About Urban Institute:

At the Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. As a nonprofit focusing on social and economic policy, our researchers and policy entrepreneurs open minds, shape decisions, and identify transformative solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.

Our Mission

To open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.

Our Values

Collaboration, Equity, Inclusivity, Independence, and Integrity

For more information on the Urban Institute, please visit https://www.urban.org.

The Opportunity:

The Office of Communications for the Urban Institute is looking for a smart, creative writer who can tell compelling data-driven stories and elevate Urban Institute research. This is an opportunity to apply your journalistic writing and editing skills toward longer-term projects that help inform and advance the public debate, as well as shorter-term projects like drafting research summaries and substantively editing blog posts written by Urban’s scholars.

In this job, you’ll be translating complex research into concise, accessible content for a range of audiences and working with our editorial, digital, data visualization, and design teams to bring data to life. You will work across teams within communications and across research centers and policy areas, and you will have the opportunity to experiment with different types of storytelling. This is a role for someone who likes working with a team, because you will be collaborating on every aspect of a project, including what you write.

What You’ll Do:

• Write text and support content strategy for public-facing products. Your portfolio will focus on short term projects, such as fact sheets and research overviews, with opportunities to tackle longer term projects, such as narrative features and interactive graphics.

• Substantively edit research projects and blog posts.
• Work closely with researchers to communicate their findings, so that final products adhere to digital best practices and are compelling to target audiences.
• Occasionally serve as the lead on projects, helping to set goals, choose tactics, and serve as a partner and intermediary between researchers and other COMM team members when appropriate.
• Help the writing team improve and innovate, tracking the most effective forms of storytelling to bring our research and data to life, as part of an organization-wide effort to increase impact.
• Support training efforts on identifying and communicating key takeaways and stories from Urban research.

Who You Are:

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, or related field OR equivalent work/education experience
• 2-3 years of related work experience
• Strong writing and substantive editing skills, especially under deadlines
• Ability to understand and translate complex, technical research into accessible content, while maintaining nuance and accuracy
• Excited about digital best practices, including usability and optimizing content for search engines and social media
• Strong organization and project management skills to juggle multiple projects and to guide content through writing, editing, and approval processes with multiple stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to collaborate with colleagues of different skill sets, including data-driven researchers and other members of the communications team
• Experience writing text for charts, graphics, or data visualizations a plus, but not required
• Knowledge of public policy a plus, but not required
• News judgment a plus, but not required

Please include a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 writing samples or links to your clips. If you have an online portfolio of work, please identify your best 2-3 pieces rather than only sending us to your site. Applications without writing clips will not be considered.

What You’ll Experience:

No matter your role with Urban, you will contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference for people and communities across the country. And whether you call the Washington, DC area or elsewhere home, you can expect to be part of a welcoming and hybrid workplace. We are committed to cultivating a community and working in a manner defined by collaboration, equity, inclusivity, independence, and integrity.

Urban’s greatest asset is our people.

The salary range for this position is Min $53,167 – Mid $69,765 – Max $85,176. Salary offered is commensurate with experience and considers internal equity. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Salaries are just one component of Urban Institute’s total compensation package.

Urban is committed to supporting our staff’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being through a robust benefits package for yourself, eligible dependents, and domestic partners. It includes generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays, medical (including prescription), dental and vision insurance, and transit benefits. Urban is unique in that we offer 403(b) retirement plan participation immediately after you’re hired and a generous employer contribution after six months of service and 500 hours, with immediate vesting. You’ll also have access to a health advocate, personal finance coaching, an Employee Assistance Program, and educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs. This position has the opportunity to be fully remote.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned. This posting is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Urban management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

The Urban Institute is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender or gender identity, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, pregnancy or family responsibilities, matriculation, disability, political affiliation, or any other protected status under applicable law. The Urban Institute is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Minorities/Women/Disabilities/Veterans.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you have a physical and/or mental disability and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@urban.org. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Urban Institute has formally recognized the Urban Institute Employees’ Union, which is part of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). Urban management and the Union work together in good faith and are motivated by a shared commitment to this institution. This position is included in the Union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific employment terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiations.