Managing Director, Media Relations

Position Overview

The Rockefeller Foundation Communications team advances the Foundation's mission by strengthening understanding of its priorities, amplifying impact, and engaging key audiences through strategic communications, digital engagement, content development, and stakeholder outreach.

The Managing Director, Media Relations leads how The Rockefeller Foundation earns visibility and safeguards its reputation in a rapidly evolving media and information environment. The role sets the Foundation's media relations and press strategy, shapes its approach to executive visibility and reputational risk, and ensures a clear, credible, and consistent institutional voice across audiences and platforms. Reporting to the SVP, Communications, the Managing Director serves as a senior advisor to Foundation leadership and leads enterprise-wide media initiatives, working across the Foundation to strengthen its engagement with journalists and other key stakeholders in support of its mission and strategic priorities.

Work Schedule: This role is on a hybrid work schedule and is required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The role can be based in either the Washington, DC, or New York City office, with a preference for the New York City office.

Pay Range: $230,000 - $280,000. This represents the present low and high end of the Foundation’s pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the Foundation's media relations strategy—setting priorities, frameworks, and standards for media engagement, and translating institutional priorities into integrated media approaches—to strengthen visibility, reputation, and stakeholder engagement in support of mission impact across evolving news, digital, and emerging media channels.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Foundation’s President and senior executives on media engagement, messaging, and public visibility—including media pitching, message development, and preparation for interviews and high-profile media events.
• Shape and safeguard the Foundation's institutional narrative, ensuring talking points and messages stay consistent and in sync across Programs, Teams, and Regional Offices.
• Position Foundation leaders and experts as authoritative voices with the media—providing coaching and strategic counsel and building and managing the public profiles of the President and senior leaders through high-impact op-eds, bylined pieces, speaking platforms, and executive profiles that advance institutional priorities.
• Approve Foundation press releases, media statements, and briefing materials, and serve as a Foundation spokesperson when needed.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the press office, ensuring rapid, accurate, and coordinated responses to inbound media inquiries.
• Anticipate and manage reputational risk, detecting emerging issues early and leading crisis communications with clarity and speed, including partnering with the General Counsel on adversarial press, litigation-related communications, and sensitive disclosures.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with journalists and media outlets, using coverage insights, analytics, and emerging trends to inform the most strategic pitching and outlet choices.
• Provide strategic oversight of media relations operations, including budget management and agency/vendor relationships for wire services, media monitoring, and select media sponsorship opportunities.
• Establish effective systems, governance structures, and operating practices that improve the efficiency, accountability, and quality of the Foundation's media function.
• Partner with senior leaders across the Foundation and coordinate closely with program focal points and Regional Office colleagues to advance major media moments and high-profile events.
• Manage outside consultants and agencies engaged for media pitching and strategic advice, and coordinate closely with internal teammates—including Digital and Internal Communications—to ensure an integrated, consistent approach across channels.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight to the Media Relations team and external consultants—building leadership capability, fostering collaboration, and coaching team members to create an inclusive, high-performing culture aligned with Foundation priorities, values, and performance expectations.

Education, Experience, and Skills

• Generally expected to have 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in media relations, journalism, public affairs, or related fields, including significant leadership experience—ideally representing an organization with the media, serving as a spokesperson, or working for a top-tier news organization. 
• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, public affairs, or related discipline. Advanced degree in a related field preferred.
• Experience working within philanthropy, public sector, nonprofit, international development, or similar mission-driven organizations.
• Knowledge of and interest in foreign policy or international affairs. 
• Demonstrated success developing and leading enterprise-level media and reputation strategies for complex, mission-driven organizations.
• Proven track record positioning organizations and their senior leadership, managing reputational risk, and leading crisis communications.
• Experience advising senior executives and developing media approaches that influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Extensive knowledge of media trends and established relationships with top-tier journalists and media outlets.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale, cross-functional initiatives and drive organizational outcomes through influence and collaboration.
• Strong people leadership experience, including developing talent and managing high-performing teams.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, including public speaking and the ability to represent the Foundation with external partners.

Competencies

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder. 
• Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food, health, energy, and finance, including through our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.

As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status. 

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.