Career Opportunities

Open Positions

External Relations Manager (Apply Here)

Hertog War Studies Program (Application Deadline: February 11, 2020): Please visit the Hertog Foundation website to apply for this two-week summer program for undergraduate students

Summer 2020 Internships (Applications will be available soon) 

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External Relations Manager (Apply Here)

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) seeks an External Relations Manager to plan and execute the organization’s strategic engagements with U.S. and allied governments, relations with press and media, and communications with all of its audiences using multiple platforms. ISW aims to improve the nation’s ability to execute military operations through real-time, independent, open-source analysis of ongoing military operations and crises.  ISW publishes analysis on Russia, the Middle East, and other geographic and thematic areas.

Reporting to the President, the External Relations Manager will play an integral role in the achievement of ISW’s mission and objectives. The External Relations Manager will cultivate and manage relationships with media and government officials working closely with the research, operations, and development teams. ISW is a growing, dynamic organization that responds to the changing threat environment and the needs of its readers. The demand for frequent and timely release of information has never been greater.

ISW has a proven track record of accurate analysis and early warning forecasts. Its work is consumed by military and civilian decision-makers, their staffs, analysts, scholars, and journalists. 

Responsibilities

The External Relations Manager will envision, plan, and execute an effective strategy by which ISW communicates its research and its mission to a wide audience, generally and in segments. To do so, the External Relations Manager will:

Oversee Media Outreach and Government Relations

• Cultivate and enhance collaborative working relationships with members of the media, military, and civilian government organizations, including officials across the Executive Branch and Members of Congress and their staff, as well as selected non-government organizations, in order to disseminate timely information and research findings and frame the policy relevance of ISW’s research
• Select and distribute press requests to the appropriate team members
• Place op-eds or other approved products in appropriate external publications
• Manage congressional relationships and government outreach events or briefings
• Collaborate with the research department to anticipate likely policy issues and decisions and to enable ISW research staff to respond informatively and rapidly to media and government queries
• Establish benchmarks for ISW’s earned media and government relations with ISW’s president, track them, and measure their effectiveness

Oversee Communications Campaigns

• Maintain and grow ISW’s general and segmented communications lists and communicate effectively with external contacts, ensuring that ISW reaches its important, intended audiences,
• Effectively communicate news about the organization and regularly promote its work to the media and to other important audiences
• Create and execute product lines for specific, important audiences that derive from the research team’s findings and distribute those products via e-mail communications or online platforms

Ensure Brand Image and Integrity

• Ensure the organization protects and promotes its stellar image and reputation in a proper, coordinated, and consistent manner with the brand messaging
• Detect public relations issues as they emerge and address them directly and promptly in conjunction with ISW’s president
• Compose press releases and company literature for internal and external use
• Ensure ISW’s social media presence preserves brand integrity
• Identify opportunities to promote ISW’s mission, programs, and thought leadership at special events and conferences, and ensure that ISW regularly hosts interesting, informative events that reach multiple audiences:

1. Draft invitations for these events
2. Suggest panelists and invitees
3. Serve as the primary liaison for government or media guests

Develop Staff Professionally

• Develop and mentor emerging analysts to communicate the policy significance of their work, brief government officials and take print, radio, and television engagements, and continually improve their effectiveness at communicating their findings
• Assist all staff and interns with proactively understanding and navigating the policy environment in Washington, D.C.
• Collaborate with peers and near peers at ISW who supervise research, development, and operations to help them achieve their missions and ensure that ISW’s work has an impact on policy
• Ensure that ISW staff and interns follow ISW’s social media policy
• Manage an intern and over time a subordinate staff who support the External Relations program

Oversee Online Platforms

• Oversee the remaining steps of the redesign and testing of ISW’s new website, relaunch it, and ensure its content is maintained in ways that support ISW’s strategic goals;
• Oversee the messaging content, strategic use and expansion of ISW’s social media outlets and podcasting;
• Establish benchmarks for ISW’s social media and online platforms with ISW’s president and Director of Operations, track them, measure the platforms’ effectiveness, and improve them so that they meet these benchmarks
• Work with ISW’s IT providers to ensure that its audiences have secure, reliable access to the platforms, which the IT providers  maintain, patch, and monitor 

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree (and the ideal candidate will have a Master’s Degree) in public policy, foreign policy, national security, communications, journalism, or a related field and a minimum of four years of professional experience working on these issues in Washington, DC. Candidates must also demonstrate:

• Commitment to ISW’s mission
• Demonstrated, strong understanding of the national media and policy landscape and a demonstrated ability to communicate effectively within it
• Proven ability to communicate intelligently about issues surrounding our national security
• Proven understanding of communications strategy, specifically for policy non-profits, and an ability to execute it
• Ability and commitment to developing staff and collaborating with others
• Ability to write and communicate effectively in a fast-paced environment by email, phone, and in person
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and balance both rapid response and long-term projects
• Initiative, drive, and ability to work independently to advance the organization’s mission
• Excellent judgment under pressure
• Willingness to learn and innovate
• Excellent time-management and organizational skills
• Creativity, collaborative spirit, and great people and problem-solving skills

Apply for this position here.