Director, Strategic Communications & Creative Partnerships

Overview

We strongly encourage people of color, transgender and non-binary people to apply. HRC is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone, including non-LGBTQ+ people, to join our team. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that people from marginalized communities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At HRC, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Position Description

The Director of Strategic Communications & Creative Partnerships, within the Office of the President, plays a critical role in advancing the Human Rights Campaign’s mission by building and managing high-impact relationships across entertainment, media, advocacy, and philanthropy — with a strong emphasis on trusted, authentic relationships within the LGBTQ+ creative and cultural community.

Reporting to the Vice President of Executive Communications, the Director combines strategic communications, talent relations, and creative partnership development to amplify HRC’s brand and cultural footprint, leverage the President’s network for organizational priorities, and deepen engagement with creators, influencers, and thought leaders who shape public understanding of equality.

This leader will oversee the President’s correspondence and surrogate engagement program, serve as a primary liaison to creative and industry partners, and collaborate across teams — including Brand, Development/Fundraising, Digital, and Communications — to bring HRC’s stories and priorities to new audiences.

A successful candidate must live in Washington DC, New York City or Los Angeles. If the candidate chosen is not based in Washington DC, there will be an expectation they will be open to travel to Washington DC on a consistent basis for monthly and/or other needed meetings.

Position Responsibilities:

Executive Partnerships & Talent Relations

• Serve as a senior liaison between the Office of the President and external partners — including talent, influencers, activists, and creative collaborators — to expand HRC’s cultural reach and visibility.
• Build and lead the HRC Creators Council, a network of 25 artists and influencers who regularly engage with HRC through social campaigns, in-person activations, and advocacy on key LGBTQ+ issues.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with LGBTQ+ talent, agents, publicists, and creative industry leaders, maintaining a strategic database of contacts and partnership opportunities.
• Develop and execute a surrogate engagement strategy to identify, brief, and mobilize trusted voices who can authentically represent HRC’s mission in public and media spaces
• Partner across Development, Events, Board Relations, Brand, Digital, and Communications teams to integrate talent into storytelling, campaigns, and events — creating authentic, mission-driven collaborations that elevate HRC’s profile and impact.
• Collaborate across Development, Events, Communications, Digital, and Brand teams to strategically integrate talent and creators into HRC’s storytelling, media, and fundraising initiatives. Partner to design authentic, mission-driven opportunities for engagement — from amplifying campaigns and public appearances to celebrating honorees and supporting major events — ensuring every collaboration advances HRC’s visibility, credibility, and impactful events.

Executive Communications & Messaging

• Partner with the Executive Communications team to ensure HRC’s leadership has unified, mission-driven messaging across all platforms.
• Support the development of key remarks, correspondence, and briefing materials for the President’s engagements and collaborations.
• Contribute to organizational narrative strategy and help ensure creative partnerships reinforce HRC’s advocacy priorities and values.
• Collaborate with development, communications and digital teams to elevate HRC’s message through cultural moments, press opportunities, and creative Activations.
• Support the correspondence program within the Office of the President, ensuring communication with key stakeholders and partners reflects the President’s priorities and HRC’s values.

Position Qualifications:

• At least seven or more years of work experience in entertainment partnerships, talent relations, influencer engagement, executive communications, brand strategy, or social impact programming; ideally a mix across nonprofit, media, and entertainment sectors.
• Deep, demonstrated relationships within the LGBTQ+ creative community, including artists, content creators, influencers, publicists, agents, and cultural leaders.
• Established network across the entertainment and media ecosystem, with a track record of engaging talent for campaigns, events, advocacy moments, and cultural activations.
• Experience managing surrogates or public-facing messengers, including briefing, coordinating appearances, and aligning messaging across platforms.
• Strong understanding of culture and social impact, and how storytelling, visibility, and creative partnerships influence public opinion and movement-building.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and provide clear strategic guidance to executives and partners.
• Experience working with senior leaders or principals, managing high-level relationships with discretion, judgment, and confidentiality.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with precision and attention to detail.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with brand, communications, digital, and development teams to execute integrated campaigns and partnerships.
• A demonstrated commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, intersectional justice, and inclusive storytelling.
• Must be willing to be flexible with work schedules and willing to travel up to 35% of the year on an as needed basis. This will often include evenings and weekends.

All positions at the Human Rights Campaign may require travel on a regular basis or periodically. Where the need arises for business travel, appropriate compensation as outlined by the Fair Labor Standards Act will apply.

Employer is the Human Rights Campaign, Inc., an I.R.C. 501(c)(4) non-profit entity.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to queries about application status.