Director, Communications

Director of Communications  

About this role: 

 Eat. Learn. Play. is transforming the school experience for a generation of Oakland students. We help to provide the resources kids need to reach their full potential, including access to nutritious food, high-dosage tutoring, and physical activity. We also transform school spaces to ensure kids have equitable access to dignified, joyful places to eat, learn, and play including schoolyards, cafeterias, libraries, and gyms. 

Reporting to the VP, Marketing & Communications, the Director of Communications will work closely with our Leadership team to develop a communications strategy that advances the organization’s goals and helps boost our visibility, awareness, and engagement. The Director will play a key role in shaping our voice and image, as well as communicating the journey of our diverse range of work in the community to our internal team and external audiences by leading the execution of the communications strategy. This role will quarterback a wide range of unique and compelling content that advances our strategic priorities and continues to elevate the Eat. Learn. Play. brand across many channels and with many audiences  

 If you are a communications strategist who is able to take a story line from concept to clear and compelling written content at a newsroom pace, then we invite you to apply.   We are looking for candidates who can think strategically about our stories, audiences and platforms while also helping to produce the content we need to execute our strategy.   

 
Responsibilities: 

Develop and lead our internal and external communication strategy 

• Work closely with the leadership team to develop an internal and external communications strategy that achieves the organization’s goals and priorities 

• Proactively connect the dots between our Impact, Development and Communications teams to ensure that we have stories to tell about a wide range of our investments, the successes we are seeing and future opportunities that advance our organizational priorities.  

• Work collaboratively with partners, donors and staff to identify and tell stories that elevate the journey, progress and outcomes of the people who are directly benefiting from our programmatic work. 

• Develop and execute a plan to collect and share progress updates on our investments—large and small—to keep our staff in-the-loop on developments within our work. 

Ensure high quality implementation of the communications strategy 

• Implement and evaluate the annual communications plan with an emphasis on generating high quality content at a fast pace 

• Transform the complex work of Eat. Learn. Play. into digestible, compelling narratives that engage, inspire, and motivate.  

• Create and/or manage vendors to create engaging and persuasive copy for content such as emails, newsletters, video scripts, impact reports, marketing collateral, ELP’s website and ad copy. 

• Put communications vehicles in place to create momentum and awareness as well as to test the effectiveness of communications activities 

• Proactively support the Program and Development teams to develop portfolio-specific communications plans and share relevant information and outcomes. 

• Contribute to the planning and execution of communication campaigns to support fundraising events, advocacy initiatives, and awareness programs in line with our organizational strategy. 

• Coordinate webpage maintenance—ensure that new and consistent information (article links, stories, and events) is posted regularly 

• Track and measure the level of engagement within the network over time 

Ensure the consistency of our Brand and Voice 

• Maintain a consistent brand voice and image across all written content.  

• Act as a brand steward, ensuring all content aligns with the brand’s established tone, style, and messaging guidelines. 

• Partner cross-functionally with other internal team members, departments including development, operations, and programs, and external partners to ensure copy complements and enhances other elements of our brand content. 

Work Experience: 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred in Journalism, English, Marketing, Public Relations, or a related field. 

• Experience: 10+ years of relevant experience, preferably within the nonprofit or corporate sectors. Your experience should have honed your ability to craft persuasive, engaging copy that drives consumer action. 

Required Skills & Abilities: 

• Communication Skills: Strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with team members from various departments and brand stakeholders, interpreting their input into your writing and explaining your copy decisions. 

• Project Management Skills: Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. 

• Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail in both your writing and editing processes. You should have a keen eye for spotting errors and inconsistencies. 

• Portfolio: Strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in creating compelling, action orientated copy. Your portfolio should showcase your ability to write for various brands, demonstrating a range of tones and styles. 

• Audience Understanding: An understanding of crafting copy that resonates with specific target audiences, driving them. 

• Adaptability: Ability to adapt your writing style to different brands and audiences, rapidly switching between different brand voices and product categories. Able to thrive in a fast-paced, growing, and dynamic organization. 

• SEO Knowledge: While this role is focused on copywriting rather than SEO, a basic understanding of SEO principles and how they can be applied to copy is necessary. 

Salary Range: $125,000 - $145,000