Description
About Run for Something
Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot races to build sustainable power nationwide. Since 2017, RFS has engaged over 250,000 potential candidates, endorsed over 3,000, and celebrated 1,600+ election victories. RFS alumni drive impactful changes in housing, abortion access, and education, shaping the Democratic Party's future.
RFS fosters a culture emphasizing work-life balance, sustainability, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. With strategic, year-round initiatives, RFS is dedicated to long-term democracy-building.
Learn more about our work and values on our Careers page.
Position Name: Digital Communications Director
Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing
Location: Remote (U.S.)
Job Classification: Full Time, Exempt
Position Summary:
Run for Something (RFS) is seeking a Director of Digital Communications to join our Communications Department. This position drives our mission to recruit young, diverse progressives to run for local office and showcase RFS’s impact through storytelling and digital engagement. In this role, you will deploy Run for Something's digital verticals, including social media, emails, websites, and paid advertising, to capitalize on key moments to join the national conversation, share stories, and educate the public about the impact of local offices. As a data-driven organization, the Director of Digital Communications will ensure we have the proper setup to track and record all the related data to optimize engagement and growth.
This position requires a skilled storyteller and project manager with experience implementing and managing multi-channel digital communications strategies. While content creation is part of this role, managing digital projects and campaigns from iteration through execution is the primary emphasis of the position. This includes reviewing, editing, and providing feedback on content produced by vendors (such as email copy, digital ads, and designs) and the Digital Engagement Associate, with the ability to create content as needed to inform quality standards and judgment. This role directly supervises the Digital Engagement Associate, who carries out day-to-day digital strategies on social media, and manages external vendors.
The Digital Communications Director also supports organizational priorities, maintains alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals, and upholds core values while contributing to a collaborative and inclusive culture.
The Programs and Communications departments are part of a unified Strategic Initiatives team to enhance cohesion and collaboration. This alignment aims to build a diverse national pipeline of prospective candidates, streamline endorsements and support, and effectively communicate our impact.
Responsibilities
The Digital Communications Director will help RFS accomplish our strategic imperatives by:
Digital Strategy and Management (60%):
- Translates the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing’s digital communications strategy into an execution vision, defining how RFS’s digital channels will bring that strategy to life through concrete goals, campaigns, and tactics across email, paid media, social media, and website.
- Deploy RFS’s digital verticals to tell the story of our work and why it matters, working with the Communications Team, cross-departmentally, and with vendors—reviewing email copy, social media content, and graphic design assets and providing clear, substantive feedback to ensure quality and brand alignment; creating content as needed to set standards and stay close to what resonates, with the goal of moving audiences up the ladder of engagement.
- Implement digital strategies, projects, and processes to amplify RFS’s work and share impactful stories, collaborating with teams across RFS on email campaigns, paid media, and outreach initiatives aligned with RFS’s mission and priorities; adjusting and refining the strategy as needed
- Optimize RFS’s digital channels, including website, email, social media, and advertising, while coordinating with technology and recruitment teams for data alignment.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders across the programs, campaign, development, and technology teams to execute email campaigns, paid media, and supporting channels to drive outreach to our priority audiences, build RFS’s candidate pipeline, and meet other data and programmatic goals.
- Maintain RFS’s digital brand, messaging, and style across all platforms.
- Own the creation of website content and manage website updates with support from the tech department.
- Manage vendors and analyze metrics for performance improvement, providing recommendations for new opportunities.
- Respond to breaking news and support crisis communications as needed, proactively suggesting opportunities to leverage moments to further Run for Something’s goals.
CRM Strategy and Management (25%)
- Manage, test, and continuously optimize and update the organization’s CRM system to ensure data integrity, analytics accuracy, and seamless user experiences across all digital touchpoints.
- Maintain and optimize end-to-end user journeys, ensuring consistent tracking, segmentation, and personalized engagement throughout.
- Maintain and regularly audit tracking systems, ensuring all entry points, including paid campaigns, are consistently tagged with source codes so RFS can accurately attribute traffic, measure what’s working, and make data-driven decisions. Monitor performance and conversion metrics on new pipeline sign-ups across channels, integrating insights with analytics dashboards.
- Collaborate with technology, program, campaign, and development teams to align data architecture, refine automations, and improve reporting and segmentation for prospective candidates, supporters, and donors.
Management & Leadership (15%):
- Manage vendors and analyze metrics for performance improvement, providing recommendations for new opportunities.
- Directly manage the Digital Engagement Associate, providing coaching, clear direction, and regular feedback to support their growth and performance.
- Manage external vendors (including email strategist and graphic designer), reviewing deliverables and providing clear, actionable feedback to ensure alignment with RFS brand standards and campaign goals.
- Lead projects from ideation through execution and post-campaign analysis, maintaining clear timelines and keeping the team informed of progress, blockers, and outcomes through project management tools (ie Monday.com) and team meetings.
