About the Role

The communications and impact analyst is the operational engine behind PPL’s strategic knowledge sharing and external relations. Working under the direction of the head of strategy and the executive director, this person keeps the organization’s communications and outreach running with consistency and care — producing content on a regular cadence, maintaining the systems that keep the team coordinated, and ensuring that PPL’s insights and activities are visible, well-documented, and compellingly presented to the public, partners, and funders. In addition, this staffer provides support with impact documentation and occasional events functions.

This is a role for someone who is organized and proactive, is comfortable managing multiple workstreams simultaneously, takes genuine satisfaction in doing detail-oriented work well, and has a knack for distilling complex ideas into compelling narratives. It is an early-to-mid career position with real breadth: the communications analyst touches nearly every aspect of how PPL shares its mission.

PPL has a fixed pay scale, with salaries set based on minimum years of experience, skill qualifications, and time of service to the organization. The starting salary for this role is expected to be between $81,150 and $88,500, depending on experience. 

Beginning July 1, we will review applications. (Note: PPL is a human-centered organization, and as such, all applications will be reviewed by a human being.)  We’ll then schedule interviews with selected candidates on a rolling basis, with an intended start date this summer.

Key Responsibilities

Communications (50-60%)

The communications and impact analyst will work under the supervision of the head of strategy and design research director to produce and disseminate information about PPL’s insights and activities.

Project Communications

• In collaboration with project leads, draft project communications on a release-cycle basis, translating research and design work into accessible external-facing updates.
• Coordinate the partner approval process for project communications, facilitating timely review and tracking sign-offs to keep release schedules on track.

 Website

• Update PPL’s website case studies on a regular cadence as projects reach completion of each release.
• Finalize online case studies for completed projects, including webpage copy, a short video, and social media assets.
• Maintain and update the Resources page with current content.
• Work through the backlog of older completed projects to develop and publish case studies not yet represented on the site.
• Keep the staff listing current as the team changes.

Social Media & Newsletter

• Monitor activity of PPL’s organizational social media channels on a daily basis, tracking who mentions PPL, following new relevant accounts, reposting content etc.
• Post original content 1–2 times per week on PPL’s organizational social media channels.
• Produce and distribute the bi-monthly PPL Post newsletter.
• Draft and distribute project-specific newsletters as needed in coordination with project teams.

Communications Systems

• Maintain all communications materials, templates, and documentation in Slab, PPL’s internal knowledge base.
• Own and maintain the organization-wide communications calendar.
• Attend regular communications team meetings, tracking follow-through on action items with the Head of Strategy and Research Director.

Staff Appearances at Conferences & Events

• Update and maintain the conference tracking AirTable on a biweekly basis.
• Coordinate submission of staff proposals and abstracts to priority conferences, corralling submitters and tracking deadlines.
• Promote confirmed public appearances and speaking engagements across PPL’s channels.

Impact Tracking & Reporting Support (15-20%)

The communications and impact analyst will work under the supervision of the executive director to generate compelling content related to PPL’s impact, with a specific focus on making our work engaging to partners and funders.

Project and Organizational Impact Documentation

• Support the executive director in producing materials for each completed project suitable for funder and partner distribution.
• Support the executive director in producing materials on PPL’s capabilities, rates, approaches, etc. 

Quarterly & Annual Impact Reporting

• Support the executive director in compiling and producing regular impact communications and reports.

Organizational Management, Strategy & Operations (10-15%)

Along with all PPL staff, the communications & impact analyst will participate in all-hands planning and professional development activities. 

Skills & Requirements 

PPL only hires people who are based in the New York City area or who are willing to relocate. (We do not provide relocation expenses.)

PPL maintains a hybrid work model. New York City staff are required to work at our Dumbo office at a minimum on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are welcome to come to the office more frequently. Anyone who comes to the office must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

For this role, we’re seeking candidates who have the following experience and skills:

• Between 3 and 6 years of experience in communications, content production, and/or development roles, preferably at nonprofit organizations and/or professional-services firms for a majority of that time
• Excellent writing and copyediting skills, with demonstrated ability to translate complex or technical subject matter into clear, accessible language for non-specialist audiences
• Experience producing and scheduling content across social media platforms and email newsletters, with a consistent track record of meeting publication cadences
• Strong organizational skills, including maintaining shared calendars, tracking approvals and deadlines, and managing documentation systems, including experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams
• Proficiency with content and project-management tools, such as Airtable, Mailchimp (or comparable newsletter platforms), a CMS (such as Squarespace, WordPress, or similar), and knowledge-base applications (such as Guru or Slab) preferred
• Experience coordinating review and approval processes with multiple stakeholders
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through on administrative and operational tasks
• Comfort working in a small organization where roles carry real breadth and priorities shift
• Interest in or experience with the public sector, civic technology, social policy, or design for social impact preferred

Other valuable skill sets include:

• Experience producing short-form video content for web and social media, including scripting, filming, and basic editing
• Familiarity with audio production for podcast or recorded content, including recording, editing, and mixing
• Ability to produce and format digital assets — graphics, social cards, simple motion — for web and social channels
• Experience captioning or otherwise preparing multimedia content for accessibility
• Experience compiling and synthesizing information from qualitative sources — interviews, case notes, project documentation — into coherent narrative reports or summary materials
• Comfort working with quantitative data at a basic level: tracking metrics, populating dashboards, summarizing figures accurately in prose and presentation formats
• Experience producing or supporting the production of materials aimed at funders, partners, or institutional audiences, where accuracy, credibility, and presentation quality are consequential
• Ability to represent organizational work and capabilities clearly and compellingly without overstating or embellishing findings
• Familiarity with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Claude Code

Organizational Approach & Culture 

PPL uses methods from design, technology, and social science to improve policies and services for low-income and marginalized Americans. Note that we’re not an advocacy organization. We work inside of complex systems to create change, primarily by conducting policy- and service-design projects with government agencies. (Over the years, we’ve learned that staff with a community or advocacy focus can find our systems orientation frustrating.)

Our work is challenging. The policies we seek to (re)design often serve people who are dealing with poverty or ill health or violence. In response, we work with intensity and purpose. We have a fast-paced, demanding work environment, and we strive for excellence in our analyses and product-making. 

That said, we are a friendly and optimistic bunch of people. We like to have fun while we struggle, and we believe in taking time off. We close our office for several weeks each year and generally restrict work communications to weekday business hours. We offer extensive paid leave and weekly personal hours.

 We are learning to make our hiring practices more inclusive and accessible to those coming from varied professional and personal backgrounds. If you need further support or have feedback on ways to make this application easier to navigate, please send us an email at info@publicpolicylab.org. 

Employment Policies 

The Public Policy Lab is an Equal Opportunity Employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. 

We can only consider candidates already authorized to work in the United States. Nothing in this job posting or description should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.