Public Affairs Director

Overall Responsibility:

The Public Affairs Director develops and leads integrated public affairs strategies that use AFPI’s policy expertise to shape public debate, influence opinion, and advance the America First agenda. The Director gathers input, information, and recommendations from teams across AFPI and turns them into a unified public affairs plan. This role is responsible for building sustained strategies that use AFPI’s policy content, experts, research, events, media relationships, government affairs expertise, digital platforms, coalitions, and regional networks to drive a broader narrative and change hearts and minds. The Director serves as the owner for the assigned portfolio as well as for regional public affairs throughout assigned regions. All major strategies, narratives, and framing require approval from executive leadership before execution.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Portfolio Strategy, Framing, and Execution

• Serve as the public affairs director for all public affairs priorities within the portfolio gathering input from Policy, Communications, Digital, Events, Coalitions, Research, Government Affairs, and executive leadership.

• Develop integrated public affairs plans that define the objective, audience, narrative, framing, tactics, timeline, and measures of success.

• Use AFPI’s full body of policy work—not simply a single paper or announcement—to build sustained narratives and advance campaign goals.

• Translate complex policy into clear, compelling stories that connect with the concerns of the American people to drive impact in the respective portfolio.

• Identify opportunities to shape the national conversation.

• Build relationships with national beat reporters, editors, producers, podcasters, and hosts who cover assigned issue areas.

• Proactively generate interviews, briefings, podcasts, op-eds, commentary, background conversations, and other earned-media opportunities.

• Provide direction to participating teams and ensure execution remains aligned with the approved plan.

• Secure executive leadership approval for major strategies, framing, narratives, and significant changes in direction.

Regional Communications

• Lead AFPI’s regional communications and earned-media strategy.

• Identify the regional and local stories, policy issues, voices, and developments that support AFPI’s national priorities.

• Build and maintain relationships with regional reporters, editors, radio hosts, podcasters, producers, and other relevant media stakeholders.

• Proactively pitch AFPI experts, policy solutions, research, events, and commentary to media outlets.

• Adapt national messages for regional and local audiences while maintaining consistency with AFPI’s approved framing.

• Work with State Affairs, state chairs, coalitions, policy experts, and local partners to identify credible stories and media opportunities.

• Maintain an active pipeline of earned-media opportunities between major announcements and events.

• Identify emerging regional issues, risks, and opportunities and recommend appropriate public affairs responses.

Reporting and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Convene the teams necessary to inform and execute each approved public affairs plan.

• Ensure participating departments understand the goal, audience, narrative, deliverables, responsibilities, and measures of success.

• Partner with the Director of Public Affairs Operations & the Digital team to translate strategy into assignments, deadlines, workflows, and tracking systems.

• Maintain clear visibility into media outreach, relationship development, earned-media placements, regional activity, risks, and upcoming opportunities.

• Produce regular written reports on all portfolio and regional public affairs efforts.

• Report progress against approved campaign goals, including completed work, current activity, results, risks, delays, and decisions needed from leadership.

• Participate in regular operating meetings, performance reviews, and after-action assessments.

• Use performance data and lessons learned to improve future public affairs strategies.

• Elevate strategic disagreements, resource needs, or execution risks to the appropriate leader

Type of Employment:
Full-Time

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, or a related field preferred.
• 5–7 years of experience in public affairs, communications, media relations, government affairs, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated public affairs or communications strategies.
• Strong understanding of the national and regional media landscape, with experience building relationships with reporters, editors, producers, and other media stakeholders.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex policy issues into clear, compelling narratives.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and provide strategic direction across multiple teams and priorities.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Ability to identify emerging issues, media opportunities, and potential risks and provide strategic recommendations to leadership.
• Sound judgment and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-profile environment.
• Strong commitment to AFPI’s mission and the America First agenda.

Salaries for positions will be commensurate with the experience, expertise, and skills of the individual. Please send a cover letter, resume, salary requirement, writing samples, and references.

AFPI is a non-profit, non-partisan research institute offering competitive salaries and benefits to qualified candidates.