About CEI
CEI is a non-profit public policy organization dedicated to reforming America’s unaccountable regulatory state. We develop and advocate policies to eliminate harmful bureaucratic controls so people can live in a freer, healthier, and more prosperous nation. We believe economic freedom is essential for entrepreneurship, innovation, and prosperity to flourish. CEI pursues a full-service approach to advancing public policy, which includes conducting original scholarly research, active communications campaigns, direct advocacy with policymakers, and litigation.
About the Role
The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Media Relations Associate will assist the Communications Director and communications team in executing a media relations strategy that promotes CEI’s policy work and advances CEI’s mission and goals. This position will assist CEI’s media relations efforts by: drafting, editing and distributing press releases, radio pitches, and other external materials intended for media, managing CEI’s software for tracking media appearances and distributing press materials, maintaining press lists, placing op-eds, and promoting CEI publications and external communications.
Culture matters; CEI is a feisty think tank that embraces a forward-thinking and entrepreneurial approach to policy change. Associates are expected to be self-starters, strategic, and creative. Members of the team operate with emphases on personal accountability, accountability to one another, and to those in other departments at CEI. They work hard, have a good sense of humor, and are intensely dedicated to conveying CEI’s principles of individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited government.
Primary Responsibilities
- Draft, edit and distribute press releases, radio pitches, and other external materials intended for media;
- Manage CEI’s software for tracking media appearances and distributing press materials, maintaining press lists;
- Maintain and regularly update CEI press lists;
- Tracking op-eds by CEI experts from idea formation to publication using internal management tool and help Communications Director and Vice President of Communications with placement;
- Choose topics and draft weekly radio pitches, distribute radio pitches to hosts and producers, coordinate interview requests with CEI experts;
- Promote CEI press releases, blog posts, op-eds, policy videos and other external communications to media contacts;
- Write scripts and assist in producing CEI policy videos;
- Assist in managing CEI online advertising campaigns;
- Assist in producing a CEI podcast (training provided);
- Assist in management of CEI’s studio including filming and live broadcasts (training provided).
Qualifications
- The ideal candidate will have 1-3+ years of relevant work experience in media relations, substantive internships may be counted toward experience;
- Strong writing, communications, and organizational skills;
- Hands on experience with MS Office, WordPress, Trello, Cision, Adobe and other publishing tools;
- Previous experience editing and strong copyediting and proofreading skills a plus.
Characteristics
If you believe that this position may be a good fit, these words will describe you:
- Communicator. You have excellent oral communication, writing and editing abilities. Any type of strong writing skills will be considered, but legislative and/or public affairs experience provides added benefit.
- Detail Oriented. You are relentless about accuracy with regard to content and value good writing style.
- Team Player. You will be on a team of committed individuals and be expected to work with members of other Centers within CEI.
- Teachable. You are eager to learn new things and couple that with an open attitude toward the mundane nature of some research tasks.
- Self-starter. You are willing and able to jump into project management. You know when to ask for help, but, once trained, you don’t need hand-holding. You’re comfortable receiving increasing autonomy to manage your own work and important processes.
- Multi-Tasker. You thrive in an environment that sometimes demands multi-tasking.
- Focused. You are able to focus on specific tasks for as long as necessary. While skilled at multi-tasking, you know how to avoid being distracted. You drive yourself to get the job done right and on time.
- Curious and Policy-Minded. You like public policy and are curious enough to enjoy the challenge of taking complex policy ideas and distilling them in ways that are both factually accurate and interesting to external audiences.
- Planner. You enjoy planning and executing complex processes.
- Deadline Driven. You are deadline-driven. Making the trains run on time and meeting deadlines are simply part of your DNA.
- Flexible. You easily maintain a positive, flexible attitude whenever needs or priorities shift.
- Aligned. You are, politically libertarian or conservative and can discuss your philosophical alignment with CEI’s mission and vision. Please see the CEI website, cei.org, for a deeper understanding of the organization’s policy agenda.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:
- Cover letter detailing your interest in the position and the mission of CEI
- Resume
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.
Questions can be directed to Stephanie Keaveney, Senior Manager of Outreach at Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: [email protected].
There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.
While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.
Talent Market is a nonprofit entity dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation.
