Purpose-Driven Organizations Are Spending on Talent
Something interesting is happening in the mission-driven corner of the media job market. Organizations built around social change, civic engagement, and community advocacy are posting roles that look remarkably like the senior positions you’d find at commercial agencies or major publishers. The difference? These employers are explicit about wanting people who care about the work beyond the paycheck.
Today’s featured listings share a common thread: every one of them sits at the intersection of media craft and organizational mission. A behavioral science ad firm needs a Media Director to scale its practice. A 290,000-member labor union is building out a digital team with two simultaneous hires. And a public radio station in North Carolina wants someone who can bridge the gap between audience engagement and fundraising.
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These roles signal that the nonprofit and advocacy sectors have stopped treating communications as an afterthought. They’re hiring experienced strategists, not junior generalists, and they’re building teams with real structure. If you’ve been honing your skills in commercial media and wondering whether a pivot to purpose-driven work means a step backward, the answer right now is no.
Today’s Hot Jobs
Media Director at Marketing for Change
Why this one matters: Marketing for Change is an independent national advertising firm that uses behavioral science to drive social change campaigns at the regional, state, and national level. This is a senior leadership hire, not a mid-level promotion. You’ll own the agency’s entire media and exposure practice, from planning and buying to earned media strategy. The firm is looking for someone who can scale the department while managing agency profitability, which means real P&L experience is likely a factor.
The key qualifications:
- Recognized leadership experience in media planning, buying, and earned exposure
- Deep expertise across specialized channels with the ability to evolve strategy based on behavioral insights
- Entrepreneurial mindset with experience scaling a team and a practice area
- Background connecting creative storytelling with smart media investment
Apply to the Media Director position at Marketing for Change
Digital Strategy Manager at the National Association of Letter Carriers
What caught our eye: NALC represents 290,000 active and retired letter carriers, and they’re hiring two digital roles simultaneously. That’s a clear sign of institutional investment in communications infrastructure. The Digital Strategy Manager role carries real scope: you’ll lead digital strategy development, manage podcast and video production timelines, run analytics, and support organizing and advocacy campaigns. The salary range of $75,000 to $105,000 is competitive for D.C.-based advocacy work, especially at an organization with this kind of reach.
Core requirements:
- Strong background developing and implementing digital strategy for advocacy or organizing
- Experience managing podcast, video, and multimedia production workflows
- Analytical skills with the ability to track, report, and optimize digital performance
- Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines
Apply to the Digital Strategy Manager role at NALC
Digital Fundraising and Marketing Associate at WUNC Public Radio
The appeal here: Public media jobs that blend editorial promotion with revenue generation are increasingly common, and WUNC’s framing of this role is especially clear. You’ll own social media strategy with the explicit goal of growing audience engagement and converting that engagement into financial support. The $65,000 to $75,000 salary for Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is solid, and the role offers a front-row seat to the evolving public radio business model. If you’ve worked in audience development or social strategy and want your work to directly sustain independent journalism, this is worth a close look.
What they need:
- Experience defining and implementing social media strategies that drive measurable growth
- Ability to create content that builds community and converts listeners into supporters
- Skills in audience analytics, engagement tracking, and platform-specific optimization
- Collaborative approach to working with internal stakeholders across editorial and development teams
Apply to the Digital Fundraising and Marketing Associate role at WUNC
Product Marketing Specialist at Murmuration
On the radar: Murmuration builds data tools and insights platforms for civic organizations, helping communities organize and build power. This remote Product Marketing Specialist role sits at a fascinating crossroads: you’ll market technology products to an audience of organizers, advocates, and civic leaders. That requires someone who can translate complex, data-driven capabilities into language that resonates with mission-focused users. If you’ve done product marketing in SaaS or tech and want to apply those skills to civic infrastructure, Murmuration is doing genuinely distinctive work.
Ideal background:
- Product marketing experience, ideally with data platforms or technology tools
- Ability to communicate technical product value to non-technical, mission-driven audiences
- Comfort working within a collaborative, creative team of organizers and data scientists
- Alignment with Murmuration’s mission of equitable civic engagement and community power-building
Apply to the Product Marketing Specialist role at Murmuration
The Takeaway for Job Seekers
If you’ve spent years building media strategy, digital production, or audience development skills in commercial settings, the mission-driven sector is actively recruiting people like you. These organizations have moved past the era of expecting passion to compensate for underfunding. The roles posted today come with defined salary ranges, clear team structures, and genuine strategic responsibility.
One practical move: before you apply, invest time understanding each organization’s specific mission and language. A strong cover letter for a labor union digital role reads very differently from one aimed at a behavioral science agency. Tailor your framing accordingly. And if you’re navigating multiple offers or approaching a transition, Mediabistro’s guide on what to do once you receive a job offer is worth reviewing before you get to the decision point. Browse the full set of open media jobs on Mediabistro to see what else is hiring right now.
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