Senior Officer US Media

Helen Keller Intl Job Announcement Senior Officer, US Media Remote – New York or California preferred Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential. Brief Background Working across the United States, Helen Keller’s Vision team helps eliminate the primary barriers to vision care for vulnerable children and adults: access and expense. Since 1994, Helen Keller’s US Vision Program has provided free vision screenings to more than 2.2 million individuals and distributed more than 385,000 no-cost prescription eyeglasses to those who need them. Purpose or Scope The Center for Marketing and Branding, part of the Growth and Branding Group, brings Helen Keller’s mission to life through storytelling so that more people see our impact, support our work, and champion our mission. We achieve this through robust content creation, media engagement with trusted outlets, strong brand coherence, and visibility raising and donor stewardship through advertising and digital marketing. The Senior Officer, US Media is responsible for securing media coverage that builds visibility for Helen Keller’s US-based work within targeted US regional media markets, as determined by donor geographies, with a primary focus on New York and California markets. The role operates with a moderate degree of autonomy, managing its own portfolio of regional media relationships while developing and executing pitching strategies in consultation with the Manager, Media Relations. The Senior Officer, US Media is accountable for the full cycle of regional media engagement — from journalist relationship-building and pitch development to interview preparation, fact-checking, and results reporting following publication. The position contributes to organizational objectives by elevating Helen Keller's profile among donors, prospective donors, and the broader public in priority US markets through earned media, working in close collaboration with colleagues across the Center for Marketing and Branding, US Programs, and Fundraising teams. Application Deadline: This posting may stay up until the position is filled. Key Responsibilities/ Specific Tasks  Within guidelines, develop and pitch stories and op-eds to regional media outlets and write and distribute press releases and media announcements to secure coverage that builds visibility for Helen Keller’s work, with a primary focus on our US Vision program.  Design and coordinate publicity opportunities aligned with key global awareness days, including World Vision Day, Helen Keller’s birthday, etc.  Partner with US program colleagues to source and develop compelling content that illustrates the effectiveness and impact of Helen Keller’s work.  Cultivate and sustain relationships with regional media contacts, including journalists, editors, and producers, and conference and event leads.  Build and maintain an up-to-date list of target regional journalists to support media outreach.  Collaborate with Manager, Media Relations and US Program and Fundraising teams to determine priority US regional media markets that align with US program activity, top donor markets, and prospective donor personas.  Collaborate with Manager, Media Relations to support priority national and international media opportunities from pitch to publication including journalist relationship building, story angle development, spokesperson preparation, fact checking.  Support media coverage monitoring, report on results to internal stakeholders, keep abreast of trends and suggest ways to evolve our stories to gain traction in a changing environment.  Continuously monitor regional media landscape to identify coverage gaps or trends and pitching opportunities.  Support Center team projects as needed, providing flexible, ad hoc assistance across initiatives. Other Duties This job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Skills & Experience  Education: Degree in communications, journalism, marketing, public affairs, or related field or equivalent years of experience.  Experience: 4-5 years of content creation, media relations, marketing and/or donor communications, preferably within a nonprofit.  Superior English language writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with focus and experience in synthesizing complex content into essential, compelling messages  Strong project management, collaboration and relationship-building skills.  Collaborative, flexible, and solution-oriented. Ability to maintain balance under stress.  Proven ability to secure prominent media coverage and knowledge of US regional media outlets and trends.  Familiarity with media monitoring and pitching platforms (e.g., Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack) or comparable tools.  Portfolio or writing samples demonstrating media pitches, press releases, or published coverage secured  Spanish language skills is strongly preferred. Working Conditions/ Travel  Ability and willingness to flex work hours to accommodate multiple time zones. Core work hours are expected to follow Eastern Standard Time (US).  Occasional travel to program sites in California and New York (2-5 times/year) Compensation and benefits. Helen Keller offers a comprehensive benefits package. Specific offerings may vary by country in accordance with local laws. The full-time annualized salary range for this position is $66,000 to $99,000, with the midpoint of the salary range at $82,500. Expectations Fairness, Belonging and Zero Tolerance to Abuse As a member of the Helen Keller Family, each employee is expected to:  Help to develop and maintain an environment that welcomes and develops a multi-cultural workforce with varied lived experiences and identities.  Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.  Support employees’ evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.  Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Helen Keller family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.  Follow Helen Keller Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.  Adhere to the Organizational Core Values, which include courage, compassion, integrity and rigor. In the spirit of the extraordinary ability and vision of our founder, Helen Keller Intl fosters an environment of fairness and belonging for our workforce. Helen Keller Intl is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment Locations where Helen Keller is a registered employer: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Madagascar. Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and United States: (California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia (DC),Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia Washington, and Wisconsin).