Third Way is a national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas.
Our work is grounded in the mainstream American values of opportunity, freedom, and security. But we identify as center-left, because we see that space in U.S. politics as offering the only real path for advancing those ideals in the century ahead.
Our agenda is ambitious, aspirational, and actionable. It is built on the bedrock belief that for political movements to succeed in our political system, they must relentlessly re-imagine their policies, strategies, and coalitions.
We are fighting for opportunity, so everyone has the chance to earn a good life; progress on social issues, so all have the freedom to live the lives they choose; and security, so we are protected from 21st century global threats.
The role
Third Way is seeking an Education Communications Advisor as part of our Social Policy & Politics team to focus on elevating Third Way’s higher education policy and advocacy work inside and outside of DC, in order to persuade policymakers and those who influence them that students and taxpayers deserve a better return on their investment.
The Education Communications Advisor will conduct outreach to and help build Third Way relationships with the press at leading national and local news media publications to maximize the impact of key Third Way education research and policy recommendations and shape coverage of the federal higher education conversation to focus on student outcomes. This team member will also lead efforts to design digital collateral to help grow our team’s visibility on social media and engage stakeholders in a creative and meaningful way.
Knowledge of education policy and the media landscape are important, but determination and enthusiasm to elevate and broaden the reach of Third Way’s higher education work with new audiences is a must. We are looking for an individual who is passionate about ensuring the higher education system delivers for both students and taxpayers, interested in finding new, creative, and fun ways to convey our message, and eager to develop new press relationships for our higher education policy experts.
Key roles and responsibilities
As the Education Communications Advisor, a typical day might include:
- Crafting and implementing strategies to maximize the higher education team’s presence in national, state, and regional press outlets;
- Tailoring products and pitches to increase interest with local audiences;
- Managing media inquiries, identifying media opportunities, and tracking coverage of Third Way’s higher education team in the news;
- Creating digital content and shareables for social media;
- Working closely with the Senior Education Communications Manager to execute Third Way’s broader higher education communications and marketing strategy;
- Maintaining and updating comprehensive press lists;
- Working with other members of Third Way’s education and communications teams, as well as communications and policy staff at partner organizations, to develop creative collateral advocating for improving student outcomes in our nation’s higher education system; and
- Performing other relevant duties as needed.
Experience and skills
This might be the job for you, if you:
- Have a bachelor’s degree and 1-3 years of relevant experience working in a communications-related field;
- Are passionate about improving outcomes for students in our higher education system;
- Have an ability to identify relevant opportunities for press outreach and develop smart and tailored pitches, stories, and media materials;
- Display excellent attention to detail and comfort multi-tasking and prioritizing under pressure;
- Have a knack for translating policy topics into unique digital content to communicate our ideas to higher education wonks and laypeople alike;
- Enjoy working collaboratively with others, thinking outside the box, and taking initiative;
- Are capable of building relationships with the press and potential allies, and exercising diplomacy and professionalism when communicating with the media, external stakeholders, and staff; and
- Can come up with creative and fun new ways to explain complicated topics to non-experts and persuade people in order to achieve real impact.