Director of Communications (Media Relations and PR)

Department: Communications | Location: Remote for continental U.S. residents (Office located in Washington, DC) | Full-Time, Exempt

About This Role

RAINN is looking for a Director of Communications who knows how to develop and land the story, build editorial relationships, and maximize PR in partnerships. This role is for a sharp, instinctive PR and media leader who sees opportunities in the daily news and acts quickly to place RAINN’s expertise where it matters—on front pages, in digital publications, on podcasts, in entertainment, and across cultural moments.

As the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN leads critical conversations about prevention, justice, and healing. The Director of Communications for Public Relations will drive RAINN’s earned media strategy, bridging programmatic work with public discourse. You will report to the VP of Communications and collaborate closely with the Director of Marketing, Content Strategist, Creative Director, and external PR partners. You’ll supervise the Entertainment Partnerships Manager and build RAINN’s spokesperson bench.

If you have a proven track record of securing high-impact media placements and a reputation for turning "no" into "yes," this is the role for you.

Responsibilities

• Meet the Story Where It Lives:
  • Identify which outlets and platforms matter for different audiences, moments, and goals—from The New York Times and The Washington Post to podcasts, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and emerging platforms.
  • Build coverage strategies tailored to shifting cultural and media landscapes, ensuring RAINN’s voice is present in legacy print, broadcast, digital-native publications, podcasts, creator channels, talk radio, newsletters, and online communities.
  • Develop and maintain a relationship-driven press list, knowing reporters, producers, hosts, and creators by their beats, deadlines, and interests.
  • Spot news pegs and cultural moments where RAINN’s expertise can shape the narrative, moving quickly to secure placements while the story is still relevant.
  • Pitch and place op-eds, ghostwrite for leadership, and develop original story ideas that journalists want to cover.
• Build the Entertainment Strategy in Team Partnership:
  • Translate the VP of Communications’ entertainment vision into actionable objectives, including annual priorities, quarterly targets, and signature moments.
  • Partner with the Entertainment Partnerships Manager to create execution roadmaps and provide strategic guidance for talent partnerships.
  • Support high-level tactical work, such as shaping asks for top-tier partners and ensuring earned media amplifies partnership outcomes.
  • Identify culturally resonant moments (e.g., premieres, album drops, awards seasons) and collaborate on RAINN’s presence in these spaces.
  • Connect entertainment partnerships to earned-media outcomes, ensuring coverage extends beyond the activation itself.
• Drive Special Projects That Make People Pay Attention:
  • Conceive and lead signature editorial projects—reports, original research, documentary collaborations, podcast series—that make RAINN’s expertise unmissable.
  • Translate RAINN’s programmatic work, policy advocacy, survivor services data, and research into compelling narratives that inform and inspire action.
  • Partner with RAINN’s Public Policy team to elevate federal and state legislative priorities through strategic communications.
  • Support the VP of Communications with internal and crisis communications as needed.
• Prep RAINN’s Spokespeople—and Be Ready Yourself:
  • Build and manage RAINN’s spokesperson bench, training and coaching the CEO, senior leadership, victim service experts, and survivor advocates for media appearances.
  • Develop talking points, message frameworks, and rapid-response materials that are clear, human, and resilient under pressure.
  • Conduct pre-interview prep, mock Q&A sessions, and post-interview debriefs to refine RAINN’s experts’ media skills.
  • Serve as a spokesperson when the moment, outlet, or topic demands it, stepping in for on-the-record, on-camera, or live interviews.
• Expand Editorial and Content Capacity:
  • Collaborate with the Senior Manager of Content and Community and Marketing Director to strengthen RAINN’s editorial output—press releases, rapid response, op-eds, long-form content, and unified messaging.
  • Translate complex programmatic, legal, and clinical material into accessible language for reporters, lawmakers, and the public.
  • Develop integrated communications strategies to advance RAINN’s federal and state policy priorities, survivor-centered initiatives, and localized media engagement.
• Lead the Team:
  • Lead, mentor, and manage the performance of the Entertainment Partnerships Manager, fostering strategic instinct and relationship-building skills.
  • Engage across the Communications team to measure, report, and elevate work in owned channels and within the organization.
  • Build collaborative relationships across programs and support teams to ensure Communications acts as a force multiplier.

Requirements

• A PR Operator’s Track Record:
  • 10+ years of progressive communications experience with a demonstrable record of securing high-impact media placements (not just impressions or reach).
  • Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, Political Science, English, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
  • Existing, active relationships with reporters, producers, podcast hosts, and editors.
  • Experience managing PR firms and maximizing their value beyond contractual obligations.
• An Appetite for the New Media Landscape:
  • Fluency across earned media, including legacy print/broadcast, podcasts, YouTube/creator channels, Substack, TikTok, and entertainment ecosystems (talk shows, late-night, streaming).
  • Judgment to determine which platforms and outlets matter most for different audiences and goals.
• Entertainment, Sports, or Influencer Chops:
  • Experience cultivating partnerships with celebrities, athletes, musicians, creators, or entertainment industry professionals.
  • Comfort working with publicists, agents, managers, and talent, with discretion and trustworthiness in those spaces.
• A Writer Who Can Really Write:
  • Outstanding writing skills across formats: pitches that get opened, op-eds that get placed, press statements that journalists quote, and talking points that hold up under scrutiny.
  • An editor’s eye and a reporter’s instinct for identifying stories before they break.
  • Ability to distill dense programmatic, legal, or clinical material into clear, compelling language.

Pay

$130,000 – $145,000 (commensurate with experience).

Schedule

• Full-time, exempt position.
• Up to 10% domestic travel to RAINN’s Washington, DC headquarters as needed.