Director, Outreach

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Outreach department is dedicated to raising the profile of CFR and developing relationships with communities across the United States, with the goal of promoting an informed citizenry through curated, accessible programming and the dissemination of CFR resources. Current initiatives focus on state and local officials; local journalists; college and university educators, administrators, and students; and congregational leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations.

The CFR Outreach team is seeking a Director of Outreach. Working under the Director and Vice President of the National Program and Outreach department, this position will be an essential thought partner in designing and implementing programmatic strategy for CFR’s outreach efforts and directing projects to expand our network and increase engagement across our initiatives. The director of outreach will develop and execute campaigns to grow our constituencies, recommend strategic partnerships to increase CFR’s reach, identify new external conferences and outreach opportunities for CFR to participate in, and advise on our programmatic offerings.

The director will communicate CFR’s outreach goals and strategy to stakeholders, manage the Outreach team’s workflow, review and edit deliverables, and spearhead reporting projects on engagement and impact. The role works in close collaboration with the director of the National Program, each Outreach initiative lead, as well as senior colleagues across the organization.

• Develop and advise on CFR’s Outreach strategy to expand CFR’s national presence, grow our networks of contacts in each initiative, and expand our offerings and reach to the general public.
• Supervise lead staffers on each Outreach initiative (State and Local Officials, Local Journalists, Religion and Foreign Policy, and Students and Educators), ensuring standardized workflow structures.
• Work closely with Outreach initiative leads on content-framing and speaker suggestions for all in-person and virtual programming as well as managing workflow in the lead-up to events.
• Spearhead ad hoc projects, including select public-facing events across the country.
• Research and recommend partnership opportunities across the country to increase CFR’s visibility.
• Collaborate with senior staff in other departments and with external partner organizations to advance CFR’s mission, including planning events and sharing information relevant to various crosscutting projects, as well as best practices.
• Review, edit, and advise on external-facing deliverables, draft emails for the vice president, department newsletters, meeting materials, and other correspondence.
• Oversee budgeting for the Outreach initiatives, advise on potential grant sources, and manage the creation, editing, and analysis of grant-related activity/event reports to inform programmatic strategy.
• Develop presentations and decks on CFR’s reach and national presence, including proposed avenues for scaling up.
• Build and maintain relationships with organizations and contacts in CFR’s orbit that are integral to CFR’s mission of promoting informed public discussion.
• Redesign internal programmatic tracking and stats documentation across the Outreach initiatives and spearhead impact reporting projects.
• Provide general project support to the department, including attending and working at National Program and Outreach events held outside of business hours.
• Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required.

Education

• BA in international relations, communications, or related field and interest in current U.S. foreign policy and international affairs issues. MA preferred.

Experience

• At least 8 years of experience in outreach, community organizing, program management, and/or strategic partnerships. Experience working on political campaigns and in event management a plus.
• At least four years of supervisory experience, with a proven track record of managing and developing teams and managing multiple complex workstreams.
• At least three years of experience in digital marketing, including hands-on management of email marketing platforms, audience segmentation, and performance analytics.

Related Skills & Other Requirements

• Proven experience managing and developing teams and driving performance.
• Demonstrated ability to engage prominent leaders in cross-cutting sectors nationally.
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple ongoing projects simultaneously; superior organizational and time management skills, as well as attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong writing, proofreading, and editing skills.
• Strong public speaking skills and experience creating presentations/decks for leadership and external stakeholders.
• Ability to meet demanding deadlines with a positive attitude and interact with members and the public in a professional manner.
• Team player with capacity to take initiative, demonstrate flexibility, and work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with high-level contacts or in member/constituent relations; ability to maintain confidentiality and to use appropriate discretion.
• Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel skills. Microsoft Dynamics CRM or other database experience preferred.
• Availability to work flexible hours and overtime, as necessary.
• Ability and desire to travel domestically a few times each year.

Please submit a résumé and cover letter stating your interest in the position.

• The full-time annual compensation range for this position is $120,000 – $130,000, depending on experience.
• In addition to competitive salaries, the Council on Foreign Relations offers a benefits package that is among the best offered by nonprofit institutions today, including an award-winning health and wellness program, an on-site fitness center, and generous leave policies and health insurance programs.