Assistant Vice President of Communications

Position Title:

Assistant Vice President of Communications

Reports to:

Chief of Staff Collaborates With:
Government Affairs, Development, Community Affairs, and Operations The Organization

At RISE INDY, we believe all children deserve the tools and resources to thrive. We envision a world in which every child reaches their highest potential. We want to give voice to the students and parents experiencing injustice in our system and align with teachers and leaders fighting to improve outcomes for children. By involving parents, teachers, students, faith leaders, and many more in conversations about education in our community, we can amplify the voices of those who might otherwise be unheard.

Our mission is to give every student the resources, tools, and champions to reach any opportunity. We envision a day when every Indianapolis resident is engaged to ensure 100% of students are prepared for graduation and beyond. To realize our vision, we engage those most impacted by systemic neglect, educate policymakers on opportunity gaps for students, and organize our community to advocate for resources and policies that will improve public education in Indianapolis.

The Assistant Vice President of Communications is the senior leader responsible for RISE’s organizational voice, public narrative, brand identity, and communications strategy. This role leads a multi-year communications strategy that strengthens public trust, advances RISE’s policy agenda, and positions the organization as a leading voice on education in Indianapolis and Indiana.

The AVP of Communications oversees political communications, media relations, digital engagement, brand strategy, and message alignment across programs, policy, and development. Working closely with senior leadership, this role builds and manages a year-round communications operation across earned and owned media that supports advocacy, fundraising, organizing, and election cycles while elevating RISE’s visibility, credibility, and influence among community members, policymakers, and civic leaders.

• Develop and lead a comprehensive, multi-year communications strategy aligned with RISE’s strategic priorities.
• Serve as the architect of RISE’s public narrative around education equity, governance, and student outcomes.
• Advise the CEO, and senior leadership on messaging strategy, narrative risks, and communications opportunities.
• Maintain a year-round communications plan supporting advocacy campaigns, policy initiatives, community engagement, and organizational storytelling.
• Ensure consistent messaging across departments, programs, and campaigns.

• Lead RISE’s earned and owned media strategy across platforms.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with reporters, editorial boards, and local media outlets.
• Oversee digital communications strategy across social media, email, website, and multimedia storytelling.
• Increase organizational visibility and credibility through strategic media placements and thought leadership.
• Ensure consistent, compelling storytelling that elevates RISE’s brand and policy priorities in the community and among decision-makers.

• Lead and manage communications consultants and vendors.
• Collaborate closely with Government Affairs, Development, Community Affairs, and Strategy teams to align on strategy and comms support of organizational priorities.
• Train staff, community leaders, and coalition partners to serve as effective spokespeople.
• Support fundraising and partnership efforts through strategic storytelling and communications alignment.

• Develop communications systems, calendars, workflows, and narrative guidebooks.
• Track communications impact using media, digital, and stakeholder engagement metrics.
  
  Use data to refine messaging strategies and improve reach and influence.

• Bachelor’s degree required;
  Master’s in Public Affairs, Strategic Communications, Political Science, Journalism or related field preferred.
• 8+ years in…