Communications Associate​/Senior Communications Associate, Editorial

Location: New York

Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY).The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries.

We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.Primary

Location:

CUNY INSTITUTE FOR STATE & LOCAL GOVERNANCE Bargaining Unit:

No

The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG) is a good governance think-and-do tank. We are driven by the idea that data-informed approaches can measurably improve the way government and public institutions operate, equitably serve all constituents, and ultimately solve social policy problems. We also provide the knowledge and action needed to fuel those approaches. With the necessary research, policies, partnerships, and infrastructures, we help government and public institutions work more effectively, efficiently, and in the interest of all communities.
** Our Goals for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
** We strive to foster an office environment and an approach to work that welcomes and respects different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences. We are working towards our goal of recruiting and retaining staff and board members who are diverse in terms of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, disability, and justice system involvement.
** Who we are looking for
** We are hiring an Editorial Associate to join CUNY ISLG’s growing communications department at either the Associate (4-6 years of relevant experience) or Senior Associate (7+ years of relevant experience) level. This position, which encompasses writing, editing, and design, will play a critical role in helping the Institute grow and refine its editorial footprint while ensuring all external-facing content is informative, relevant, engaging, and held to high editorial standards.

This is an excellent opportunity for an entrepreneurial- and civic-minded communications professional with experience both writing and editing in a public policy setting. While the substantive duties of this role will entail facilitating the development and publication of project-based reports, briefs, and related materials, the Editorial Associate will be encouraged to think creatively and develop original content and work streams relevant to CUNY ISLG’s work and mission.

The Editorial Associate will report to the Communications Project Director (CPD) and will work closely with them as well as other Communications staff, research and policy staff, and colleagues across the organization on a range of tasks. Responsibilities will include:
* ** Strategic Content Development**  + Work with Communications colleagues and project teams to develop key messaging on external-facing publications that reinforce project and organizational priorities, and ensure all products and copy adhere to it.  + Guide and manage the editorial development—including conceptualizing, outlining, editing, and proofing—of long-form products (i.e., reports, briefs) written by research and policy staff, ensuring they adhere to organizational standards and are cohesive, engaging, audience-focused, and on schedule.  

+ When appropriate, contribute to the drafting of aforementioned long-form products.  + Propose, draft, and/or edit supplementary products (i.e., blogs, fact sheets, e-blasts) that highlight the impact of projects.  + Propose and/or write Q&As, op-eds, features, and other forms of non-project content relevant to ISLG’s work and mission.  + Apply SEO best practices across digital publications—including keyword strategy, headline optimization, metadata, internal linking, and content structure—to improve search visibility, reach, and long-term discoverability.  

+ Contribute to the drafting of social media posts to promote content.
* ** Communication Design and Branding**  + Work with colleagues to determine the best presentation for publications, including PDFs, web reports, or blogs.  + Flow copy into…