Council on Foreign Relations · 15 hours ago
Associate Vice President, Media Relations and Strategy
US-DC-Washington
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$165K/yr - $185K/yr
12+ years expThe Council on Foreign Relations is a think tank dedicated to fostering a foreign policy community in the United States. The Associate Vice President of Media Relations and Strategy will provide strategic communications counsel, manage the Global Communications team, and enhance the Council's public policy impact and external engagement.
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Responsibilities
Develop and lead the execution of a proactive and strategic communications and media engagement strategy for Studies Fellows, research, and publications. Working closely with Studies, this will include building and executing marketing plans for flagship works, ideas, and scholars themselves
Manage junior staff as a part of the team in support of said strategy. Draw on the resources and skills across the Communications team and support their professional development and growth
Collaborate with fellows and other key members of the organization, preparing them for media and public speaking engagements and refining their voice, and helping produce opportunities (e.g., op-eds, media appearances, etc.)
Serve as the departmental deputy, working with the VP on overall management of the team, to include, for example, budget oversight, performance evaluations, and talent development. Serve as proxy for the Vice President when they are out of the office
Support management of systems and tools to track and respond to media requests, strengthen media relationships, coordinate media interactions, track and summarize media hits, and develop and maintain targeted media lists across the team
Support crisis communications and issues management as necessary in support of the department’s Directors for media relations and strategic communications
Work with colleagues across the institution to help drive attention to key Council initiatives, priorities, projects, and voices
Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required
Qualification
Required
Bachelors degree in International Relations, Public Policy, Journalism, or a related field
A minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in strategic communications, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within a think tank, high-level political campaign, or government agency (e.g., State Department or similar). Experience working with scholars at a publisher, university, or similar is a plus
Proven history of successful people management and professional development
Deep expertise in the foreign policy media ecosystem and contacts with national and international media outlets
Extensive experience navigating the intersection of policy, politics, and press
Experience using media tracking tools and databases such as MuckRack, Cision, Critical Mention, TV Eyes, and/or Meltwater
Experience designing and executing strategic marketing campaigns for books, reports, and/or other long tail projects
Superior writing, verbal, and digital communications skills
Strong working knowledge of media relations and issues management
Ability to provide rapid response guidance on breaking global events with minimal oversight
Exceptional confidence and ability to effectively engage with and brief senior executives and scholars
Experience crafting and executing longer term programmatic and/or scholar strategic brand positioning to raise the profile of programs and individuals
Proven ability to navigate complex organizations and build consensus among diverse intellectual viewpoints
Demonstrated ability to effectively engage with reporters, editors, columnists, producers, and bookers
Track record drafting statements, talking points and Q&As
Understanding of how social algorithms and digital ecosystems amplify traditional media hits to reach specific policy-making audiences
Self-starter and strategic thinker with the ability to prioritize and synthesize
Strong collaborator with solid negotiation and stakeholder management skills
Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented, collaborative environment
Able to work under pressure quickly, effectively, and efficiently
Benefits
An award-winning health and wellness program
An on-site fitness center
Generous leave policies
Health insurance programs
Company
Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations operates as a non-partisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$2.31M2013-01-01Grant· $1.11M
2010-01-01Grant· $1.2M
Leadership Team
C
Chris Tuttle
Deputy Director, David Rockefeller Studies Program
Katherine Sydenham
Deputy Director, Digital Asset Management
Recent News
2025-10-21
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