Senior Manager, Communications

Position Title: Senior Manager, Communications

Status: Full Time

FLSA: Exempt

Location: Hybrid-Washington D.C.

JOB SUMMARY & KEY PRIORITIES:

The Senior Manager, Communications will develop and keep Active Minds content relevant and true to our brand guidelines and help channel the voice of our mental health advocates while also amplifying our organization’s expertise in changing the social norms of mental health. This position will report to the Director, Marketing & Communications and will oversee the Senior Associate of Communications & Storytelling, in addition to collaborating with other staff to tell the Active Minds story.

ABOUT ACTIVE MINDS

Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization mobilizing youth and young adults to change the culture around mental health. Through our presence in more than 1,000 high schools, colleges, and communities, and with a wide-reaching public audience, Active Minds is creating communities of support and saving lives. Founded in 2003 by Alison Malmon after the tragic suicide of her brother, Brian, Active Minds is dedicated to supporting a new generation in ending the silence, helping to make mental health as highly valued as physical health. We approach our work with a racial equity lens and are committed to the continued process of being and becoming a more antiracist and inclusive organization. Through our many programs, we are changing social norms and behaviors related to mental health across the country.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Network Communication & Engagement (45%)

• Manage the editorial calendar strategy for the organization, with a focus on content strategy, creation, and distribution for organizational and program-specific goals (ex: email, blog, social media, etc.).
• Manage a team of up to two communications professionals responsible for content production and distribution (email, newsletters, blog, social media, etc.) to timely and rigorous deadlines.
• Bring thought leadership to the segmentation of Active Minds’ audience, ensuring purposeful content delivery to meet their mental health culture-changing interests, needs, and capacities.
• Lead on creating and perpetuating strong and audience-appropriate voices for Active Minds, keeping the organization true to our reputation for communicating in an approachable way.
• Incorporate data-driven strategies to ensure effective development and dissemination of information as a core part of the Active Minds communications program.
• Develop clear, coordinated processes for the execution of team responsibilities and accountability.
• Stay current on best practices, trends and technologies related to content strategy, creation and communications. With this information, train and inform direct reports and relevant colleagues.

Project Management/MarComm Liaison (40%)

• Serve as the MarComm lead to cross-team projects, campaigns and events including developing and executing a comprehensive strategy (representative of the overall Marketing strategy) and detailed MarComm strategy brief.
• Represent the team in all relevant meetings and communications. Coordinate deliverables with appropriate members of the MarComm team and exercise accountability accordingly.
• Partner with the Director and CMO to support the successful completion of organizational priorities and MarComm goals.
• Develop, lead, and bring to fruition, issue campaigns, often in partnership with colleagues across departments.
• When assigned, represent Active Minds with external stakeholders.
• Develop and keep current the editorial portion of the Active Minds style/brand/marcomm guide(s).

Executive Communications (10%)

• Partner with the Senior Manager, PR to build Active Minds’ position as a thought leader in the industry, including drafting thought leadership content for Active Minds’ senior leaders for story-telling-focused platforms (ex. Medium, LinkedIn).
• Support crisis response efforts in tandem with the Senior Manager, PR.
• Draft the annual Impact Report with support from the Development team and others as appropriate.
• Draft speaking points for Active Minds’ executive leadership when requested.

Additional Responsibilities (5%)

• Participate fully in Active Minds’ Anti-Racism and Inclusion plan, including serving on internal committees and continuing personal growth and knowledge gaining.
• Actively partner and collaborate across Active Minds’ Leadership Team.
• Create and regularly update (keeping current) a central repository of stories that can be used across the organization in multiple ways (including donor communication, media, reporting, etc.)
• Other duties as assigned.

ABOUT YOU

• Natural people person who appreciates that everyone has an important story to tell.
• Talented writer and creative communicator, able to maintain and develop Active Minds’ approachable voice.
• Accustomed to working on multiple multi-pronged projects with different deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to communicate effectively and enthusiastically in person, over the phone, and in writing, and with fellow staff members.
• Belief that equity and social justice are important and driven to hear, reflect, and act on this belief.
• Stickler for details and high quality.
• An AP style devotee
• Self-starter with a positive attitude who enjoys working proactively and thinking creatively.
• Advocate for social entrepreneurship and a believer in the power of youth and young adults to make an impact.

You need to have:

• 5-7 years of nonprofit marketing and communications experience, with a minimum of 1-2 years of direct management experience.
• Knowledge of and experience in managing nonprofit communications, social media, and storytelling.
• Own existing marketing, communications, and media relationships, and/or a willingness to develop new connections for the benefit of Active Minds.
• Fully digital literate, including Microsoft and Google products, all popular social media platforms, and online meeting tools.
• Experience with CRM systems (ex. Salesforce) and other databases a plus.

OUR CULTURE

Active Minds is a place where every employee matters. We value diverse perspectives, radical authenticity, and a community-driven approach. We dream big, offering flexibility to staff while we work to achieve our mission. As such, we are proud to offer competitive salaries and benefits and an environment that is friendly to remote working and life/work balance.

Active Minds is an equal opportunity employer that works to advance racial equity and social justice in an increasingly multicultural and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background, intersectional identities, and lived experiences. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and people with other marginalized identities. Active Minds encourages all to apply for our open positions as we depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.

COMPENSATION

This position offers a salary range of $77,000-$87,333 along with robust benefits. The starting pay for this position is equal to others at the same level throughout the organization. Candidates whose experience meets both the minimum and preferred qualifications may be considered for a starting salary that exceeds the current amount. The role sits within Active Minds Level 4 salary band, and as such, has the potential to grow to $108K over time. FLSA Status: Exempt.

Active Minds has a competitive benefits package that includes Health, Vision and Dental Insurance, Paid Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Holidays, Company Wide Mental Health Days, 401(k) Matching, HSA and FSA Options, Life Insurance, Short Term and Long Term Disability, Fully Paid Parental Leave, Wellness Reimbursement Program, and Professional Development Stipends.

Active Minds recruits, hires, trains, compensates, and promotes our staff regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

​​ACTIVE MINDS RECRUITING PROTOCOLS

• Active Minds will never ask an applicant to send – and Active Minds will never send an applicant - a check or any payment or item of value (such as a gift card) in connection with the interview process or job onboarding process.
• Active Minds will never ask for personal information about an applicant (such as their Social Security number or banking information) until the job onboarding process;
• Active Minds will never extend a job offer without first conducting multiple rounds of video interviews. The Active Minds interview/hiring process will always include at least 3 virtual interviews.
• All legitimate Active Minds job offers are extended verbally by the HR/People & Culture Team.
• If you are expecting an email from Active Minds, please always verify that the sending domain in the email is activeminds.org and NOT any variation of it.
• For further information on how to protect yourself from employment scams, please review these “Consumer Advice” guidelines.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and cover through this application form.