SENIORDIRECTOROFCOMMUNICATIONS

POSITIONPROSPECTUS|FALL2026
THE OPPORTUNITY

Global freedom has declined for nearly two decades. From Hong Kong to Belarus to Nicaragua, authoritarian regimes are jailing journalists, dissidents, and pro-democracy voices simply for speaking the truth - even as the demand for freedom has never been more urgent. Democratic backsliding, transnational repression, and shrinking civic space are accelerating around the world, and the case for freedom has never needed a stronger, clearer, more compelling messenger.

Reporting to Freedom House's executive leadership and serving as a member of the CEO's Cabinet, the Senior Director of Communications will lead Freedom House's integrated communications function - earned media, owned channels, digital strategy, executive voice, and donor-facing storytelling - and will be central to translating the organization's research, advocacy, and frontline work into public pressure, audience growth, and institutional visibility around the world.
POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Summary

Freedom House is seeking a strategic and proactive Senior Director of Communications to lead its public communications strategy at a defining moment for the organization and for the global fight for freedom. The central purpose of the role is to turn Freedom House's research, advocacy, emergency assistance, political prisoner work, and frontline relationships into public pressure, audience growth, donor confidence, and institutional visibility.

This person will build communications campaigns, sharpen Freedom House's public voice, and ensure the organization's work reaches the people who can fund, amplify, and act on it - including donors, policymakers, allied governments, journalists, diaspora communities, civil society partners, and engaged digital audiences. The Senior Director will lead an integrated communications function across earned media, owned channels, digital content, email, website strategy, executive communications, partner amplification, and donor-focused storytelling.

Freedom House works on complex and sensitive foreign policy and human rights issues. The communications leader must bring the judgment and substantive fluency to advise the CEO as a trusted member of his Cabinet, manage a communications team, work closely with regional and issue experts, understand political context quickly, and translate complicated research and programmatic work into clear, accurate, compelling communications that advance Freedom House's mission to defend and expand freedom globally.

Freedom House is modernizing its communications function - moving away from traditional think-tank outputs toward a digital-first, video-forward approach - and is looking for an entrepreneurial, self-directed storyteller who will help drive that evolution rather than wait for direction from senior leadership.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

Strategy & Executive Counsel
• Develop and lead an integrated communications strategy tied to Freedom House's institutional priorities, fundraising goals, advocacy objectives, and audience growth.
• Define priority audiences by issue, campaign, and objective, including donors, policymakers, allied governments, journalists, diaspora communities, civil society partners, and engaged digital audiences.
• Serve as principal communications counsel to the CEO and help shape the CEO's public voice across speeches, op-eds, media, social platforms, donor communications, and major institutional moments.
• Work with Advocacy to support policy priorities by turning policy objectives into clear public messages, campaigns, media products, and audience-specific communications.

Media, Content & Digital Voice
• Build and execute communications campaigns around Freedom House's core work, including political prisoners, authoritarian repression, internet freedom, transnational repression, democratic resilience, and frontline support.
• Lead Freedom House's owned-channel strategy, including website, email, newsletters, LinkedIn, social platforms, short-form video, and campaign landing pages, with a focus on audience growth, engagement, and conversion.
• Champion a video-forward, digital-first storytelling approach - building on Freedom House's strongest online engagement in years - with particular emphasis on the stories of political prisoners and human rights defenders, including Russian activists, which resonate with private funders and engaged digital audiences.
• Oversee digital content strategy and ensure Freedom House is producing platform-appropriate content, including visual explainers, short videos, data-driven content, direct testimony, campaign updates, and donor- facing proof points.
• Develop and maintain relationships with national and international journalists, editors, producers, podcast hosts, and other media figures.
• Lead proactive media outreach, pitch Freedom House experts and op-eds, and identify opportunities for the organization in print, broadcast, podcasts, digital media, and other public platforms.
• Prepare executives and staff for interviews, public appearances, speeches, panels, and other external engagements.

Campaign & Cross-Functional Partnership
• Find and develop compelling stories from Freedom House's research, advocacy, emergency assistance, political prisoner work, and programs that can reach audiences beyond the democracy and human rights community.
• Work with Development to ensure Freedom House's public communications reinforce the organization's impact, urgency, and case for support - including the 85th Anniversary Campaign, Investing in Freedom's Future.
• Work closely with regional, issue, advocacy, and program experts to translate complex research and policy work into clear public narratives, campaigns, and timely commentary.
• Ensure consistently high-quality Freedom House content that is accurate, accessible, timely, mission-driven, and audience-focused.

Team Leadership & Operations
• Manage the communications team, set priorities, assign responsibilities, maintain an editorial and campaign calendar, and ensure strong execution across media, editorial, digital, website, and email functions.
• Assess communications platforms, analytics, vendors, and outside support, and recommend changes wh