Communications Associate/Specialist

AidData produces novel data, tools, and research that answers the question: who is funding, what, where, for whom, and to what effect around the world? We have an explicit focus on data and research that meets high academic standards but is also accessible and relevant for a broad audience of international relations practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and scholars. Our work is made possible by generous financial support of international organizations such as the World Bank and United Nations, private philanthropies such as the Hewlett and Gates Foundations, and government agencies such as the US Department of State and USAID.

AidData has a vacancy for a Communications Associate or Specialist, based on the level of experience of the successful candidate.

The Communications Associate (CA) supports the implementation of AidData’s strategic communications efforts. This position has a writing and social media emphasis. The CA serves as a content creator and curator for an array of AidData communications platforms, primarily digital and social media. This position is also responsible for organizing information that feeds into communications deliverables such as AidData webpages, publications, and funder reports. The CA reports to the Communications Manager.

The Communications Specialist (CS) position supports all aspects of AidData’s strategic communications, including audience outreach, content creation, corporate communications, publication support, and website content. This position is responsible for supporting audience outreach via email and social media; creating a variety of written and graphic content for print, web and multimedia platforms; supporting the communications deliverables for grant-funded projects; and providing advice regarding strategic and corporate communications, branding and marketing, and web strategy. This position may report to any one of the communications manager positions or the Director of Partnerships and Communications.

Note: No sponsorship for work visas is available for this vacancy.

This position is based at AidData at William & Mary's Global Research Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia. This is a full-time position, and salary is commensurate with experience in the U06 range (see the University Salary Structure). This is a restricted position subject to availability of funding. This position is remote-work eligible (works remotely at least 1 day per week but not full-time). Remote work eligibility is not guaranteed and is subject to approval.

Communications Associate

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. communications, journalism, marketing, business, education, political science, government, economics, or international relations).
• Audience/Outreach: Working knowledge of social media and email outreach platforms. Ability to handle professional correspondence; write press releases; source, draft, and edit social media posts; and create social media toolkits.
• ‍Content Creation: Able to apply techniques for effective written and visual communications and learn to use content management systems, data visualization tools, and web analytics platforms.
• ‍Corporate Communications: Strong organizational skills, general knowledge of marketing and branding principles, and ability to manage spreadsheets and create presentations.
• ‍Publications Support: Excellent proofreading skills and ability to apply rules of standard English grammar to prepare a manuscript for formatting
• ‍Management, Leadership and Teamwork: Demonstrated ability to collaborate with team members and behave respectfully towards others.

Preferred Qualifications

• ‍Audience/Outreach: Working knowledge of digital environment; experience maintaining, importing and exporting contact data; demonstrated ability to craft compelling email copy and social media posts.
• ‍Content Creation: Demonstrated ability to create a content calendar that aligns with priorities and events, to synthesize research findings into a press release, and to craft compelling data visualizations.
• ‍Corporate Communications: Experience with information architecture, indicator tracking, and version control; ability to articulate key messages visually and in writing.
• ‍Publications Support: Track record of intensive application of text-editing principles, visual information design and publication layout.‍
• Website/Technical: Basic knowledge of principles of website design, SEO, accessibility, and how these issues affect content and user engagement.

Communications Specialist

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. communications, journalism, marketing, business, education, political science, government, economics, or international relations).
• Audience/Outreach: Demonstrated experience utilizing effective audience segmentation strategies and microtargeting to improve engagement metrics; ability to assist with handling of media inquiries and elite media outreach.‍
• Content Creation: Demonstrated experience implementing data-driven written and visual communications for both print and digital media; proficiency in advanced data visualization techniques.
• ‍Corporate Communications: Experience developing or improving a corporate indicator tracking system, creating and implementing a strategic communications plan, or translating key messages into brand voice and visual identity; highly productive in MS Office and Google Drive, and Adobe Creative Suite.‍
• Publications Support: Experience leading editorial processes or spearheading the full formatting and layout process of a major publication.‍
• Website/Technical: Ability to contribute designs or code to a variety of digital communications projects. Knowledge of a content management system, data visualization tools, and web analytics platforms.‍
• Management, Leadership and Teamwork: Ability to identify and analyze problems and opportunities, evaluate new information, generate solutions, and provide recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications

• ‍Audience/Outreach: Fluency with segmentation strategies, and ability to represent aspects of AidData’s work with key audiences such as data journalists, funders, or policymakers.
• ‍Content Creation: Superior writing, editing, design, data visualization, videography, or photography skills; experience coordinating with stakeholders and juggling multiple projects; demonstrated ability to execute advanced data visualization techniques such as interactive dashboards (Tableau) or geographic information systems.
• ‍Corporate Communications: Superior information management and design skills, and ability to organize brand assets, formulate a strategic communications plan, and integrate corporate indicator tracking into proposal design and strategic planning processes.
• ‍Publications Support: Extensive knowledge of publication process and experience seeing a project through from start to finish while coordinating design and review. Superior data visualization skills; ability to collaborate with subject matter experts and harmonize data visualization with technical narrative.
• ‍Website/Technical: Exhibits high levels of creativity, discretion, and independent judgment in solving design & implementation problems and improving engagement metrics.
• ‍Management, Leadership and Teamwork: Ability to mentor team members, providing ongoing coaching and informal feedback related to communications-related technical or creative skills.