Careers

Communications & Advancement Specialist

Salary Range

$60,000-$65,000

The Communications & Advancement Specialist is responsible for managing and developing the communication strategies to promote Native Governance Center’s story, resources, and opportunities. The Communications & Advancement Specialist will play a vital role in sharing our mission and impact while supporting our advancement, marketing and communication efforts.

Who We Are

Native Governance Center is a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to assisting Native nations in strengthening their governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty. While originally founded to support the 23 Native nations sharing geography with MN, ND, and SD, we have strategically piloted growth beyond this region and hope to continue to expand offerings with thoughtfulness toward needs identified by communities.

We opened our doors in 2016, so we are relatively young. We are constantly growing, changing, and innovating. We like to say “let’s try it!” instead of living by the “we’ve always done it that way” motto, knowing we will learn from each experience.

Everything we do is driven by our values; from organizational development to program delivery to deciding on our annual group Halloween costume, our values help to guide us. We’re collaborative in our approach, listening to input from our team, our nations, and the research we were founded on, to inform our actions and decisions. We love GIFs and memes and try to find ways to use them as often as possible. We encourage respectful candor, authenticity, and balance on our team.

Since 2020, NGC has operated as a fully remote workplace, with our team members located across various Tribal Nations and states. This model has allowed us to build a dedicated and geographically diverse team. However, we also acknowledge the limitations of a purely virtual environment for the human connection and collaboration that comes with in-person interaction. As such, there will be positions within NGC that require a hybrid work model that will incorporate both remote work and in-person opportunities. This will likely involve some in-person events and potential travel. We encourage you to consider the benefits and drawbacks of this flexible work arrangement to ensure it suits your preferences. A reliable, high-speed internet connection remains a requirement for all NGC employees.

Finally, NGC is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity and are free from all forms of harassment and discrimination.

If this sounds like your kind of place, we would love for you to reach out.

About the Position

What You’ll Be Doing:

  • Generate content for, design, and produce organizational communications (including newsletters,, thought-leadership pieces, social media, website, and other multimedia) producing a consistent, purposeful, and impactful message
  • Management of social media at NGC. Plan, create, schedule, and monitor engaging content across all social media platforms, growing our online presence and fostering community engagement.
  • Maintain and update the organization’s website content, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and a positive user experience.
  • Develop program materials, slide templates, letterhead, and other materials that reflect NGC’s overall brand strategy while accounting for individual program identities
  • In collaboration with programming staff, develop, coordinate, and produce targeted communications for segmented audiences in collaboration with NGC staff and programs; proofread and provide meaningful feedback to programming departments
  • Leads community giving and outreach campaigns, including Give to the Max Day, spring sustainer appeal, year-end appeal, and the Annual Report
  • Supports fundraising efforts, including appeal mailings, thank you letters, and integrated sponsorship program

What Skills You Need for Success:

  • Storytelling: Being able to create compelling narratives and visuals that resonate with our audience is key to effective communication at NGC. Centering your work around honoring Tribal sovereignty and self-determination for Native nations.
  • Excellent communication: This includes both written and verbal communication, as well as the ability to create engaging content for various platforms.
  • Strategic Planning: Understanding how to develop and implement effective communication strategies is crucial
  • Technology savvy: Using software is second nature to you. If you haven’t used specific programs and software, you will be able to pick it up with relative ease.
  • Native nation rebuilding approach: You recognize that the standard approach of working may not always be a cultural match for staff or the organization. You apply the Native nation rebuilding principles and NGC’s values to your decisions.

Compensation and Benefits

  • Salary: $60,000–65,0000
  • Status: Full-time, non-exempt, salaried
  • Wellness benefits: NGC pays 100% of the cost of our wellness benefits, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, and short- and long-term disability. Employees, spouses, and children are eligible.
  • Paid time off: Year 1-3 of employment, staff may accrue up to 216 hours (5.4 weeks) of PTO, to be used for sick and vacation time.
  • Paid holidays: 10 floating holidays (must be used in calendar year)
  • Paid closures: Paid office closure from Christmas Eve–New Year’s Day; Half day Friday from Memorial Day–Labor Day.
  • Workplace flexibility: We are a remote-first work environment, meaning you will be primarily working from office and non-office environments. Staff are given a monthly stipend to offset any technology, home office, or shared workplace costs incurred.
  • Professional development: We offer generous stipends for professional development as well as in-house growth and training opportunities.

Ready to Apply?

We encourage you to read through the entire job posting and full job description, since we built it to provide as much information and transparency as possible.

To apply, submit the required information along with your resume and cover letter on our hiring platform: Communications & Advancement Specialist. Only applications submitted through our hiring platform will be accepted.

In your cover letter, let us know in a few paragraphs why you are interested in the position and why you want to be part of the NGC team. Give us a sense of how your prior experience, whether in a similar position or something totally unrelated, will lead to success in the Communications and Advancement Specialist role.

Get your application in early to ensure you are considered!

Questions can be sent by email to [email protected].

Job Description (pdf)