Director of External Affairs

About Tennesseans for Student Success

Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) champions effective education policies that give every Tennessee child access to a quality public education. We combine data, political impact, and the collective power of parents, advocates, and policymakers to make Tennessee the gold standard in public education and to hold leaders accountable for student outcomes.

Building power. Leveraging influence. Changing student lives.

TSS is hiring a Director of External Affairs to own the organization's voice across every channel, earned media, owned media, social, podcast, and our flagship digital outlet. This is not a traditional communications role, and it is not a newsroom role.

We are looking for a strategist and operator who sees communications as an advocacy function that drive public opinion and outcomes: someone who can build narratives that move Tennesseans, legislators, and the policy influencers; produce content that performs across formats; and lead a small team toward measurable advocacy outcomes. The right person thinks like a marketer, writes like a journalist, moves like a campaign comms director, and treats the flagship digital outlet as a powerful platform to advance TSS's policy and political priorities, not as a traditional newsroom operating in a vacuum.

This role reports to executive leadership and manages the communications function, including editorial operations, contractors, and vendors.

What You'll Own

Strategic Direction for a Digital News Outlet

• Serve as Managing Editor, setting the editorial vision, content calendar, and growth strategy in alignment with TSS's policy and political objectives.

• Build the outlet into a multi-format platform: articles, podcast, video, social-first content, newsletters, that drives audience growth and shapes the education narrative in Tennessee.

• Define and track performance metrics: audience growth, engagement, share of voice, narrative penetration, and influence on key audiences (parents, legislators, opinion leaders).

• Make sharp editorial calls: on story selection, framing, headlines, distribution, and rapid response, that maximize the platform's strategic value.

Integrated Communications & Brand

• Lead TSS's full communications strategy and daily operations across earned, owned, and paid channels.

• Develop and enforce organizational messaging, ensuring consistency across TSS, digital news outlet, and affiliated entities.

• Draft, edit, and approve press releases, op-eds, talking points, newsletters, and public statements.

• Oversee brand identity, voice, and visual consistency across every public-facing asset.

Digital, Social & Multimedia

• Direct the social media strategy across all platforms, with a marketer's eye for reach, engagement, and conversion, not just posting.

• Oversee podcast development, production cadence, guest strategy, and distribution.

• Manage email marketing and audience-building programs to grow and activate TSS supporter lists.

• Use analytics to continuously iterate on what's working, and kill what isn't.

Earned Media & Public Relations

• Serve as the organization's primary media contact and build relationships with reporters, editors, and producers statewide and nationally.

• Pitch stories, place op-eds, coordinate interviews, and prepare leadership for media engagements.

• Monitor media coverage and respond quickly and effectively, including in contested or politically charged moments.

Political & Electoral Communications

• Partner with the political and policy teams to develop sharp, accurate, and well-sourced content during legislative sessions, election cycles, and accountability campaigns.

• Lead rapid-response messaging when TSS's priorities, allies, or interests are…