Vice President, Global Communications & Public Engagement

About the job

About the Oversight Board

The Oversight Board makes binding and independent decisions about the most challenging content issues on Facebook and Instagram. Members of the Board include Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark, Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Michael McConnell, Director of Stanford’s Constitutional Law Center, and many other diverse leaders and thinkers from around the world. The Board issued its first decisions in January 2021.

The Oversight Board Administration is the team of full-time staff who support Board Members in carrying out their duties. The Administration has a presence in London, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and operates with a global scope.

You can learn more about the Board at www.oversightboard.com.

The role

Joining the Oversight Board Administration is a chance to be part of an organization which is leading on some of the most prominent and challenging issues facing the tech industry and society.

The Vice President, Global Communications & Public Engagement, will create, implement, and manage a communications strategy that proactively articulates the Board’s value and impact on content moderation in the tech industry. The Vice President will engage with an intentional, disciplined, prioritized leveraging of the expertise and credibility of Board Members to ensure that the Oversight Board both shapes and is responsive to the external environment in which it operates – from how global regulation evolves to setting a model of what the industry standard for content moderation should look like. The Vice President serves as a key role in the organization’s Executive Team and will help to inform and execute on the long-term strategy and vision of the organization. The Oversight Board is looking for a leader who can model the organization’s values: integrity, empowerment, diversity and inclusion, and transparency and trust. Key responsibilities will include developing and overseeing the implementation of the global communications strategy, representing the OSB externally, and leading the Global Communications & Public Engagement team.

Responsibilities will include:

• Ensure that the overall organizational strategy is responsive to developments in the industry, regulation and the broader content moderation/human rights community. Develop and execute the Oversight Board’s global communications strategy, including maintaining the organizational narrative and messaging, audience identification and engagement, employing the latest communications tools, tactics and platforms to reach key audiences, and developing content with the communications team to build understanding of the organization’s work, goals and impact
• Oversee all external communications activity, including stakeholder relations, public affairs, media engagement, digital communication and all Oversight Board publications.
• Lead planning and development of internal communications strategy and materials
• Represent the Board publicly at key events as a spokesperson for the Board’s work and impact
• Act as the communications interface between the Oversight Board Administration and the Oversight Board Members and Trustees, including preparing communications strategies, reports, updates and materials, and delivering senior counsel.
• Develop and be responsible for the Oversight Board’s crisis communications plan and management of any crisis communications issues.
• Contribute to organization-wide management decisions and ensure delivery of annual Action Plan, as well as coordination between and support for other teams, as a member of the Senior Management Team
• Contribute to the leadership and strategic direction of the Oversight Board as a member of the Executive Team and live our values and behaviors through action.
• Lead, manage and coach the Oversight Board Communications Team across multiple offices.

This role may be based in the Administration’s location of London, San Francisco or Washington, D.C.

Skills & Experience

• An experienced communications professional with a track record of implementing communications strategies on a global scale.
• A minimum of twelve years working in external communications or public affairs, either in-house within an organization working in a similar field (e.g., technology, human rights, freedom of expression, digital rights) or within an agency setting with demonstrable experience serving clients working in similar fields
• Ability to maintain networks and build relations with new platforms and industry actors.
• Demonstrable ability to design and implement communications strategies involving global stakeholder (including government and lawmakers), media, social and digital activities.
• Proven track record of complex stakeholder management
• Comfortable engaging with and presenting to C-suite level and senior political figures.
• Proven experience representing organizations as a spokesperson / managing media interview which may be critical in nature.
• Significant experience in overseeing reputational risks or crises.
• In-depth expertise and knowledge in multiple markets (notably EU, UK and US)
• Experience in leading and motivating senior level, high-performing multi-disciplinary teams, in multiple geographic locations.
• Models expected standards of behavior and promotes organizational values and environment that supports wellbeing.
• Proven record in management of staff, ensuring motivation, support and wellbeing, and the delivery on performance plans.
• Proven track record of budget management / responsibility in complex organizational structures
• Excellent judgment and proven ability to achieve results and make decisions in fast-paced, complex environments.

The offer 

As well as a competitive annual salary of circa £210,000, we also offer an excellent market leading benefits package, covering a variety of areas, both professional and personal. These benefits include:

• A generous 12% pension employer contribution with no requirement for you to contribute;
• Progressive family friendly benefits including a robust paid parental leave policy;
• A generous childcare subsidy to provide financial support for eligible childcare costs;
• A generous home working and commuting allowance to provide financial support for remote and/or office working;
• A training allowance to support both your continuous professional development and professional membership;
• An extensive health support package, including comprehensive healthcare and dental coverage for both you and your family members;
• Comprehensive life assurance, income protection and business travel insurance packages providing financial support in events of ill health, injury etc;
• 25 days of annual leave (in addition to bank holidays), with the opportunity to carry up to 5 unused days to the next year;
• 2 ‘recharge’ paid vacation days per calendar year;
• A holistic wellbeing support plan encompassing a variety of offerings to assist you. We provide you with an allowance to fund activities to best support your wellbeing as well as workshops and training to provide tools and guidance. Additionally, there is a wide-ranging employee assistance programme available to advise on personal, family or financial matters, and also fun social events all year round.

Apply here .