Director, Reputation Management

Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy whose core objective is to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. We are dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States. We invest in sustainable change, building it from the ground up based on research, deep thinking, and a strong foundation of evidence. We drive public conversation, craft policy, and inspire action through education and advocacy.

Position Overview

The Director, Reputation Management is responsible for managing AV’s public profile and reputation and will focus on creating and maintaining a favorable brand image for organization. This strategic and thoughtful leader will develop and implement integrated communications plans that help to build trust in AV’s brand especially among key stakeholders and target audiences. Reporting to the Vice President, Communications, this position will be located in our Houston, New York or Washington, D.C. office.

A key collaborator across the organization, the Director will help define AV’s reputational goals, priorities and campaigns that drive toward positive brand attributes. This individual is creative and purpose-driven, while also being comfortable with uncertainty and a swift-moving, innovative public affairs and advocacy environment.

Core Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a long-term strategy to articulate and protect AV’s reputation and brand.
• Elevate AV’s reputation and more deeply connect it to key stakeholders. Present plans and strategies to internal audiences and leaders, including the executive team.
• Identify, pursue and deploy strategic opportunities to build a positive reputation and brand.
• Create a reputational management dashboard to measure communications, brand and reputation performance. Report out on measurement of work and insights.
• Help to mitigate risks in rapid response situations.
• Collaborate, listen, and learn from a diverse set of internal stakeholders and partners across the organization.
• Distill the often very complex work of the organization into easily comprehensible reputation and brand attributes and communication content.
• Grow your already strong understanding of public policy issues federally and at a state level, and connect AV’s reputation and brand goals to public policy and advocacy goals.
• Monitor and track reputational coverage and trends, providing timely insights and strategies.
• Coordinate strategy development with other communications team members and the programmatic teams, ensuring alignment with policy positions and broader foundation goals.
• Serves as an AV spokesperson on reputation and brand issues.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in communications, public affairs, brand development or communications. 
• Bachelor’s degree in media relations, communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, English or related field.
• Experience public policy communications or cause marketing is preferred but not required.
• Deep understanding of reputation and brand management to support policy and advocacy goals.
• Ability to serve as strategic counselor to executives and senior leaders.
• Strong ability to build and execute crisis communications strategies.
• Strong writing, editing, presentation, and coaching skills. 
• Strong ability to distill complex issues and information into public-facing materials. 
• Strong strategy development, project management, and organizational skills 
• Strong ability to collaborate across multiple teams.
• Ability to serve as an external spokesperson for the organization.

The salary range for this role will be $150,000 — $200,000 per year.

Our Culture and Core Values

Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help Arnold Ventures achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, should create an environment that spurs our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts. Although not an exhaustive list, below you’ll find examples of Arnold Ventures’ work culture. 

• We are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
• We are intellectually curious, open-minded, objective, humble, collegial, and receptive to feedback
• We are action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects
• We are able to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external experts, government leaders, advocates, and individuals 

Arnold Ventures’ values reflect who we are as an organization, help us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, anchor us to our mission, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the Arnold Ventures team to make a difference.

• Respect for Ourselves & Others
• Audacious Action
• Collaborative Engagement
• Depth of Thought
• Clear Communication

Arnold Ventures is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/​veteran status, or any basis prohibited by applicable law. 

Acknowledging the importance of diverse perspectives, Arnold Ventures is committed to employing individuals from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences. Members of historically marginalized communities and candidates who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change are strongly encouraged to apply.