Communications Manager

Organizational Information

Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), a national nonprofit organization based in Chicago, is seeking a communications manager to help further its mission to make schools healthier places for children. HSC focuses on issues affecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, and those from under-invested communities, and makes equity part of the public dialogue about education, health and sustainability. HSC advocates for policies and practices that support health and learning, including comprehensive health services, nutritious school food, strong physical activity programs, green schoolyards and clean air at school. HSC has a staff of 14 and an annual budget of $2.7 million.

HSC’s key strategies are to support members of the school community to become agents of change at the school and district levels, advocate for district, state and federal policies, and build the capacity of schools, school districts and other public agencies to better support student health. HSC works with a broad representation of the school community including parents, students, teachers, principals, school nurses and building engineers, and uses the lessons learned to advocate for policy and practice changes nationally, and at the state and local levels. This work takes place at the intersection of health, education, equity and sustainability.

Position Opportunity and Description

HSC is seeking a full-time communications manager to lead the development and implementation of an effective and creative communications plan that builds the organization and supports and promotes HSC’s programs, advocacy, fundraising and brand recognition. The successful candidate will bring a commitment to HSC’s mission; excellent writing and editing skills; very strong design skills; demonstrated skills in managing complex projects and workflows; significant experience developing and implementing social media strategies; experience advancing a nonprofit’s mission and goals; a commitment to racial equity; and a hands-on, collaborative approach. The communications manager will work closely with communications colleagues, senior leadership and program leads.

This position reports to the senior vice president. Specific responsibilities include:

• Working in collaboration with colleagues to develop and successfully implement an annual communications plan, as well as tailored plans for individual programs. The communications manager will be responsible for successfully project managing this work.
• Writing, editing and designing program materials, reports, marketing materials and other communications.
• Managing HSC’s social media channels and writing and designing content.
• Creating dynamic content for HSC’s websites, blogs and newsletters.
• Conducting regular reviews and updates of HSC’s four websites; working with outside vendors on website development and troubleshooting.

Qualifications

• A commitment to HSC’s mission, vision, values and equity priorities.
• A bachelor’s degree and 4+ years post-college experience in a professional communications role required; demonstrated experience in a communications role with a nonprofit organization that engages in advocacy preferred.
• Highly organized, team-oriented person with demonstrated success in complex project management across multiple teams and projects required.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills, and experience writing for a diverse set of audiences and in a variety of styles, required.
• Very strong design and technology skills required. Applicants are required to have advanced skills with the following:
  • Adobe Creative Suite (specifically InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator)
  • Wordpress
  • Social media channels and management platforms (Hootsuite preferred)
  • Project management and workflow tools (Trello preferred)
  • Email marketing software (Mailchimp preferred)
  • Google Workspace
• Experience with data management systems preferred (HSC uses Salesforce).

Additional requirements

• The HSC team works both from the organization’s downtown Chicago office and remotely; candidates must have a functioning home office space for remote work and be able to regularly travel to the Chicago Loop and other sites around Chicago. Occasional out of state travel is required as well.
• This position is only open to Chicago-area candidates or candidates who are relocating to the Chicago area (relocation resources are not available).
• This position will require working some nights and weekends.
• This position requires some meeting and event setup and support. Candidates should be comfortable lifting at least 25 pounds (accommodations can be made if needed).
• Candidates must be willing to submit to background checks.
• This position is required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19; accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis pursuant to individual employee situation or applicable state or local law.

The salary range for this position is $60,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on experience. Benefits package includes employer-paid medical, dental and disability insurance, 6% employer matching contribution to a retirement plan after one year of employment and paid vacation and sick leave.

Working at Healthy Schools Campaign

In addition to a competitive salary, benefits and the opportunity to work with a collaborative and dedicated team, there are a few more things that make HSC a great place to work:

• A commitment to team building and organizational culture.
• A focus on equity and anti-racist work.
• A flexible schedule that allows team members to be productive at work and focus on other priorities as well. This includes supporting and providing flexibility for new parents/caregivers.
• Individual health insurance premiums are 100% funded on the standard plan (employees still pay deductibles and other costs depending on the plan). Contribution to family coverage begins in year two, with 100% paid coverage on the standard plan after five years.
• A home office stipend.
• Additional days off when the office closes at the end of the year.