Communications Strategist

BACKGROUND AND MISSION

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago and Asian American Midwest Progressives build power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity. 

For over 30 years, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (“Advancing Justice | Chicago”) has worked to bring together the Asian American community and create change in our communities. We are deeply committed to grassroots community organizing and we invest in the leadership of grassroots community members through trainings, community education, civic engagement, and collaborative issue-based campaigns. In order to strengthen our work and transform the inequities in our city, state, and Midwest region, we work with multiracial coalitions that emphasize racial equity, accountability to those most impacted, and an infrastructure of grassroots leadership. Our advocacy work focuses on promoting racial, economic, and immigrant justice, including initiatives in the areas of voting rights, language access, education equity, criminal justice, and immigrant rights. 

As part of the national Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation, Advancing Justice | Chicago is a leader in the nationwide Asian American movement. Regionally, Advancing Justice | Chicago is prioritizing the Midwest region and collaborating with partners across Midwestern states to tackle common struggles and build collective power. 

Founded in 2018, Asian American Midwest Progressives (“AAMP”) endorses progressive candidates, mobilizes Asian American voters, and holds elected officials accountable through issue-based campaigns. Currently, AAMP organizes in Illinois and Ohio.

POSITION DESCRIPTION 

This role is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, creative, and analytical communications expert to create and lead the organization’s communications and narrative strategy, while working closely with the organizing team to amplify grassroots voices. The Communications Strategist will shape and execute messaging that engages diverse audiences, including the media, volunteer leaders, policymakers, and the public, to advance the organization’s mission and campaigns. The ideal candidate is an independent producer who can take ownership of projects from start to finish while also collaborating closely with colleagues across teams to ensure strategy, messaging, and campaigns are aligned and impactful.

• Organizational Communications Leadership: Serve as the lead for organizational communications, ensuring consistent messaging across campaigns, programs, and media channels. Develop and execute a strategic communications plan that advances the organization’s priorities in immigrant rights, criminal justice/police accountability, education equity, voting rights, and language justice.
• Partnership with Organizing Team: Collaborate closely with organizers to integrate communications strategy with grassroots campaigns to drive policy change. Support leadership development of volunteer and community leaders to serve as effective media spokespeople and elevate the voices of communities most impacted by the organization’s priority issue areas.
• Media Relations & Narrative Strategy: Build and maintain relationships with reporters and media outlets. Track relevant issues in the news, pitch stories or responses, and develop narrative change strategies to use media as a tool for advancing issue-based campaigns.
• Strategic Storytelling: Craft compelling messages, talking points, op-eds, press releases, and social media content that highlight the organization’s work and impact. Ensure alignment with broader organizational goals and campaigns.

The Communications Strategist will work as part of the organizing team and report to the Organizing Director. This position falls under the staff sharing agreement between Advancing Justice | Chicago and Asian American Midwest Progressives (AAMP), with a portion of time dedicated to 501(c)(4) activities, including partisan electoral work.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Communications Leadership

• Serve as the lead for organizational communications, ensuring consistent messaging across campaigns, programs, and media channels.
• Develop and execute a strategic communications plan that advances the organization’s priorities in immigrant rights, criminal justice/police accountability, education equity, voting rights, and language justice.
• Maintain awareness of current developments around issues, campaigns, and news trends to inform strategic communications and rapid response protocols.
• Be project lead and produce an annual report showcasing organizational impact.

Partnership with Organizing Team

• Collaborate closely with organizers to ensure communications efforts strengthen issue-based campaign outcomes, drive policy change, and elevate the voices of communities most impacted by the organization’s work.
• Integrate communications strategy with grassroots campaigns and leadership development efforts such as field campaigns, public actions, and trainings, to amplify impact and engagement.
• Train organizing staff to integrate communications and narrative strategy in their organizing and campaign work.
• Coach, train, and support volunteer and community leaders to serve as effective media spokespeople and advocates for the organization’s priorities.
• Ensure alignment between messaging, organizing goals, and campaign actions to maximize engagement and impact.
• Explore opportunities to integrate digital organizing tactics in partnership with community organizers.

Media Relations & Narrative Strategy

• Build and maintain relationships with reporters, editors, and producers at mainstream and ethnic media outlets.
• Manage all media contacts, implement strategies for earned media coverage, and track digital analytics.
• Continuously analyze and recommend strategies to improve organizational visibility and engagement across platforms (email, social media, website).
• Track relevant news and social media trends; pitch stories or responses and develop narrative change strategies to advance issue-based campaigns.
• Provide media and spokesperson training to staff and volunteer leaders, ensuring clear, consistent, and effective public messaging.

