Who is Raheem
Raheem is the independent service for reporting police in the United States, working to end police terror against Black people. We help people report police and connect to resources for justice and healing, and then use the data and insights from their reports to push for policy and narrative change towards a world without police. We’re best known for two things.
First, we run a website that makes it easy for victims in the U.S. to report police then get resources for justice and healing. The resources include connecting people abused by police to a free lawyer, helping them file a complaint, or uniting them with a local advocacy organization.
Second, the reports to Raheem are producing a national dataset on how police behave, now in more than 200 cities throughout the country. Organizations in our Network use the data to advance narrative and policy changes that shrink the role of the police and replace it with long-term solutions that respond to conflict with care.
The organization is led by Brandon D. Anderson, a Black queer abolitionist who founded Raheem in 2017 after police killed his life partner during a routine traffic stop.
You’d be joining a growing team of Black abolitionist organizers, policy experts, and product makers who believe that building a world without police is not only necessary but doable. We are at an exciting point in our story, ready to throw everything we have at creating and executing ambitious, radical plans to build the infrastructure for a world without police.
The job
You’ll develop and run the messaging strategy that communicates our vision to build a world without police.
The Communications Director is a new, senior-level team member who is responsible for crafting the organization’s internal and external messaging strategy. The Communications Director will work closely with organizational leaders to accomplish three primary goals:
Core responsibilities
• Establish and drive a multi-channel communications strategy that educates, engages, and excites Black people to support building the infrastructure for a world without police.
• Run marketing campaigns that increase the overall quality and number of reports about police through increased access to Raheem’s reporting chatbot.
• Assist in the creation of digital, video, audio, and print content (e.g. written reports, emails, newsletters, webpages, gifs, briefs, storytelling videos).
• Develop and manage the process for regularly creating and publishing content across all social media channels and the organization’s website.
• Track web and social media analytics, and prepare detailed media activity reports aimed at understanding Raheem’s audiences and driving increased traffic and engagement.
• Serve as point person to field media requests and act as an organizational spokesperson, develop staff talking points and messaging themes, draft all press correspondence, including but not limited to press releases, press kits, and pitches
• Monitor trending topics, news outlets, and social media content daily; develop and post rapid response content .
• Partner with organization leads to develop messaging to win specific campaigns, advance a policy and promote narrative change with Black communities.
• Support and contribute to fundraising efforts and crowdfunding campaigns.
Other responsibilities
• Work collaboratively with Raheem’s leadership team to define strategic priorities, make decisions about unanticipated opportunities, and maintain focus on established goals.
• Proactively develop, present, and implement new practices to support a work-culture of growth and leadership development.
• Support an environment of staff engagement by providing consistent and effective feedback, guidance, and opportunities to engage in structured and unstructured professional development.
• Support fundraising efforts including developing content for grant proposals and reports, participating in funder briefings, meetings, and house parties.
Ideal Qualifications
• At least 5 years of experience developing and executing a communications plan or narrative-building strategy for Black communities
• At least 1 year of Director-level organizational leadership experience
• A macro understanding of the role of police both historically and currently for Black communities
• Demonstrated track record developing high-quality content that increases audience engagement and gets communities to take action
• Reputation as a collaborative leader who excels in managing multiple projects, and is comfortable working in a fast-paced, non-traditional work environment
• High proficiency using social media and other digital platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Medium, YouTube, MailChimp, and LinkedIn
• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills to articulate big ideas clearly, and plainly, that inspire and motivate.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and run effective email campaigns through compelling storytelling
• Ability to capture and communicate high-level concepts and themes, especially as it relates to the police abolition movement, in a way that is accessible and digestible.
• Significant experience working with people in a way that acknowledges differentials in privilege and power, recognizes their gifts, encourages their confidence, supports their growth, and holds them accountable to standards.
• Maintain transparent systems to execute deliverables before or on deadline - strong project management, highly organized.
What will lead to success
Caring.
• Be committed to ending state-sanctioned violence against Black people, Indigenous people and other people of color, trans people, femmes, women, queer people, people with disabilities, people living without houses, and all others who have the right to live and love freely.
• Engage with the problem space, taking the time to listen and learn with curiosity.
Operational and strategic excellence.
• Be able to hit the ground running. We generally look for 4+ years of full-time professional experience or the equivalent.
• Excellent at juggling competing priorities effectively, keeping focus on the highest value activity.
• Ability to communicate effectively and empathetically with a wide variety of audiences including community members, your team, partners, and potential funders.
• Track record of finding creative, scrappy solutions to a wide range of challenges with limited direct oversight and on urgent deadlines.
Solving hard problems, together.
• Come up with novel solutions, working well with technologists and non-technologists alike.
• Ask hard questions and challenge assumptions so that we’re solving the right problems.
• Contribute to a positive culture that enables us to find joy in the work of fixing painful problems.
Culture and values:
• Raheem is a positive, diverse, and supportive culture—we look for people who are curious, inventive, and work to be a little better every single day.
• We approach problem-solving using a Black queer feminist lens that recognizes systems of oppression and values difference and individual experience.
• We aspire to be smart, humble, hardworking, and, above all, collaborative.
• We ask each other hard questions, hold each other accountable, and support each other’s growth.
• We use humor and warmth in order to enjoy doing the most difficult, meaningful, and impactful work of our lives.
If this sounds like a good fit for you, we can’t wait to meet you!
Application review begins immediately and interviews are provided on a rolling basis until May 21, 2021. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Due to the volume of applications, only those participating in the interview process will be contacted.
Benefits
• Annual salary up to $140,000
• Health, dental, and vision benefits
• Parental leave
• Unlimited vacation
• Remote work – we're a distributed team that works from anywhere with good internet.
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