Communications Associate

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew Research Center’s work is carried out by a core administrative and publishing unit and seven research projects that study U.S. politics and policy views; media and journalism; internet and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and U.S. social and demographic trends. Pew Research Center’s work is carried out by a staff of 130.

Position Summary

The Communications Associate is a member of the core communications team and supports all aspects of external relations with Pew Research Center’s key domestic and international target audiences. Working with communications, editorial and research staff, the Communications Associate will promote and disseminate Pew Research findings through media relations, stakeholder engagement, event planning, publications and social media outreach. The Communications Associate has a strong interest in religion, demographics and public opinion; is skilled in working independently as well as part of a team; and is able to demonstrate initiative, professionalism and attention to detail. The Communications Associate is excellent at verbal and written communication, and has strong skills in communicating about statistics and data trends. This position works closely with the Communications Manager and other communications staff, and reports to the Communications Director.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serves as initial point of contact for external inquiries, especially media inquiries; responds to incoming requests promptly, accurately and efficiently.
• Arranges interviews for experts, including coordinating logistics.
• Reaches out to print, broadcast and online media through press releases, media advisories, pitch calls and social media to promote research
• Shares the responsibility for creating, updating and maintaining media lists; develops issue-specific media lists for promoting Pew Research content, especially related to religion and public life
• Shares the responsibility for creating, updating and maintaining contacts in the CRM, including government officials, scholars, clergy and other key leaders related to religion and public life; identifies new people and organizations in our target audiences and works with research and communications staff to develop relationships with them
• Assists in developing outreach strategy for social media and email newsletter to promote work related to religion and public life; undertakes its implementation, working closely with communications, editorial and digital staff
• Works with rest of Communications team to respond to incoming requests for speakers promptly and efficiently; coordinate internal and external staff presentations and briefings; and identify new speaking opportunities for research staff
• Tracks and documents, through spreadsheets and written reports, the results of external outreach activities

Education/Training/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required in communications, journalism or English preferred
• 5 years of relevant experience in external relations, including media relations and events
• Knowledge of Washington press corps, foreign press and public policy community
• Experience with social media and web marketing campaigns
• Experience with tools related to media outreach, including Cision, Factiva, Vocus and Critical Mention
• Experience with Google Analytics and/or other audience measurement tools
• Experience managing and using a CRM or contact database, such as Salesforce
• Experience with Microsoft Office (especially Word, Excel, PPT)

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• Facility with numbers and statistics is critical.
• Demonstrated interest in and knowledge of issues related to religion and public life
• Superior writing and verbal communication skills, including knowledge of AP style
• Must be detail-oriented
• Must have excellent judgment
• Must be proactive and customer-oriented
• Must be highly organized, able to balance multiple priorities, meet deadlines and work well in team-oriented environment
• Must be able to think strategically and work tactically
• Ability to speak Spanish a plus

FLSA Status: Exempt

Application Procedure

Applicant should send a résumé, cover letter (indicating where you learned of the opening) with salary expectations and stating your experience communicating about data tocareers@pewresearch.org.  Responses can also be mailed to:

Human Resources Department
Pew Research Center
1615 L Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC  20036

We are an equal opportunity employer.