Description

United Today, Stronger Tomorrow

Communications Manager

September 2025 to March 2026

Full-time, 1099-Eligible, Short-term Consultant Contract 

www.unitedtoday.org

Location: National

Pay Range: $50/hour to $75/hour BOE

Reports to: Project Director

UTST

UTST is a community power building hub and distributive organizing initiative that improves the lives of people living in rural and remote areas across the Upper Mid- and Mountain West and Alaska. We restore trust in democracy and mediating institutions by helping people understand their own agency in the decision making that impacts their lives and engaging them in strategic local, state, regional, and federal campaigns and programs that deliver concrete benefits. Simultaneously, we are building the next generation of rural and remote leaders, many of whom hail from conservative communities, to meet the current political moment and lay the foundation for long term power building over the next decade. 

Description

The Communications Manager will be responsible for two main pieces of work:

• Leading on project-wide media and external communications work to ensure that a media and comms strategy is integrated across all local, state, regional, and federal campaigns and programs. This will include both earned, paid, and self-produced media. 
• Building a strong narrative across all of UTST’s external communications, including digital assets and platforms, fundraising, policy reports and documentation projects.

Responsibilities

The Communications Manager will be responsible for the following:

• Working with the UTST team, partners, leaders, and members to garner earned media connected to our campaigns at the local, state, regional, and federal levels. This will include drafting and distributing press advisories and releases, pitching stories to reporters and media outlets, and identifying and training community leaders and partners to speak to the press.
• Developing a speakers bureau and running a monthly public speaking, targeted action, and media training for UTST partners, leaders, and members in order to develop a cohort of UTST spokespeople who can be deployed to local media outlets (radio and television) and/or write LTEs and OpEds. This will include identifying local radio stations and helping local leaders call-in and appear as guests speaking about our issues.
• Developing and implementing a strategic communications plan that will support our RLP and Federal Implementation Campaigns. Building a year long  strategic communications plan to move our project wide campaigns.
• Identifying and documenting local success stories about federal funding and working with the Federal Campaign Coordinator, Digital Team, and Fundraiser to amplify those stories to various external audiences.

Requirements

Experience

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications or relevant field of study.
• Experience working with media, and proven success placing stories in local, regional, and national outlets.
• A minimum of 5 years experience in a communications field of expertise: social media, community engagement, target marketing, descriptive writing, and public involvement, among others.

Hard Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Creating tailored messaging.
• Managing large-scale, complex projects with discipline, speed, flexibility, adaptability, and precision.
• Thinking across channels to effectively syndicate key messages.

Soft Skills

• Self-motivated and able to work remotely both independently and on multiple teams.
• Strong interpersonal, networking, and presentation skills. 
• Creative and able to generate new ideas.
• Looks for answers and attempts to find solutions before asking colleagues.
• Is comfortable with, and quick to learn, new tools, platforms, and processes and when needed able to train others to do the same.
• Is an excellent communicator, asks questions to clarify, and is comfortable giving helpful feedback.
• Ability to communicate reliable and accurate updates about project timelines, delivery dates, and changes as they occur. 

Other Details

• Candidates must have a reliable computer with a working camera and microphone that can run Slack, Zoom, and browsers.
• The virtual office works Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, but as the team is scattered across several time zones, the expectation is that team members are reachable and responding to requests from 12pm EST to 5pm EST.
• Women, native/indigenous people, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Applications will be accepted through September 30, 2025.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] that includes why you are interested in this position and how your experience can help the project. Write “Communications Manager” in the subject line.