Content Specialist

The Opportunity

Essie Justice Group (Essie) is building grassroots power to dismantle the US incarceration system, the most egregious creator of racial and gender injustice of our time. We are a loving and powerful community of women with incarcerated loved ones. Our community includes cisgender women, transgender women, formerly incarcerated women, gender nonconforming (GNC) people, elders, and young people.

After eight years of building an active membership across California and beyond, Essie is deepening its base-building and leadership development strategies with the 1 in 4 women with incarcerated loved ones to propel bold decarceration agendas across the nation. We seek to transform the criminal legal system and create a Black feminist future rooted in care, equity, community safety, and liberation. As the opportunities to demystify and communicate our race and gender justice analysis and base-building work continues to grow, we are seeking a strategic and creative Content Specialist with exceptional storytelling skills and a commitment to Black feminist abolition work to join our team. 

The Content Specialist is a strategic communicator who uses all tools at their disposal to leverage and enhance the power and visibility of our members and staff to achieve concrete and transformative change. Creative, on-pulse, persuasive, and savvy, and with a comprehensive understanding of how to position and uplift organizational and narrative goals, the Content Specialist is as confident and detail-oriented in flexing their language skills in targeted message development as they are in mapping out strategic messaging pathways that communicate urgency and inspire action.

Start date: July 24, 2023

 

 

Core Responsibilities

Lead Content Creation Process – Develop and implement content and messaging strategies, in collaboration with Essie teams, that inform and inspire our audiences across all our platforms and social media channels.

• Collaborate with internal teams to ideate content, messaging, and project-specific tactics for communications strategies developed by the Director of Communications & Partnerships and the Sr. Communications Manager.
• Coordinate with Essie teams to ensure that content is consistent and relevant across the organization and through our various social media and organization-specific channels and platforms.
• Create and manage content calendars.
• Maintain and apply current knowledge of content and audience trends and/or preferences that impact our work.
• Support the creation and implementation of strategic communication plans in collaboration with the Communications & Partnerships team.
• Develop and implement social media strategies.

 

Content Creation & Analysis – Create and publish consistent and compelling content using Essie’s Black feminist lens to reach and inform our audiences and inspire them to action, while maintaining consistency and alignment with Essie’s brand.

• Research our target audiences to ensure we are using the best messages and strategies to engage people with our work.
• Draft and publish compelling and creative content across and for social media channels, websites, emails, newsletters, press releases, blog posts, articles, and other outlets.
• Proofread and copy edit all content before publication.
• Track content and audience analytics; prepare reports and recommendations to improve Essie’s message and reach.

 

Who We’re Looking For 

Ideal Qualifications

• 3+ years relevant professional experience as a content creator. Creating content for issue-based, movement-grounded campaigns and/or organizations preferred but not required.
• A portfolio of work that showcases your skills as a content creator.
• Familiarity with content management systems.
• Good working knowledge of content and layout design tools.
• Excellent computer skills with MS Office and Google Suite.
• Good knowledge of various content platforms such as social media, blogs, websites, email, and print media.
• Understanding of content practices such as SEO, SMO, and PPC preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to the beliefs and values of Essie, with a demonstrated ability to create content from a Black feminist lens.

 

Qualities

• A uniquely skilled, empathetic communicator. You are someone who uses your highly developed sense of empathy to tap into what motivates others to act. Because of your belief that everyone benefits from the type of future for which our membership fights, you are able to find ways to make meaningful connections to our work for individuals who may not have had any direct experience with poverty, incarceration, or race, gender, or heteronormative bias. You hold central the humanity of members, donors, media, the community, and other potential Essie connections, while carrying a healthy dose of awareness of the complexities of movement work.
• An astute strategist. While creativity and intuitive innovation fuel your work, your analysis of methods and tactics are rooted in an ability to apply data and metrics to strategy. You understand how to craft targeted messages to reach specific demographics or audiences. You make thoughtful plans and can pivot nimbly to meet your goals, with an eye on how lessons learned can drive the work forward.
• Discernment and honesty we can trust. You are a thoughtful team member who acts in alignment with your integrity and are unfailingly trustworthy.
• Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.
• Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a positive approach, can-do attitude, and authentic kindness wherever you go.

 

The Position

The Content Specialist is a full-time, salaried, exempt position. This position is supervised by the Senior Communications Manager. The salary for this position is between $70,000-$80,000 depending on experience, with full medical, dental, and vision benefits, optional 401(k), a substantial vacation package, and a monthly personal wellness stipend. The position is based in one of Essie’s offices in Oakland or Los Angeles, California. All Essie staff are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with limited exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

 

To Apply

Please prepare (1) a personal, specific, and thoughtful cover letter to the “Essie Hiring Committee” addressing why you would like to work for Essie and (2) a resume. Submit both items through our hiring portal (https://essiejusticegroup.bamboohr.com/jobs).

 

Essie Justice Group provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and skills. Essie does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Essie values and specifically seeks applicants who are people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming (GNC) people, and gender fluid people.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, performance assessment, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

 

About Essie Justice Group

Essie Justice Group is a non-profit organization of women with incarcerated loved ones taking on the rampant injustices created by mass incarceration. Our award-winning Healing to Advocacy Model brings women together to heal, build collective power, and drive social change. Essie is Great Place to Work-Certified™ by Great Place to Work.

Learn more at www.essie justice group.org.