The Sycamore Institute

External Relations Associate

The Sycamore Institute

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Job Summary

Position Summary

The Sycamore Institute equips Tennessee’s civic leaders with data-driven resources to identify, understand, and solve big challenges. The External Relations Associate is a critical member of Sycamore’s bipartisan staff, assisting with planning, executing, and growing our community and public relations. This position is ideal for someone passionate about public policy, communications, and external relations.

This collaborative but entrepreneurial role engages diverse stakeholders in Sycamore’s work. It is an in-person position reporting to the Director of External Relations and based in Nashville, Tennessee. To honor both your time and ours, please only apply if you are located in the Nashville area or are willing to relocate.

Job Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Communications

  • Creates, schedules, and monitors posts across all social media channels to enhance engagement and grow Sycamore’s audience.
  • Writes compelling pitches/press releases and distributes them to our media partners across Tennessee.
  • Creates brand-consistent flyers, graphics, presentations, etc., for events or webinars. 
  • Tracks and updates audience surveys, media lists, Google Ads, and KPIs, assisting with collection, tracking, and creating communication reports.
  • Promptly responds to public inquiries via phone, email, and social media.
  • Provides general communications support to the Director of External Relations—which may include assisting with writing, editing, email marketing, website management, and video production.

 

Events & Relations Management

  • Develops, organizes, and promotes events, webinars, and other ways to maintain and increase audience engagement.
  • Serves as point of contact for event speakers, from invitation to hosting, whether virtually or in person.
  • Seeks opportunities for Sycamore to engage with and speak at community events related to Sycamore’s research expertise and priorities.
  • Attends virtual and in-person events with senior staff to assist with disseminating relevant reports, data, and resources to stakeholders.
  • Coordinates Sycamore’s formal community engagement networks, such as our Community Council.
  • Assists in maintaining the organization’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, including data entry and updates to ensure accurate and up-to-date stakeholder information.
  • Provides general external relations support to staff—which may include setting up staff travel and scheduling and coordinating meetings.

 

Other Responsibilities

  • Participates in internal staff meetings, trainings, and efforts to improve individual and team performance. 
  • Occasional travel (up to 10%) may be required for meetings and events, typically within Tennessee.
  • Performs other duties as assigned related to Sycamore’s mission. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • Minimum two years of experience in communications or a related field.
  • Excellent verbal and written English communication skills.
  • Demonstrated interest in public policy at the local, state, or federal level.
  • Intellectually curiosity and able to engage constructively with people who hold different perspectives.
  • Productive independently and as part of a small team, and maintains performance and self-control under pressure.

 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree (or 4+ years of relevant work experience) in marketing, public relations, political science, history, English, or a related field. 
  • Experience with Photoshop, Canva, or other image/graphics editing software.
  • Experience with WordPress.
  • History of successfully running Zoom meetings and/or webinars.
  • Experience with a CRM, such as Bloomerang.
  • Knowledge and history of running successful Google Ads campaigns.

Additional Information

Benefits

Working at Sycamore 

As a member of the Sycamore team, you can expect to contribute to important public policy conversations and work with colleagues who are fun, smart, curious, and committed to Sycamore’s mission. Our internal culture is essential to this work: we embrace collaboration, complexity, intellectual honesty, empathy, and disagreement. We provide ample flexibility and meaningful opportunities to learn and grow in ways that benefit both you and the organization. 

 

The salary for the External Relations Associate will depend on skill and experience, with a potential range of $60,000-$65,000. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package that meets employees’ needs during the various stages of their life—including generous paid time off, employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, paid parental leave, a 401(k) matching option, and a paid sabbatical after eight years of full-time employment. 

 

About the Sycamore Institute 

The Sycamore Institute is an independent, nonpartisan public policy center that provides clear, impartial insights and analysis to strengthen policymaking and civic life in Tennessee. Sycamore explains complicated issues in ways people can understand, equipping and convening Tennesseans with wide-ranging perspectives to consider options, weigh tradeoffs, and make more informed decisions. For more information, visit sycamoretn.org. 

How to Apply

To Apply 

Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and a writing sample of 1,000 words or less in one document through this form. Writing samples should be of the applicant’s work and not that of an AI tool. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. No calls or in-person application submissions, please.  

 

Hiring Timeline
Applications received by November 6, 2026 will receive priority consideration. We anticipate conducting initial Zoom interviews in mid-November, inviting finalists to an in-person interview in early December, and making a hiring decision by mid-December. The anticipated start date for this position is January 2027.

 The Sycamore Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes qualified candidates from all backgrounds and experience to apply for this position. 

Details

  • Date Posted: October 12, 2026
  • Type: Full-Time
  • Job Function: Communications / Marketing / PR
  • Service Area: Government
  • Salary Range: $60,000-$65,000
  • Working Hours: 40 hrs/week; M-F