Professional writing and editing skills, detail-oriented

• Strong interpersonal communication and relationship-building skills 

• Experience working with basic database software, Muck Rack strongly preferred

• Committed to JVP’s mission,  knowledgeable about Jewish communities and values and about Palestinian history and the Palestine solidarity movement

• Commitment to the politics of collective liberation (including Palestine liberation, Black liberation, queer and trans liberation, workers rights & economic justice, and climate justice)

Not required, but nice to have:

• Expertise in Muck Rack or a similar media database, as well as basic web design in WordPress – or willingness to learn

• Demonstrated ability to handle, keep track of, prioritize and follow-through on multiple projects

• Your own network of media contacts relevant to JVP/A’s mission 

• Experience with communications work for government-facing advocacy or grassroot progressive electoral politics

• Familiarity with international, national and local media outlets 

• Knowledge of the political and media landscape in the US & in Palestine/Israel

• Experience with grassroots fundraising and integration of fundraising with other organizational activities

Please note: As part of JVP’s commitment to equity and transparency, we have a no negotiation policy. Salary negotiations can introduce bias and perpetuate wage inequality.

Our Job Application Process:

We aim to be transparent and efficient in our hiring process. Each question you will be asked throughout our hiring process ties directly back to one of the skills and experiences listed above. In each stage, you will be asked to provide examples of these skills and experiences or how you would draw on your experience to handle a scenario commonly found at JVP. Our typical hiring process includes:

• Job application: You will not be asked to submit a cover letter. Instead, the application consists of several questions related to the role you are applying for. Your answers will be assessed anonymously by the hiring committee, based on the skills outlined above. You may be required to upload a CV or resume. The hiring committee will not look at your CV/resume or any identifying information until you have been invited to a first round interview, and will make those initial decisions based on your answers to the initial set of questions. 

• 25 min video interview: usually with the hiring manager and staff members you would work with on a regular basis

• Written work assessment, responding to a scenario commonly found on the job.

• 50 min video interview: May be the same group of staff or a slightly larger group as the first interview 

• Reference check

Depending on logistics and scheduling, our hiring process generally takes about 4-5 weeks from the job closing to a job offer. We let candidates know after each step in the process, once we’ve made a decision, whether they are moving forward to the next stage or not, so candidates know the status of their application.

JVP values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidates at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds. People of color, Sephardi and/or Mizrahi applicants, people with disabilities, and transgender or gender non-conforming applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

Jewish Voice for Peace opposes anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry and oppression. JVP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran.

Benefits of working at JVP: 

• A four-day, 32-hour work week for bargaining unit staff

• Up to 16 accumulated vacation days per year

• Up to 12 sick days per year

• Paid time off for political education and anti-racist training

• 17 paid holidays (9 floating and 8 federal)

• Health, vision, and dental insurance with premiums currently paid by JVP, and 15% of family benefits to be paid by JVP

• A supplemental health fund for trans and gender nonconforming staff

• Leave without pay, bereavement, parental leave and medical leave

• Flexible Spending benefit

• 1% of salary paid into 401k by JVP

JVP is committed to providing flexible work arrangements that suit the needs of our staff. All our positions are remote and based in the United States.