We are hiring for two part-time, fully remote positions and will be reviewing applications in January and February 2025.
Position #1 – Director of Communication Strategy
Footnote is looking for a talented communicator to collaborate with leading thinkers and organizations to share their ideas and research with new audiences.
You will work with business leaders, top scholars, and prominent experts to develop marketing campaigns showcasing their thought leadership in articles, white papers, blog posts, research briefs, social media posts, sales materials, and other content. You will tease out what’s most interesting and impactful about an expert’s work and translate complex ideas into accessible, engaging stories, trying to find common ground between what clients want to communicate, what audiences will find interesting, and what will advance the organization’s strategic goals.
At Footnote, we partner with organizations and experts to increase the impact and influence of their work. Our clients range from tech startups and consulting firms to research centers at top universities like Harvard, Stanford, Brown, and Duke. Our communication campaigns showcase their ideas on social media, podcasts, our clients’ website and other owned channels, and top media outlets including The Washington Post, Wired, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Hill, Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review.
Who We’re Looking For
You are a great fit for this position if you can understand and synthesize complex ideas, communicate clear takeaways in a variety of content formats, and manage relationships with clients. You should be able to talk intelligently with leading experts about their work, identify the most important insights, and develop ways to effectively communicate them. We are looking for someone who can help chart a big picture communication strategy for clients while also executing the details needed to implement it.
Our ideal candidate can successfully take on the following responsibilities:
- Collaborate with leading thinkers in business and academia to communicate their ideas and research through earned, owned, and shared media.
- Develop and implement strategic communication campaigns for amplifying research and thought leadership.
- Produce content in a variety of formats, from snappy social media posts to long and well-researched white papers to compelling articles for publication in mainstream media outlets. Candidates must have strong writing and editing skills.
- Collaborate closely with our team and our clients, incorporate ideas and feedback from others, and communicate effectively within and outside our organization.
- Manage client relationships while holding responsibility for meeting timelines and deliverables.
- Excel at working independently and remotely and managing projects and tasks in a timely, organized manner.
- Pay attention to detail while also keeping the big picture in mind.
The Position & Organization
This is a salaried, half-time, fully remote position (20 hours a week) with the potential to grow into a full-time position over time. Hours are flexible, though you should be available for virtual meetings during U.S. working hours, especially on Pacific Time. The position pays the equivalent of $30-$50 an hour, depending on experience level, expertise, and skill set.
We are a small company with team members across the country and leadership based in Washington, D.C. and Boston. The Director of Communication Strategy will be a core part of our team, collaborating with other Footnote staff on projects and interfacing directly with clients. We care about the mission behind what we do and about building a sustainable, successful organization with a positive work culture.
To learn more about Footnote, please check out our work at http://footnote.co.
How to Apply
If you are interested in the position, please send a short email introduction (3-6 paragraphs), a resume, and 3-5 content samples to connect @ footnote.co with the subject line “Application for Director of Communication Strategy”. Your email should describe your interest in the position and your relevant experience.
Your content samples should showcase your ability to translate complex ideas and research into compelling, engaging stories. They can include a wide range of content formats (versatility is good!), but we’d like to see at least three that showcase your skills as a writer. Please share content you’ve edited or collaborated on with others, if you have it, in addition to pieces you’ve created on your own.
We will begin reviewing applications immediately and are aiming to fill this position by February 15, 2025.
Position #2 – Assistant Editor
Footnote is looking for a talented writer and editor to collaborate with leading scholars and thinkers to share their research and ideas with new audiences.
You will work with academics and experts to create op-eds, blog posts, research briefs, social media posts, and other content communicating their work to mainstream audiences. You will help researchers give voice to their ideas by clearing away academic jargon and impenetrable concepts, teasing out what’s most interesting and impactful at the heart of their work, and translating it into accessible, engaging stories.
At Footnote, we partner with universities, research centers, businesses, and NGOs to increase the impact and influence of their work by sharing it in outlets such as The Washington Post, Wired, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Hill, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. Our editors work with scholars from schools including Brown, Duke, Univ. of Pennsylvania, and Univ. of Southern California to showcase innovative research and ideas in disciplines ranging from business and technology to public health and education.
Who We’re Looking For
You are a great fit for this position if you can understand and synthesize research and complex ideas from a range of disciplines, talk intelligently with leading experts about their work, and identify the most compelling and important insights at the heart of a piece of research. As a writer, you should have a knack for:
- Developing compelling story angles and news hooks
- Writing succinct, clear, engaging prose
- Structuring an article with a clear, interesting narrative and logical flow
- Paying attention to detail, including fact-checking and grammar
- Incorporating ideas and feedback from others (in other words, being a collaborator and editor, not just a writer)
You should excel at working independently and remotely; managing projects and tasks in a timely, organized manner; and communicating well with a virtual team and with clients. Our ideal candidate is curious and self-motivated. They can see the big picture communication strategy for a client while executing the detailed work needed to implement it.
Experience with any of the following is an added bonus:
- Pitching and publishing at top media outlets
- Understanding the media landscape (online, print, podcast, social, etc.) and the styles and requirements of different outlets and content formats
- Writing social media posts and developing social media campaigns
- Interacting with leading academics or serving clients in any type of external-facing role
The Position & Organization
This is a salaried, part-time, fully remote role with the potential to grow over time.
We are looking for someone who can commit to between 10 and 20 hours a week. Hours are flexible and can be completed on your own schedule, though you should be available to schedule virtual meetings during U.S. working hours. The position pays the equivalent of $25-45 an hour, depending on experience level and skill set.
We are a small company with team members across the country and leadership based in Washington, D.C. and Boston. The Assistant Editor will be a core part of our editorial team, collaborating with other Footnote editors on projects and interfacing directly with academics and clients. We care about the mission behind what we do and about building a sustainable, successful organization with a positive work culture.
To learn more about Footnote, please check out our work at http://footnote.co and this Inside Higher Ed article by our Executive Editor that discusses our mission.
How to Apply
If you are interested in the position, please send a short email introduction (3-6 paragraphs), a resume, and 3-5 writing samples to connect @ footnote.co with the subject line “Application for Assistant Editor position.”
The most helpful writing samples for us to review are 800-1,000 word articles designed for a general audience, particularly any pieces that have been published in mainstream media outlets. Your samples should showcase your ability to translate complex ideas and research into compelling, engaging stories. We’d like to see pieces you’ve edited or collaborated with others on, if you have them, in addition to ones you’ve written on your own.
In your email introduction, here are some things we’d like to know:
- What excites you about this position? What drives your passion for communicating complex ideas and research to the public?
- Do you have experience working as an editor or collaborator, in addition to writing your own pieces? How do you feel these roles differ?
- What topics in science and social science are most compelling to you?
- Do you have experience working in an academic setting or collaborating with researchers?
- How did you find this job posting?
Note: We are always on the lookout for freelance editors to work with on a project-by-project basis. If you think you’d be a good fit for Footnote but not for this particular position, feel free to reach out about freelance options (please include “freelance” in the email subject line).