VP of Strategic Communications

About CDI

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. We work with U.S. colleges and universities by providing co-curricular programming for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and strategic guidance to leadership. Our goal is to foster constructive dialogue at every level of the institution and to create the conditions for lasting organizational change. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

About the Role

CDI is seeking a strategic, media-savvy communicator to serve as Vice President of Strategic Communications. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, the VP will be responsible for establishing CDI as the leading national voice on constructive dialogue in higher education and converting that visibility into audience growth and organizational credibility.

This is a hands-on builder role. The VP will lead CDI's communications strategy, earned media, executive profile-building, messaging and narrative, editorial leadership of CDI's thought leadership and newsletter, organic social, and crisis and reputation management. Initially, the VP will operate as an individual contributor supported by fractional and contractor resources. Over time, the VP will manage the Communications & Content Manager (a role being hired concurrently), who will serve as the editorial and production engine for owned content.

The ideal candidate brings 10–12 years of experience in strategic communications, strong relationships across national and higher education media, and a track record of building organizational reputation in complex, high-stakes environments.

Responsibilities

Lead CDI's communications strategy and narrative

• Set the annual communications and thought leadership strategy, defining editorial priorities and narrative direction in service of CDI's mission and earned revenue goals.

• Serve as a trusted communications advisor to the Executive Director and Chief Growth Officer, helping assess trade-offs, evaluate reputational risk, and align leadership on key messaging decisions before work advances.

• Own CDI's messaging guide and narrative framework, ensuring consistent, politically grounded communication across all external channels.

• Monitor CDI's reputational landscape — including dynamics around partners, founders, and key stakeholders — alongside political, cultural, and higher education trends, to proactively identify risks and opportunities and advise leadership.

Elevate CDI's executive and thought leadership profile

• Lead CDI's executive visibility program, building the Executive Director and other key CDI figures' profiles through op-eds, podcast appearances, conference keynotes, and media placements, and preparing and coaching the Executive Director for public appearances and interviews.

• Partner with CDI's thought-leadership bench (across the Research, Education, Culture Change teams) to translate research findings into media-ready narratives and public-facing content.

Build and own CDI's earned media presence

• Drive proactive media outreach to national, higher education, and mission-aligned press; build and maintain relationships with journalists, editors, and influencers.

• Lead rapid response and crisis communications, managing reputational risk with speed and sound judgment.

Lead owned media and editorial

• Provide editorial leadership for CDI's higher education newsletter and blog; manage the Communications & Content Manager to maintain publishing cadence and quality.

• Own organic social strategy (brand, executive, and thought-leadership content), with the Communications & Content Manager executing the unified calendar.

• Coordinate the thought-leadership editorial calendar with the Impact team, Partnerships, and the thought-leadership bench.

Support external relationships and cross-functional work

• Support CDI's broader external relationships — including with funders, board members, and senior institutional partners — by ensuring CDI's communications reflect the organization's impact, credibility, and strategic direction.

• Partner with the Senior Manager of Demand Generation to connect comms outputs — earned media, newsletter audience, thought leadership — to Marketing Qualified Pipeline, ensuring visibility translates into partnerships opportunities and earned revenue.

Build and lead the communications team

• Manage the Communications & Content Manager, providing editorial direction, coaching, and prioritization.

• Establish the communications operating model: workflows, editorial planning system, brand standards, and cross-functional feedback loops.

• Define and track the communications scorecard: 25 earned placements and 100 mentions annually; 30% year-over-year audience growth across the HE newsletter and LinkedIn; two research studies each yielding at least one feature placement.

About You

• Senior communications leader: 10–12 years of experience in strategic communications, or PR, with demonstrated success building organizational reputation and growing audiences in complex, politically sensitive environments.

• Media relationships: Established connections across national, higher education, and mission-aligned press; track record of securing high-quality placements.

• Exceptional judgment: Deep instinct for when to engage — CDI's credibility depends on nonpartisan restraint as much as visibility. Proven track record protecting organizational reputation in politically sensitive environments while proactively shaping a positive organizational narrative, with the ability to clearly articulate trade-offs and advise leadership on risk.

• Strong writer and editor: Track record producing or overseeing high-quality long-form thought leadership and executive communications.

• Hands-on operator: Comfortable executing with speed, rigor, and attention to detail while building for scale; in a small organization, VP-level execution and follow-through are as important as vision.

• Builder mindset: Experience establishing or significantly evolving a communications function, including processes, standards, and team structure; experience managing people in a startup or scaling organization.

• Cross-functional collaborator: Proven ability to coordinate editorial and campaign work across research, marketing, and partnerships teams, and to align leadership before advancing work.

• Mission-aligned: Deeply motivated by CDI's mission, with the political awareness to communicate constructively and credibly across ideological lines. Familiarity with the higher education landscape strongly preferred.

Benefits

• Compensation —$175,000-$195,000 (based on experience)

• A Mission-Driven Culture — our work culture genuinely reflects our mission, characterized by intellectual humility, continuous improvement, and open-mindedness

• Remote-First — CDI was founded as a remote-first organization, and we work hard to maintain a strong team culture across vast distances 

• Unlimited PTO — As well as 13 company holidays

• Other Benefits — Employer-supported health, vision, and dental plans, subsidized parental leave, 3% 401(k) match, short- and long-term disability insurance, life and AD&D insurance, and a $1,000 annual professional development budget.

Role Specs

• Reports to: Chief Growth Officer

• Direct Reports: None currently; expected to build a small communications team over time as the function scales

• Schedule: Full-time, flexible within U.S. time zones

• Target start date: ASAP

• Location: Remote, must be based in the U.S.