Communications Associate

ACLS Mission and Overview

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS’ core principle is that knowledge is a public good. As such, ACLS strives to promote the circulation of humanistic knowledge throughout society. In addition to stewarding and representing its member organizations, ACLS employs its endowment and $34 million annual operating budget to support scholarship in the humanities and social sciences and to advocate for its central role in the twenty-first century.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Communications and working closely with the Communications Manager and staff across the organization, the Communications Associate will be directly and actively involved in the implementation of ACLS communications strategy.

Responsibilities include:

Content Development

Web

• Draft new web content, including announcements and awardee profiles, and update existing pages
• Coordinate new content for and update ACLS Scholarly Resource pages with ACLS awardees
• Draft community announcements and newsletter content

Social Media

• Draft and assist in scheduling strategizing social media content, and conducting research and analytics
• Draft social media toolkits and resources for stakeholders and community members

Graphic Design

• Develop templates in Canva for use by Communications team and all staff
• Develop simple graphics for web, social media, newsletter, and other external facing platforms

E-Marketing, Research, and Analysis

• Coordinate Mailchimp email and newsletter lists and campaigns
• Conduct research on and create reports tracking paid content opportunities, targets, and performance
• Research search terms and update Yoast SEO tool for ACLS website
• Monitor and analyze website, social media, and email campaign metrics

Media Outreach

• Maintain and monitor core outreach lists
• Coordinate content and distribution of quarterly media updates

Project and Asset Coordination

• Maintain WordPress media library
• Coordinate asset requests and permissions for use from awardees, event speakers, and partners
• Review and update video captions and image alt text for accessibility
• Draft project briefs and update and monitor Wrike project management tool for cross-departmental initiatives
• Assist in coordinating and trafficking materials for large projects including the annual report, publications, and other projects
• Manage and maintain ACLS digital asset library and staff resources including branding and style guide

Additional Responsibilities

• Schedule, take and maintain notes, and provide related logistical support for internal and external meetings, presentations and workshops
• Participates in providing technical support and training and assisting staff in best practices
• Assist with credit card reconciliation, external vendor agreements, payment processing, and budget tracking
• Assist with proofreading of press releases, reports, and presentations
• Performs related duties & responsibilities as needed

Qualifications

• At least one year of communications experience
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, WordPress, Canva, and Mailchimp
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Creative, solutions-oriented mindset
• Ability to work collaboratively, as well as independently
• Excellent ability to navigate multiple priorities and deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Proactive in connecting and communicating with internal colleagues and external partners
• Willingness and flexibility to take on emerging project needs
• Interest or experience in issues and challenges facing the humanities and interpretive social sciences
• Eagerness to learn more about operations for nonprofit communications practices

Benefits and Salary

• ACLS is currently operating on a hybrid schedule, with in office presence up to 2-6 times a month. Staff are expected to be available during ACLS’s normal hours of operation, from 9am-5pm ET.
• Salary range: $55,000 - $60,000, commensurate with experience
• ACLS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision, 403B, life insurance and disability, and generous time off benefits.