BMSG is seeking a full-time Strategic Communication Specialist to join our small but nimble team. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic public speaker who can work with advocates, community groups, youth leaders, and others interested in shifting the public debate on health and other social justice issues. In this role, no two days are the same. The Strategic Communication Specialist will thrive in a fast-paced work environment that could mean training a group in a rural community working to prevent gun violence one day and developing a social media training for youth activists the next.
This is a regular full-time position (40 hours/week, 100% FTE). This is a remote position. However, the candidate must be based in California and be able to travel to conduct and attend various trainings, community meetings, and conferences primarily in California and occasionally in other states.
The typical hiring range for this position is from $68,581 to $84,003, based on 100% FTE. Full salary range for this position: $68,581 to $99,425 per year. The starting salary is determined based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.
Positioned at the intersection of media and public health, BMSG is a program of the nonprofit Public Health Institute. We are committed to improving community health by building advocates’ capacity to make the case for equitable systems and environments. We do this by studying how public health and social justice issues are portrayed in the news and, using insights from that research, help advocates become more skilled communicators adept at changing narratives, especially news narratives that undermine health. We also work with journalists who want to deepen their reporting on the social and structural factors that influence health.
We take our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion seriously in our work with advocates and reporters and in the culture we’ve created internally. We strive to foster a working environment that prioritizes well-being and values every team member. Our philosophy is that we are humans first, employees second. We encourage people to bring their whole selves — all backgrounds and neurotypes welcome — into our workspace, identify professional development and growth opportunities for staff, and host regular brainstorming sessions to encourage creative thinking. If a norm or process isn’t working, we challenge and address it. BMSG’s average employee tenure is eight and a half years.
Berkeley Media Studies Group supports partners who want to create a just world where every community thrives. Our partners organize and advocate to change policies and systems to make that happen. We help by analyzing how their issue is being discussed in the news and other public spaces so they can be strategic about how they make change — and how they communicate about their goals.
We’re looking for a motivated and passionate person to join our training team. The candidate should be a dynamic trainer interested in shifting the public debate on health and other social justice issues. The position will work with our training team to deliver webinars, in-person and virtual trainings, and tailored strategic consultation to a wide range of partners including health departments, foundation grantees, community-based grassroots coalitions, and youth-led organizations.
The Strategic Communication Specialist will thrive in a fast-paced environment and will work both with experienced advocates and groups brand new to the idea of media advocacy. This person is eager to learn about new issues and can pivot from one to the other with enthusiasm as they help our partners make the case for equitable solutions to a variety of public health and social justice issues, from firearm violence to housing to vaccine hesitancy to the overdose epidemic and more. They are curious about communication research and applying it in real-world situations with diverse groups. The ideal candidate is someone who practices cultural humility and enjoys collaborating with others, is confident leading projects, and has a strong eye for detail.