- Analyze post-campaign data to identify what’s working and what’s not, and translate those insights into concrete recommendations that improve future campaigns and give the team visibility into performance trends.
Your role and responsibilities may evolve to ensure they align with organizational priorities and that you continuously contribute to our mission of recruiting and supporting young progressives running for down-ballot offices.
Key Competencies and Qualifications
- At least 3 years of experience managing a multi-channel digital or communications program, with a strong track record of prioritization, project management, and taking initiatives from ideation through execution and post-campaign analysis, adjusting course as needed to meet goals.
- Strong experience executing multi-channel, data-driven digital and editorial communications strategies that integrate email, website content, digital advertising, and social media, with the ability to review and provide substantive editorial feedback on scripts, graphics, and video, and create content as needed to set quality standards.
- Demonstrated skills in managing complex projects end-to-end, coordinating with cross-functional teams and external partners, maintaining timelines, and giving stakeholders clear visibility into progress and results through project management tools (ie Monday.com) and regular reporting.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze campaign and engagement data to identify what’s working and what isn’t, share insights with the team, and translate data into concrete, actionable recommendations.
- Experience creating standardized processes, guidelines, and practices for CRM data management, email programs, and other digital verticals.
- Experience evaluating digital organizing practices and programs and providing recommendations, with a focus on increasing retention, engagement rates, and candidate endorsement application numbers.
- Proven experience contributing to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, embodying Run for Something’s values (service, DEI, dignity, innovation, transparency) in all interactions and work.
- Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and pivot quickly in response to breaking news or changing organizational needs.
- Ability to work independently in a remote environment, maintain transparency in workflows, and demonstrate a proactive problem-solving mindset aligned with organizational goals.
- Proven ability to craft strategies for complex and sensitive topics.
- Skilled at adjusting timelines and deliverables, especially during breaking news.
- Knowledge of digital accessibility best practices.
- Advocates for ethical, people-centered storytelling
Plus Qualifications
- Familiarity with HTML and enterprise CMS, such as content management systems like WordPress and the backend of websites
- Familiarity with P2P and broadcast SMS platforms
- Creative thinker with a knack for identifying obstacles and proposing solutions.
- Past experience managing consultants
- Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.
Work Environment
- Run for Something operates as a fully remote organization, with team members collaborating from across the U.S. You will work from home or a location of your choosing.
- This role involves attending approximately two all-staff or team events per year, which may include overnight travel. Reasonable accommodations are available for employees unable to travel or participate in gatherings.
- The position requires working core hours from Monday to Thursday, with occasional night and weekend work.
- To prioritize employee health and safety, all Run for Something employees must provide proof of COVID vaccination, with reasonable accommodations considered for disabilities, medical advice, or sincerely held religious beliefs.
- Run for Something is committed to building diverse teams and fostering equitable, inclusive environments that maximize the skills, potential, and unique perspectives of our employees. We strongly encourage individuals from marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with disabilities, to apply—especially those historically underrepresented in elected office. Learn more about our commitment here.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Run for Something on our Careers page.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary for this position is set at $132,600. In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current employees. Run for Something salary bands for a given staff level are benchmarked to the 75th percentile for our sector, and all new employees are paid at the entry point of those bands. Employees then have the opportunity to progress through current salary bands through annual cost of living increases and performance-based pay increases and into new salary bands through promotions.
Learn more about our compensation policy here.
Benefits at Run for Something include:
- Four-Day Work Week (learn more here)
- Unlimited Paid Time Off policy
- Platinum Medical Insurance (100% of premium covered for employees; 50% of premium covered for dependents)
- Dental and Vision Insurance (100% of premium covered for both employees and dependents)
- Professional Development Stipend
- Treat Yourself Stipend ($500 a year to do something that brings you joy)
- Equipment Stipend
- 401k
- Work from Home Stipend
- Cell Phone/Internet Stipend
- 12 weeks of paid family leave
- Paid Sabbatical (after 3 years of service to RFS)
- Employee Assistance Program
- ~ Four weeks in organization-wide holiday closures, including a two-week winter break
- Flexible, remote work environment
- Transition payment for departing employees
Work Authorization
Due to campaign finance restrictions, candidates must have valid work authorization and cannot be foreign nationals. We are legally restricted to hiring only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (green card holders) for this position.
To Apply
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to early submissions.
If you need accommodations, contact us at [email protected] with the type of assistance you need. We offer various support, including alternative interview formats and application assistance, to ensure full participation.
For details on our interview process, please visit here.
Please do not contact us via phone, email, or social media for application inquiries. We cannot respond individually due to the high volume of applications. To ensure equity, we do not offer informational interviews for specific applicants. While applying can be challenging, we strive to keep all candidates informed about their status, though responses may occur after the application deadline.
