Director Strategic Comms - AI Nonprofit $245K in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This is a high-impact, first-of-its-kind role at a respected AI safety nonprofit — you'd be building the communications function from scratch, which offers significant ownership and visibility. Reporting directly to the VP of Growth & Impact and working closely with the Executive Director signals genuine senior access.
Compensation analysis: At $139K–$245K, this range is competitive for a Director-level comms role in the nonprofit sector, and actually overlaps with for-profit tech comms salaries. The wide band suggests flexibility for exceptional candidates with deep AI or policy press experience.
Skills you'll develop:
- Technical communications for AI/privacy — a rare, highly marketable specialization as AI governance grows
- Executive visibility management and thought leadership positioning
- Rapid-response crisis communications in high-scrutiny technical communities
- Cross-functional storytelling bridging engineering, policy, and press
Green flags: First director hire means you shape the function; mission-driven culture with global credibility; growing relevance of AI safety/privacy policy creates media opportunities.
Watch for: Nonprofits can move slower than startups on headcount and budgets — your ability to build a team may be constrained. The role demands both strategic and executional depth (writing blog posts yourself and managing press relationships), which could be a heavy load without adequate support early on.
Overall, this is an excellent career move for a technically-minded comms professional looking to establish themselves in the AI policy space.
About OpenMined
OpenMined is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that brings together leading minds in AI, security, and privacy technology to develop open-source solutions that transform how data can be accessed and shared. Founded in 2017, we've grown into a global community of over 18,000 members working to ensure that privacy protection and AI innovation reinforce each other rather than undermine one another. We are driven by a simple challenge: the most valuable data for solving humanity's greatest challenges remains locked away due to privacy concerns, and we can change that through technology rather than compromise.
About the Role
We're hiring OpenMined's first Director of Strategic Communications. OpenMined is a nonprofit building open-source infrastructure for federated AI. Our open-source software lets outside researchers examine and evaluate AI systems without exposing private data, and our work with frontier AI labs, governments and researchers is reaching a wider audience. You'll own how that story is told to the press, to policymakers, to the AI research community, and through our Executive Director, Andrew Trask. You'll report to Lacey Strahm, VP of Growth & Impact, and work closely with Andrew, our research and policy team, and marketing.
Location
This is a fully remote role for people based in the US Eastern or Central time zone. New York is preferred. Expect occasional travel, about once a quarter.
Responsibilities
- Own OpenMined's narrative and external voice across press, policy and the research community.
- Write technical content yourself, such as blog posts and explainers that showcase OpenMined's products and work, and build out writers or an editorial team as needed.
- Plan and run communications for major announcements, including joint announcements with partner organizations.
- Build a network of outside experts who can reproduce and vouch for our results, and brief them before releases.
- Build relationships with technology, AI and policy reporters, and secure coverage based on demonstrated results.
- Support the Executive Director's public voice, positions and speaking calendar.
- Prepare spokespeople for interviews, panels and policy roundtables.
- Lead fast, accurate responses to questions and criticism on X, Hacker News, Reddit and GitHub, and run the process for correcting public claims.
- Keep messaging consistent across OpenMined and its separately branded products, in partnership with marketing.
Requirements
Must-Haves
- 4+ years leading communications (press, narrative, announcements), including for a technical, ideally AI-focused, research and/or policy organization.
- Has worked as a software engineer, or has equivalent hands-on technical depth: can use our open-source software and write content with technical roots yourself.
- Handled public technical claims that experts examined and challenged, including fast responses and corrections.
- Wrote for, or ran communications for, a senior leader with a public profile.
- Writes clearly and explains technical work without over-claiming.
- Placed stories with technology, AI, science or policy press.
Preferred (Nice-to-Haves)
- Existing relationships with AI and technology reporters, and with policy press.
- Coordinated joint announcements with large technology partners.
- Managed a PR firm, communications contractors, or a writer.
- Rapid-response experience in technical online communities.
- Familiarity with AI safety, AI governance and privacy technology.
Compensation
- Salary Range: $139,000 – $245,000 per year.
- Actual offers will be determined based on the candidate's skills, level of experience, and location.
Benefits
- Mission-Driven Work: Be part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, focused on social impact rather than profit, offering the chance to make a meaningful difference in the world.
- US Employee Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance with company contributions; Retirement: 403(b) plan, the 401(k) equivalent for non-profits.
- Open Source Contribution: Make a real impact by contributing to an Open Source project that benefits a broad community.
- Collaborative Global Team: Join a dynamic, international team that values collaboration and diversity.
- Flexible Work Hours: Enjoy the autonomy to structure your work hours around what best fits your life and productivity.
- Fully Remote Work: Work remotely within the location requirements for this role.
- Flexible Paid Time Off: Take the time you need with flexible vacation days, alongside recognition of local national holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions
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