Head of Communications

Systemic Justice is looking for a Head of Communications to help us radically transform how the law works for communities fighting for racial, social, and economic justice.

Position type: Full-time (four-day, 32-hour work week)

Duration: 12 months with possibility of extension

Salary range: 80-90.000 EUR

Location: Remote (CET time zone compatible)

We offer a competitive salary, flexible working hours, and a creative and professional work environment.

About Systemic Justice

Systemic Justice  works to radically transform how the law works for communities fighting for racial, social, and economic justice. Centring affected communities in joint litigation, Systemic Justice works to broaden access to judicial remedies for those fighting for justice and equality. We are the first organisation in Europe that works with community partners on strategic litigation by taking a community-driven, intersectional approach; that is Black-led; and has a majority BPOC team. We approach our work through an intersectional lens, and across the digital and non-digital context.

We work across three key areas to build and maintain the systems change that we need: building the power of organisations and movements fighting for justice and equality; launching community-driven litigation; and scaling impact by promoting equitable working models with the broader field of litigators.

About the role

The Head of Communications is a leadership role integral to the continued strategic and organisational development of Systemic Justice. Founded in December 2021, Systemic Justice is a young organisation with an ambitious growth strategy, determined to help bring about justice and systemic change in society. Our current thematic focus areas are climate justice and social protection, based on the first comprehensive community consultation on priorities for racial, social, and economic justice across Europe, which we conducted last year. We are currently building community-driven litigation projects with our partners, to be launched later in 2023. We are also building a community of practice with lawyers across Europe to develop and share equitable working models for racial, social, and economic justice litigation, and developing resources and tools to build community knowledge and power on strategic litigation for social change. Our new Head of Communications will develop and implement the communications vision and strategy for advancing all of this work.

We are looking for an experienced communications professional with in-depth knowledge of racial, social, and economic justice issues or fields related to it. The Head of Communications will be responsible for the strategic development and implementation of Systemic Justice’s communication strategy, which is integral to the organisation’s work as we launch activities, share findings, and build relationships with community partners.

Our work is rooted in our foundational values of anti-oppression, intersectionality, and justice. We are looking for someone who shares these values and for whom the prospect of operationalising these in our day-to-day work, both internally and externally, is an exciting prospect.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and maintain Systemic Justic’s organisation-wide communications strategy and oversee its implementation;
• Oversee the development and implementation of content strategies across different channels and platforms, including social media, website, print, and publications;
• Oversee the work of co-creating communications strategies with litigation partners and content that supports our joint case work;
• Oversee Systemic Justice’s visual identity and editorial direction, and manage digital and print content, social media, website, annual reports, and other publications;
• Work with external service providers and content producers where necessary, ensuring messaging around Systemic Justice and our partners stays true to our ethos, safeguarding its tone and accuracy;
• Provide crisis communications counsel to the Systemic Justice team and collaborators as necessary and serve as the lead point of contact for public relations;
• Support our fundraising and online donor journeys;
• Proactively identify opportunities for placing articles, op-ed pieces, speaking engagements, podcasts, and other content to the appropriate channels;
• Grow or build an excellent network of contacts within the fields of racial, social, and economic justice, as well as in public relations, press, and media in Europe;
• Collaborate with monitoring and evaluation experts to effectively tell the story of our impact;
• Manage the communications budget;
• Build and manage a small team of 1-2 dedicated communication professionals who can support the communications work as it expands;
• Actively contribute to making Systemic Justice a safe, anti-oppressive workplace.

What we hope you’ll bring:

• Extensive experience developing and executing successful communications and media strategies for initiatives and projects;
• In-depth knowledge of racial, social, and economic justice and/or human rights;
• Leadership experience, including building and managing teams;
• Excellent writing, organisational, and project management skills;
• Creativity and the ability to generate new ideas as to our visual presence and communicative work;
• Strong media relationships in Europe and able to develop and maintain build relationships with a network of journalists and media agencies;
• Experience in brand management and leveraging social media and digital platforms to build strong audience relationships;
• Comfort navigating a startup non-profit, including the ability to manage multiple tasks effectively and to work well in a rapidly growing organisation;
• Highly organised, keen on taking initiative, and an excellent eye for detail;
• Fluent in written and spoken English. Proficiency in another major European language will be considered an asset;
• Commitment to Systemic Justice’s mission and values.

Deadline and how to apply:

The deadline for applications is Sunday 5 February 2023 at 23:59 CET.

We are organising two information calls, where anyone interested in applying can join and learn more about our organisation, the role, and the process. Calls will take place on the following dates (all times CET):

- 30 January, 18:00-19:00 CET: register here

- 31 January, 16:00-17:00 CET: register here

We expect to do the first interview online and a second interview in person. We expect to be able to offer the position to the selected candidate by end of February or in early March 2023 for a start date as soon as possible.

Your application should consist of your CV, up to three examples of work you are proud of having been involved in, and a written response to these three questions:

1. How would you go about designing a communications strategy for an organisation like Systemic Justice? What would be the main elements of your communications strategy?
2. How would you plan for and manage an organisation-wide branding exercise for Systemic Justice?
3. What is your experience working with partners or other external stakeholders on joint goals and how did you approach building relationships with them?

Our work is rooted in our foundational values of anti-oppression, intersectionality, and justice. We invite anyone who does not have lived experience with systems of oppression to reflect on their suitability for this role before applying, and to address this as an introduction to their responses to the above questions if they choose to apply.

Conditions and benefits

Period: 12 months with the possibility of extension. The first 3 months will be a trial period. Systemic Justice is working to transition its team onto regular payroll. The initial contract offered will be a consultancy contract until payroll is implemented (likely from Q3 2023) after which a regular employment contract is offered.

Remuneration: The annual fee ranges between 80.000-90.000 EUR based on experience.

Location: The Systemic Justice team works remotely.

Staff meet-ups: Our team meets in person three times a year to discuss strategy, organisational development, team well-being, and more. In addition to this, individual team members meet bilaterally or in smaller groups when needed.

Work week: Systemic Justice operates with a four-day, 32-hour work week.

Flexible schedules: We are generally online and available from 11-16 CET, but are otherwise flexible about working hours to accommodate the best individual balancing of personal and remote-work life.