Director, Communications

The American Association of School Administrators, d/b/a, AASA the School Superintendents Association, is the premier association for school system leaders. We serve as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill. A professional community of more than 10,000 educational leaders, AASA and its members are committed to providing high-quality public education to all students.

We are looking for a Director of Communications (Media and Messaging) who will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering AASA’s strategic communications efforts, ensuring brand cohesion and messaging alignment across all internal and external communications and materials. Reporting to the Associate Executive Director of Strategy and Communications, this individual will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key reporters, creating and curating impact-driven content, and delivering high-impact storytelling that positively shifts the conversation around public education.

The ideal candidate will have a strong and demonstrable writing background, deep experience managing high-profile media events and opportunities, and a familiarity with K-12 education issues and education policy. This individual must have a proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

AASA is located in Alexandria, Va., just outside our nation's capital. Conveniently located just blocks from the King Street Metro Station.

This position is primarily remote, however, living in the DC/MD/VA area is required since they are responsible for covering events in Alexandria, Va., and on Capitol Hill.

Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter no later than Sunday, October 27, using the supplied link on this page.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential duties and responsibilities beyond satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure individuals with disabilities can perform the essential duties and responsibilities. The hiring salary range for this position is $105,000 to $135,000 depending on knowledge, skills and experience. 

AASA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leads AASA’s Media Engagement

• Develops and implements media strategies aligned with AASA’s goals and priorities.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for media inquiries, proactively engaging with reporters and journalists, particularly in the education space.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with key reporters and media outlets.
• Leads proactive media outreach, including writing and distributing press releases, drafting and securing op-eds, pitching exclusives and features, and arranging interviews for key AASA leaders.
• Monitors media trends to identify opportunities for positioning AASA and its leadership in relevant discussions.

Develops & Maintains External Relations

• Builds and maintains strong relationships with key external stakeholders, including partners, advocacy groups and coalition members.
• Develops outreach strategies to expand AASA’s network of collaborators and amplify public education’s narrative.
• Engages in coalition-building efforts with national and local partners to align on key messaging and advocacy campaigns.
• Represents AASA in external partnerships and collaborative efforts to drive the association’s strategic goals.
• Leads the development of materials and communications strategies that support external stakeholders, coalitions and advocacy efforts.

Drives Effective Internal Communications in Collaboration with AASA Staff

• Ensures consistent messaging across all AASA platforms, publications and internal communications.
• Collaborates with internal teams to ensure clarity and alignment across departments, keeping staff informed about key organizational initiatives and messaging.
• Develops and distributes internal messaging materials to senior leadership and staff for consistent communication across the organization.
• Leads internal communications for special projects and initiatives to ensure AASA staff are fully aligned with the organization’s goals and priorities.

Plays Critical Role Developing AASA’s Strategic Communications

• Writes and conceptualizes compelling, high quality and digitally savvy content and communications including blog posts, podcasts and video scripts, advertising copy, editorial copy, op-eds, press releases and other writing assignments as necessary.
• Leads key components of AASA’s strategic communications plan and ensures alignment with organizational goals and key marketing initiatives.
• Collaborates with the Executive Director and senior leadership to craft strategic messaging for public appearances, speeches and media opportunities including presentations.
• Assists with crisis communications, including preparing talking points, statements and responsive media strategies for key AASA leadership.
• Oversees the creation of presentations for external audiences, ensuring alignment with AASA’s overall messaging and branding strategy.
• Works closely with the broader communications team to develop content strategies and media outreach plans that support both internal and external efforts.

Education: Bachelor’s degree required.

Experience:

• A minimum of six years of experience in communications, at least two of those years including management experience.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and executing media strategies.
• Experience in public relations, media outreach and crisis communications.
• Strong experience writing compelling content for a range of diverse audiences and mediums. Digital communications experience a must.
• Strong existing relationships with reporters, particularly those covering education issues, is highly preferred.

Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to craft compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Strong presentation (PPT, Slides, Canva) design and creation skills with professional experience presenting to discerning external audiences and leadership.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Strong background managing high-profile media events and opportunities - campaign press secretary work preferred.
• Familiarity with K-12 education issues and education policy, preferred.
• Experience working with executive leadership or principles and delivering presentations for high-level stakeholders preferred.
• Graphic design and video editing experience preferred.

Physical Demands: Regular use of laptop computers and desktop monitors is common. Travel may be required and longer than normal hours of work at meetings and conferences may be expected.

Location: Strong preference will be given to residents of the VA/MD/DC area – the incumbent must be able to cover events in Alexandria, Va., and on Capitol Hill.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
The responsibilities shown above are characteristic of this position and may not include all duties. In addition, AASA staff are expected to work collaboratively and willingly on teams and projects as assigned and to perform other duties as requested.