Communications Manager

The Partnership for College Completion (PCC) seeks a purpose-driven Communications Manager. Working alongside and reporting to the Senior Communications Manager, the Communications Manager will work with the PCC staff and leadership team to develop and execute communication strategies and campaigns in all three mission priority areas–policy, institutional change, and data and research. This individual will help create compelling narratives across the multiple facets of the organization’s work

About PCC

PCC is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 to champion policies and practices that increase college completion and eliminate degree completion disparities for low-income, first generation, and students of color in Illinois – particularly Black and Latinx students. PCC is the only organization in Illinois dedicated to providing leadership for a systems-level approach to support college completion and eliminate institutional inequities by race and income in higher education outcomes. Since its founding, the organization has played a central role in initiating a new, urgent conversation on higher education equity in the state.

PCC envisions a state where equitable opportunities to access and complete a college education lead to greater degree attainment, racial equity, and socioeconomic mobility for Illinoisans. With our steadfast focus on system-level reform and institutional change, PCC executes a unique three-part strategy in pursuit of its goals:

• Supporting colleges and universities directly in their institutional equity change efforts
• Advocating for effective local, state, and national policy and legislation
• Conducting and elevating data and research to increase awareness and public dialogue on present challenges and future solutions for advancing higher education equity

Position Summary

This role involves developing and executing communication strategies in PCC’s key areas: policy, institutional change, and data/research. The Communications Manager will create compelling narratives to highlight the organization’s work and collaborate with both internal teams and external partners. The role requires balancing multiple priorities while ensuring effective messaging across various platforms. The ideal candidate will be a strong communicator, able to work in a fast-paced environment and manage competing demands efficiently.

Duties & Responsibilities Overview

• Contribute to the development and execution of communications strategies across the organization while testing, measuring, and evaluating the impact of various approaches
• Assist with publicly elevating PCC’s work and output, positioning PCC as a thought leader and as the go-to source of information for policy and practice change related to higher education equity
• Work across PCC teams to regularly produce timely and relevant communications output in multiple forms (e.g. web-based content, newsletters, reports, fact sheets, letters)
• Collaborate with external partners, local and state legislators, and others in the development of messaging, toolkits, and other resources
• Work with individual teams and departments to support communications strategies for PCC-led events
• Assist in drafting media releases, letters, speeches, and other communications
• Support team members in preparing for media engagements, public speaking opportunities, and other events at which PCC leaders provide thought leadership
• Manage multiple projects from start to their launch simultaneously, coordinating work from within and outside our organization
• Ability and willingness to travel within Illinois, including to meetings and events, campus visits, and trips to the Illinois state capitol
• Other duties as assigned

Candidate Disposition

• Strong commitment to and alignment with PCC’s mission and familiarity with the priority areas of the organization
• Commitment to PCC Core Beliefs:
  • Higher Education is a Fundamental Right for All Who Seek It – Our country will never realize the promise of equal opportunity for all without focusing on equity in higher education.
  • Systems are Flawed – Our systems are getting the results that they were designed to achieve and result in large gaps in degree completion that must be closed with urgency.
  • All Students Can Succeed – When given the right opportunities, tools and supports, all students can achieve.
  • Solutions and Resources Exist to Address Disparities – There is ample evidence that focusing time and resources on closing equity gaps in higher education works.
  • The Pursuit of Equity is a Marathon – Invest opportunities to ensure that your mental, physical, and emotional health are a priority.
• Development-oriented mindset – reflective, self-aware, open and responsive to feedback and driven to learn from setbacks
• Generative and able to thrive while working individually and as part of a team to advance mission-centered priorities in a lean, highly-collaborative, high-volume, and entrepreneurial environment

Basic Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public policy or a related major
• 3-5 years of professional, full-time experience in communications, marketing, journalism or related disciplines
• A deep-rooted interest in public policy, non-profit and/or social justice
• Proven written and verbal communication skills
• Experience creating digital media content for an organization
• Experience posting content on an online publishing site, preferably WordPress
• Experience in editing visual assets using Adobe Creative Suite (i.e. InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator etc.) or Canva
• Experience with Microsoft Office
• Experience with Google Workplace

Preferred Additional Qualifications

• Prior experience working in organizations focused on public policy, non-profit and/or social justice
• Prior experience in successfully developing and placing media pitches
• Basic video editing experience
• Basic HTML knowledge
• Experience with email marketing tools

If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for the Communications Manager is $60,000 – $70,000 commensurate with experience, along with a generous benefits plan that includes health/dental; 403B plan with a generous company match (up to 5%); short and long-term disability; holiday, vacation, and sick accrual; flexible, hybrid work schedule; paid parental leave; access to professional and wellness opportunities; a number of other elective and competitive benefits such as vision insurance.

Commitment to Diversity

The Partnership for College Completion is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to building a diverse team and to engaging the skills and leadership of people of color, individuals from low-income households, LGBTQ+ persons, differently-abled people, and others that hold identities that represent the significant diversity of college students in Illinois. People from these and other historically marginalized backgrounds and communities are strongly encouraged to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!

Virtual and In-Office Workplace

PCC currently maintains a flexible, hybrid work environment.

COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccination and corresponding documentation must be provided by all employees in advance of their start date.

Please send your resume and cover letter, with the subject line “Communications Manager” to apply@partnershipfcc.org. Resumes will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

PCC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on sex, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.