Communications Director; THM

Chaloner has partnered with The History Makers on their search for a Communications Director. This position is responsible for the strategic public relations of the organization. The Communications Director will report directly to the Founder & President and work in tandem with the Chief of Staff. He/she must demonstrate a commitment to the mission of The History Makers and the ability to function well in a mission-oriented organization with a sense of urgency and ethics.

• Develop and implement a strategic media plan for the organization, its public programs and events, individual History Makers and the President/Founder.
• Significantly increase public awareness of The History Makers.
• Coordinate all communication materials and activities.
• Develop fact-sheets, briefing papers, speeches, news releases, annual reports, etc.
• Develop national and local media lists.

• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Excellent editorial and proof-reading skills and a very high level and attention to detail.
• Proven experience working with the media and “pitching” the press.
• Proven experience as a speechwriter.
• Proven experience with editorial boards and letters to the editor.
• Proven experience working as a solo team.
• Ability to build rapport with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to follow through on requests, queries and pitches and get rapid results.
• Ability to travel (after normalizing of COVID
  19) and also work outside of normal office hours.

• Undergraduate degree required. (Preference for Communications, Journalism, African American Studies, History, Education or related fields).
• 3-6 years of experience in Communications and Public Relations.

The History Makers, the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive, is a one-of-a-kind collection, housed permanently at the Library of Congress. Its website accessed by millions worldwide, is sited in Wikipedia and used as a “go to” reference tool. Its digital archive has been licensed by colleges, universities, K-12 schools and public libraries for use by faculty, students and patrons and is growing in popularity in the wake of COVID
19 and the focus on online learning. Within the next few years, The History Makers will become the digital repository for the Black experience: providing much needed content, role models, success pathways and frameworks for a 21st century citizenry that has become increasingly less tolerant, divisive and economically and educationally disparate.