Who we are: The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is a leading research and advocacy organization advancing human rights in the Americas. We envision a future where public policies protect human rights and recognize human dignity. We create strategic partnerships with courageous people making a social change: advocacy organizations, academics, religious and business leaders, artists, and government officials. We are passionate about our work and strive to make our organization a healthy and safe space for all to work and feel appreciated. WOLA supports our staff with a culture of innovation, collaboration, understanding, and integrity. 

Our communications team is made up of a small, but dedicated team across the Americas, including a Vice President and three consultants.  The team is responsible for managing WOLA's public presence and facilitating the production of all of WOLA's outputs including but not limited to commentaries, media advisories, joint statements, opinion pieces, videos, and documentaries.

Your role: This entry-level, administrative role will act as an assistant to the VP as well as provide a variety of support to the team at large. The standard daily tasks include managing the press email account, managing email send-outs, supporting the organization in the organization of events, and working with the team to coordinate other tasks. This position will work with staff across the organization, receive an entry-level introduction to the nonprofit advocacy world with a communications lens, and meet human rights, social justice, and foreign policy communities in Washington D.C. and Latin America. Qualified candidates should demonstrate a passion for social justice, human rights in the Americas, and anti-racism. They should aim for innovation and keeping up with today’s rapidly changing world of communications.

Reports to: Vice President for Communications                                                                                  Supervises: One to two interns a year, in tandem with the Internship Coordinator 

Responsibilities:

• Manage purchases and subscriptions for the communications team, including but not limited to overseeing the administrative accounts for vendors and media outlets.
• Train staff on communications equipment, technologies, and processes. Help staff with virtual and in-person events’ technology. 
• Assist with setup and live-streaming of various events at WOLA, both in-person and virtually. 
• Lead all administrative tasks related to team meetings and meeting with the Board’s Communications Committee.
• Manage WOLA’s email press account, including managing media interview requests. This may involve occasional work outside of traditional working hours in response to emergency situations. This will be done in conjunction with other members of the communication team.
• Develop and manage a database of media contacts based in the U.S. and Latin America. Ensure the database is kept up to date.
• Assist VP with press relations, including pitching stories and interviews to media outlets in the U.S. and Latin America.
• Draft regular metric reports analyzing WOLA’s press outreach, digital advocacy, and marketing campaigns using Google Analytics and other programs. 
• On occasion, support the Communications and Editorial team in producing a variety of outputs, including written and multimedia materials and send-outs using a CRM system.
• On occasion, cover for colleagues who lead WOLA’s social media accounts, including by developing content and posting it.

Qualifications:

We view this section as a guide, not a checklist. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t satisfy every bullet on this list. The ideal candidate must align with our values. 

• Full written and spoken fluency in English and Spanish. 
• A demonstrated commitment to or experience working on issues related to human rights, democracy, and social justice in Latin America. 
• Ability to work and organize a variety of administrative tasks in a fast-paced environment. 
• Experience working with a collaborative team as well as being able to own a project 
• Problem-solving skills, critical thinking, good intuition, attention to detail, and troubleshooting abilities are essential.
• Experience working with any of the following: InDesign, Canva, WordPress, Google Analytics, running social media ads, or working with the press.
• Additional job requirements: overseas travel required; full-time position; some long hours and occasional weekend work required.
• Please note: Due to the Assistant level of this position, we regret that it is not eligible for a work visa; we can only hire candidates currently authorized to work in the United States full-time.
• Office culture: We would prefer for this role to be in the greater DMV area for advocacy purposes; however, we are willing to consider a remote employee, based in the US, for the right candidate. If based in the DMV you are not required to work from the office daily. Staff are encouraged to go in 1-2 days a week based on their workload. Regardless of your location there will be events that require your attendance.

Salary: $49,000-$51,000 depending on previous experience. Benefits include full health, dental, vision, and life insurance 100% paid by WOLA; four weeks of annual vacation, 5% retirement match at one year of employment, four weeks of sick leave, and twelve weeks of paid parental leave. There is one long weekend a month and the office is closed between Christmas and New Year’s.

Applications due by:  October 17, 2022

Start date: November or December of 2022