Job description

(Please read this description in it's entirely; application instructions at the bottom)

ABOUT THE POSITION: The Director of Communications & Marketing will lead the organization’s brand, storytelling, and public outreach efforts in order to help the organization close the literacy attainment gap for underserved students, schools and communities. The Director will give voice to the work of The Literacy Lab, increasing public awareness of the organization and the importance of early literacy support in the communities served.

The Director will also collaborate closely with regional and central teams to develop and implement outreach strategies in each region as well as nationally. Reporting to the Chief External Relations Officer, the Director of Communications & Marketing will play a critical role in managing how a growing, national non-profit interacts with its stakeholders.

ABOUT THE LITERACY LAB: The Literacy Lab is a fast-paced, national non-profit organization with a mission to provide children from racially and/or economically marginalized communities with individualized reading instruction, by utilizing the talents of AmeriCorps Members and Leading Men Fellows, to improve their literacy skills, leading to greater success in school and increased opportunities in life. We partner with school districts to add capacity in high-need schools to close the literacy attainment gap for children before third grade.

The organization currently operates in 9 regions: Metro Washington, DC; Greater Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Danville, VA; Baltimore, MD; Kansas City, MO; Milwaukee, WI; Atlanta, GA; Phoenix, AZ; Cincinnati, OH; and Western Massachusetts. This is a special time in the evolution of The Literacy Lab as it deepens its role in the educational equity landscape, while providing holistic, engaging, and measurable DEI solutions. The Literacy Lab will continue to build a collaborative and inspiring environment in which student-centeredness, common purpose, and community thrive.

THE LITERACY LAB’S COMMUNITY IMPACT: The education system in the United States continues to be deeply impacted by a long history of unjust policies that socio-economically disinvest in communities of color. The Literacy Lab’s mission is to address inequities by providing students of color with individualized reading instruction to improve their literacy skills. We believe that when young people of all races and from different economic brackets have equitable access to robust educational and professional development opportunities, they will be more successful as adults and their communities will be more resilient and prosperous.

Since 2009, The Literacy Lab has provided evidence-based literacy interventions to more than 30,000 children from marginalized communities to master early literacy skills. By embedding rigorously trained tutors in pre-K classrooms and elementary schools to tutor students of color from pre-K through third grade, The Literacy Lab strives to create a full six-year continuum of support for young readers.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director of Communications & Marketing will be responsible for the following:

• Lead development of the organization’s branding identity in consultation with central and regional teams;
• Collaborates with central and regional teams to build communications and marketing strategies for the organization as a whole and each of its nine regions individually;
• Creates and executes strategies to tell the organization’s story through media (traditional earned and social) and marketing;
• Establish and maintain relationships with national and local media;
• Engage and manage vendors as needed for the provision of marketing and/or advertising support;
• Prepare recommended talking points and messaging for CEO and other organizational staff;
• Develops and executes targeted outreach strategies using earned media, social media, advertising, direct mail, or other tools, to share Literacy Lab messaging with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Manage the preparation of the organization’s annual report and other publications or correspondence for stakeholder outreach;
• Develop and manage the budget for the Communications team;
• Directly manage the Communications team;
• Coordinate or assist in coordination of events for media and/or external stakeholders, such as site visits or press conferences;
• Continuously evaluate, fine-tune, and adjust The Literacy Lab’s marketing and communications efforts based upon available and collected data; and
• Other related duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS & COMPETENCIES: While we will consider a broad range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate would have the following qualifications/experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• At least five years of professional experience, including at least two years liaising with or as a member of traditional media
• Partnership builder, internally and externally
• Ability to connect with and impact target audiences
• Strategic thinker and executer, working with and through your team
• Experience coordinating events for media and external stakeholders, such as press conferences or site visits, is a plus
• Experience working as a strong team member across multiple disciplines and teams, both internally and externally
• Experience managing a team is a plus
• Excellent communication abilities, including oral, written, listening, and presentation skills
• Strong people/interpersonal skills
• Detail oriented
• Flexibility: the work can move quickly and require last-minute changes and sometimes working outside a traditional assigned workstream
• Non-profit experience, especially experience working with an education-focused nonprofit is a plus
• Familiarity with communications systems, especially WordPress and Raiser’s Edge is a plus
• Enthusiasm for The Literacy Lab’s mission

START DATE: Position open until filled.

WORK LOCATION: This position will ideally be based in one of The Literacy Lab’s regions (AZ, DC, GA, MA, MD, MO, OH, VA, WI). We will consider applicants from outside of those regions on a case-by-case basis.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: The salary range for this position starts at $105,000, but will be set commensurate with experience. Benefits include a flexible work environment, 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and 50% for dependents, employer-paid short and long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance, a 403b retirement plan, and 120 hours of paid vacation and 240 hours paid of sick and mental-health leave.

WORK DEMANDS: This position may operate remotely with some in-person work and out-of-town travel of approximately 10-20 nights per year for training, staff events, legislative & corporate outreach, and conferences to complete duties and tasks. Performance of duties may occasionally require extended hours, evening or weekend work.

APPLICATION DETAILS: Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references with contact information via email to "jobs@ theliteracylab.org" (with the subject line ATTN: Director of Communications & Marketing).

The Literacy Lab is an equal opportunity employer. The Literacy Lab’s policy is to provide equal opportunity at all times without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical or mental disability, medication, or status as a veteran.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $105,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Remote

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