This senior communications role reports to the President and CEO in a lean, high-performing organization. The right candidate will be both a strategist and an operator: someone who can identify stories, pitch reporters, prepare for external engagements, draft compelling materials, manage rapid response, and work closely with colleagues.
This role is an opportunity for a communications leader who wants to help build GBA’s visibility, voice, and influence through disciplined messaging, strong media judgment, and high-quality execution.
Key Responsibilities
Earned Media and Executive Positioning
- Develop and execute a proactive earned media strategy that raises GBA’s visibility with national business press, policy media, tax press and other influential outlets.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with reporters covering business, investment, tax, trade, tariffs, market access, competitiveness and economic policy.
- Identify story opportunities from GBA’s policy agenda, member priorities, economic data and broader business-policy trends.
- Lead the execution of GBA’s external engagement strategy, including media opportunities, speaking engagements, stakeholder-facing events, and related follow-up.
Messaging and Content
- Translate complex tax, trade, investment, regulatory, and economic policy issues into clear, credible and compelling messaging.
- Draft and edit op-eds, statements, talking points, quotes, speeches, pitches, LinkedIn content, member-facing updates, website copy and other communications materials.
- Help ensure GBA’s voice remains disciplined, nonpartisan, and useful to members, policymakers, reporters and stakeholders.
- Use GBA’s data, member stories, and policy work to strengthen message pull-through and reinforce the organization’s core themes.
Advocacy and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Government Affairs and Strategic Insights colleagues to identify communications opportunities tied to policy developments, member priorities and emerging issues.
- Bring forward clear recommendations, including opportunity, audience, message, risk and proposed execution path.
- Coordinate on policy-sensitive communications and rapid response.
- Exercise sound judgment about when GBA should engage publicly.
Team Leadership and Execution
- Manage and support a communications team member responsible for digital, social, website, email, design, and production support.
- Maintain a disciplined communications cadence without overburdening a small team.
- Track media results, message pull-through, external visibility, and the effectiveness of engagement efforts.
- Work with outside consultants or vendors when needed, while personally owning the core communications work.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a strong earned-media operator with excellent judgment, policy fluency, and the ability to create external opportunities from complex issues.
They should be comfortable in a small-shop environment where senior leaders write, pitch, prepare, execute and follow up. They should be able to work closely with technical policy colleagues, identify the story inside the substance, and recommend a communications path that is both ambitious and disciplined.
Strong candidates may come from one or more of the following environments:
- business or trade association communications
- public affairs or advocacy communications
- Capitol Hill, agency, campaign, or policy communications
- corporate public affairs
- business, financial, tax, trade, or policy media relations
- earned media strategy in a small or fast-moving organization
Qualifications
- Significant experience (10+ years) in media relations, public affairs, advocacy communications, or executive communications
- Demonstrated ability to personally pitch reporters and secure meaningful earned media
- Strong understanding of national business, policy, and Washington media
- Excellent writing, editing, and message-development skills
- Ability to translate complex policy issues into plain language
- Strong judgment in politically sensitive environments
- Experience preparing senior executives or principals for interviews, speaking engagements, stakeholder meetings and public appearances
- Ability to work collaboratively across policy, communications, membership and executive leadership
- Strong project management and execution skills
- Familiarity with AI-enabled communications tools and responsible use of AI for workflow is important
Compensation Details: $135-150K
The compensation range listed for this position is provided as a good-faith estimate of what the organization intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills and market data.
Benefits Overview: Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Disability, life and accident insurance
- Generous paid time off and holidays
- Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)
- Remote work and Commuter subsidy
- Parental and family flex leave
How To Apply
Please email your resume and cover letter describing earned media experience, public affairs judgment, and experience supporting executive-level external engagement to opportunities@globalbusiness.org. In the subject line, please state: “Senior Director, Communications”
