Head of Strategic Communications

About New_ Public

New_ Public is a nonprofit product studio that’s reimagining social media. Join us in building digital public spaces that connect people, embrace pluralism, and build community.

We are researchers, engineers, designers, and community leaders. We want more healthy, flourishing spaces on the internet. Up until now, we’ve used two main strategies to achieve this: helping local communities across America create more flourishing digital spaces and developing prototypes for digital conversation with public service media organizations.

Today, we’re leaning more into supporting the folks building products and platforms outside our walls, through our Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program and our research into what works and what doesn’t. 

We’re in this to serve, remove obstacles to power, and make life significantly better for all people — especially folks from underestimated communities — because we believe this work is essential for democracy and a flourishing society.

About the role

We are seeking a Head of Strategic Communications to join our team. In this role, you will be part of our efforts to shape the next wave of social technologies by helping people understand our work, where we’re headed, and what is possible in a world of prosocial tech.

You'll own our communications strategy, brand and narrative, and you'll switch often between the 30,000-foot view and the one-foot view. In the morning you might be deciding how we position New_ Public for the next two years. In the afternoon you might be tightening an op-ed or drafting the newsletter.

It's part strategist: working out who we need to reach, what we need them to understand, and the best ways to reach them. Part storyteller: writing and producing content that makes our work clear and memorable. And part narrative-shifter: finding creative ways (creators, media placements, leadership visibility, well-timed campaigns) to widen what people think is possible for the internet.

Right now our two most important audiences are philanthropic funders and product builders. You'll decide how to reach them and how to shape what they understand about New_ Public and our work.

We're a small team, so you won't have a comms department to execute. You'll write, produce and ship a lot yourself, working closely with colleagues across leadership, programs, and R&D — and securing additional support where you need it. 

Key responsibilities

• Own New_ Public's communications strategy: define priority audiences, what we want each one to understand and do, and the channels and tactics most likely to reach them
• Develop our core narrative and messaging framework, including one clear, shared answer to "What is New_ Public?". Set brand and communications guidelines that keep every channel and spokesperson consistent
• Support fundraising efforts, drive funder-facing marketing and comms, owning the development of funder decks and one-pagers and collaborating on grant materials and reports.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the executive team on positioning, reputation, and how New_ Public and its leaders show up in public
• Help build our leaders' public profiles well beyond LinkedIn posts: op-eds, bylines, podcasts, conference talks and other chances to shape the conversation
• Lead strategy and output for social media and friends-and-family communications and collaborate with other members of our comms team on our newsletter
• Get creative about reach, including working with creators, partners and new formats to reach audiences we can't reach alone
• Build relationships with reporters, pitch stories and secure media placements. Manage external PR partners when needed
• Spot and drive opportunistic campaigns and rapid-response moments, when news in tech, AI or social media opens a door for our perspective
• Partner on launches and big moments, such as EIR cohort announcements, R&D publications and events. Work with the Head of R&D and EIR Program Lead to turn their work into stories
• Define what success looks like, track the right metrics, and use the data to learn what's working and adjust

About you

• You believe in our mission and have a point of view on how communications can change what people believe technology can do for society
• You can tell a hopeful story about the future of social media without overselling it. You ground big ideas about prosocial design in real examples and research, so builders, funders, and the public come away convinced and ready to act.”
• You have 8+ years in communications, ideally in tech, philanthropy or mission-driven organizations, and you've owned strategy as well as execution
• You're an excellent writer and editor who moves quickly from an idea to clear, engaging copy
• You've pitched and worked with press, and you have the media placements to show for it
• You have excellent communications judgment – understanding what will land with which audiences and (more importantly) what won’t
• You've built and grown social media and newsletter audiences, and you use data to decide what's working
• You have a current view of the media landscape, including creators, podcasts and community channels as well as traditional press
• You use AI fluently and critically, and you’ve built AI-assisted workflows that help a small team do more without lowering the quality bar or losing the human element. (Here is our AI policy to see where we’re at with the technology)
• You like rolling up your sleeves, you're comfortable with ambiguity, and you can prioritize without a big team behind you
• Nice to have: relationships with reporters who cover tech, philanthropy or civic life; experience at a startup or small nonprofit; design sense and comfort with tools like Canva or Figma

More information

• Location: United States or Canada (fully remote)
• Compensation: $165,000 - $215,000 USD per year. This is a full-time position.
• Reports to: Angelica Quicksey, Managing Director

The Process

• Submission: Submit your application using the “Apply here” link below. If we are interested in pursuing your application, we may reach out to you for writing samples.
• First Interview: After screening all applications, we will select candidates for Round 1 interviews, Those candidates will be contacted to interview with our Talent Coordinator.
• Second Interview: Selected Round 1 candidates move forward to Round 2 of our interview process. Those candidates will be invited to interview with Angelica
• Assignment: Following Round 2, selected candidates will be asked to complete an assignment that evaluates their technical and practical skills. Candidates will receive a  $250 via Tango gift-card for completing this assignment.
• Final Interview: Finalist candidates will have a short conversation with Eli Pariser.
• Reference Check: After reviewing assignment submissions, we will request contact information for three (3) professional references from selected candidates. If you need time to inform your references of our upcoming outreach, please let us know!
• Offer: We will extend an offer to the candidate who best aligns with the key criteria for this role. 

We know confidence gaps can hold great candidates back — so if you’re excited about this role but don’t check every box, please apply anyway. What matters most to us is genuine interest in building healthy digital public spaces, a willingness to learn and grow, and a commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful workplace. We especially welcome applications from people whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in tech.