Strategic Storytelling

• Craft compelling messages, talking points, op-eds, press releases, and social media content that highlight the organization’s work and impact.
• Create visual and written content for online and offline engagement, including social media graphics, action emails and pages, fliers, fact sheets, and popular education materials.
• Collaborate with the Development Manager and organizing staff to gather compelling stories and data to increase donor engagement.
• Support the Development Manager with communications for fundraising campaigns (such as End of Year and AAPI Heritage Month) by sourcing visual content, assisting with written content, and ensuring that the campaign’s messaging is aligned with the organization’s overall strategic vision and narrative.
• Copyedit external communications to ensure consistency and accuracy of messaging.
• Manage newsletters, websites, and digital platforms to communicate the organization’s mission, impact, and engagement opportunities.
• Organize and track organizational photos, videos, and other media assets to support campaign storytelling.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS
At Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP, we believe that our impact comes from a combination of strategic skill, creativity, and a deep commitment to community and justice. The following qualifications reflect the breadth of skills, experiences, and values that help our team thrive, support one another, and advance our mission. While the list is extensive, it is meant to make explicit the qualities that align with our organizational culture, our dedication to movement work, and the ways we show up for the communities we serve. You should apply if:

• You have 3-6 years of communications experience, preferably at a non-profit or in media;
• You are a digital organizer and storyteller who can hold multiple perspectives: You understand the power of narrative and storytelling in all forms for movement work, are passionate about things like ladders of engagement and moving people from online to offline activism (and vice versa) and are already personally active on social media; you can think through different perspectives on a topic to develop distinct content for different audiences and make the connections between issue areas and policies for diverse communities;
• You can synthesize and distill: You can break down big complex issues into their components and essential elements;
• You like to keep up to date with the news and the world around you;
• You are both relational and analytical, able to switch seamlessly from an audience interaction (training, presentation, etc.) to writing an insightful analysis of campaign performance and translating the organization’s strategic goals into a tactical media plan;
• You are an expert across a variety of media, including digital, social, and traditional, demonstrating advanced knowledge in all areas;
• You have a depth of paid media experience to inform your work but also bring new ideas and thinking to the team;
• You are detail oriented and have excellent organizational, time management and project management skills; you can handle multiple priorities, keep projects moving while keeping the team informed, make sure things don’t slip through the cracks, respond to email and other communications in a timely manner and meet deadlines;
• You are a clear, effective, and empathetic communicator and have excellent written and verbal communication skills whether writing an internal email or giving a presentation; you can speak clearly on behalf of the organization and support community members in doing the same;
• You are deeply committed to self-reflection, growth mindset, accountability, and navigating conflict directly and compassionately; you understand that self-awareness, personal healing and transformation are critical to movement work;
• You are deeply committed to social justice, racial equity, and civil rights; you recognize how race, class, gender, immigration status, and other identities impact different communities, and you see how your own identities show up in the work;
• You have strong self-starting work habits that demonstrate creativity, initiative, and mission-orientation; you constantly exercise independent judgment to make things happen in alignment with your responsibilities while also being open to receiving direction;
• You want to learn new skills and welcome coaching, training, and feedback;
• You know movement work is ever evolving and are open and willing to adapt and respond to changing environments;
• You can be flexible in working hours, including some evenings and weekends, to meet community members and stakeholders when they are available (flex time is offered for evening and weekend work - typically 1-2 evening or weekend events per month for this role);
• You are proficient in online platforms and work tools, including Zoom, Google Drive, Canva, social media, and Microsoft 365/Microsoft Office Suite; you can learn how to use new technology relatively quickly.

Experience with any of the following is helpful but not required:

• Working in Asian American or immigrant communities;
• Issue area expertise around any of our five priority areas;
• Working for elected officials or in government in another capacity;
• Bilingual in English and an Asian language.

COMPENSATION 

This is an exempt, full-time position. This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit and is subject to the terms and conditions of the contract between Advancing Justice | Chicago and the Chicago News Guild. The starting salary range is $75,000 - $85,000, depending on experience. Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP offer a generous full benefits package.

INQUIRY AND APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications should be submitted electronically via email to work@advancingjustice-chicago.org and include:

• Cover letter describing interest in the position, qualifications, and expectations,
• Resume;
• Two writing samples of your choosing;
• Names, email or phone number, and relationship to three references who can speak to the range of qualifications sought.

Please include “Communications Strategist Application” in the subject line of your email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but applications received by October 24, 2025 will be prioritized. We are aiming for a start date in January 2026.

Note: Advancing Justice | Chicago and AAMP staff are currently working in-person at our Uptown office two days a week (Tue/Thu) with optional work-from-home three days a week (Mon/Weds/Fri), which is subject to change. If you are invited for an interview, the interview may be held in person or via Zoom.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, marital or domestic partner status, or religious affiliation.

www.AdvancingJustice-Chicago.org

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Commuter assistance
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• On-site gym
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Sabbatical
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chicago, IL 60640