The Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) is seeking an experienced, adaptable, and high-energy Director of Communications to develop and implement communications strategies to broaden the awareness and impact of CCE’s programs and build CCE’s brand. The individual will lead all internal and external communications, build brand strategy, and content development. As part of a dynamic team, the Director of Communications contributes to the success of several major initiatives that are changing the face of education in communities across the country.
This position will actively participate in our ongoing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion work. We are committed to centering communities in all aspects of our work, operating with a racial equity lens, building collaborative relationships with our partners, and continuously improving. As an organization we are actively reflecting on and improving our internal culture and developing our competencies to support and work with organizations, schools, and districts.
The position will report directly to the Executive Director and works collaboratively with the senior leadership team to shape the future of CCE. As an organization with a national scope and a flexible working style, we prioritize hiring the best person for each role, regardless of geography. Occasional travel may be required. The role is a full-time, remote position.
If you are passionate about helping communities and building a better playing field for educational opportunities, solving complex problems, thinking creatively, and helping communities strengthen their cultures through education, we’d love to speak with you!
The Director of Communications will be an adaptive senior leader with demonstrated experience and success in using communications strategies to bring an organization’s strategy alive. Primary responsibilities include:
- Lead the development and implementation of a communication strategy to support CCE’s mission by:
- Leading communication planning and systems that cross the organization, supporting CCE’s goals and programs
- Developing a marketing and communications plan to tell the stories emerging from CCE’s work with its partners
- Managing multiple projects from conception to completion by anticipating challenges and ensuring deadline and budget adherence
- Applying or creating tools and templates that contribute to our communications effectiveness
- Collecting data and tracking outcomes of the communications and marketing strategy
- Develop and implement an earned media strategy to amplify the stories emerging from CCE’s work with its partners by:
- Writing press releases and managing incoming media requests
- Preparing key messaging talking points and preparing staff for interviews
- Developing proactive media pitches, such as letters to the editor, op-eds, blog posts
- Tracking all CCE media outreach, placements, and mentions
- Manage the production and dissemination process for all publications, including overseeing timelines, graphic design, editorial calendars, launch, and outreach by:
- Collaborating with CCE staff and partners on the development of publications, including reports, presentations, newsletters, features, blog posts, press releases, and articles
- Developing a CCE style guide
- Tailoring publications to match expected audiences
- Building and managing relationships with community partners, organizational colleagues, vendors, and contractors
- Copyediting all external materials
- Create and implement a social media and website strategy to strengthen the brand and engage CCE’s community on social media by:
- Collaborating with staff to plan, create, and publish engaging content that resonates with the communities that CCE works with and builds thought leadership
- Developing and implementing CCE-specific social media communications programs, projects, and strategies
- Providing day-to-day social media support for CCE
- Collecting and analyzing social media analytics metrics using data and insights to help inform the development of CCE communication strategies
- Providing support for social listening, monitoring, and community management, and developing best practice strategies for proactive engagement and risk mitigation
- Managing the CCE website by making content updates and ensuring consistency of message
- Drafting, developing, and trafficking social media content that is on-brand and within budget parameters
- Providing ongoing review and audit of CCE website pages to ensure that they are reflective of the most updated language, guidelines, and resources
- Liaising with website developers to communicate necessary changes and updates, including building copy documents and creating website tickets for implementation
- Writing website content including long-form website copy for the creation of new pages or significant updates to existing pages, updates to existing website copy, titles, or metadata descriptions to help improve SEO
- Liaising with SMEs in research and communities to update website pages and tool language, ensuring adherence to brand guidelines
The Director of Communications must demonstrate deep experience and passion in developing and implementing a robust communications strategy. CCE is looking for a diligent worker who seeks out challenges, is prepared to overcome obstacles, and who has the vision, the practical expertise, and collaborative team-building skills to get the work done. The successful candidate for the position of Director of Communications should have the following qualifications, knowledge, and skills:
- A passion for and commitment to working with schools, districts, and communities to increase educational equity so that all students succeed and all communities thrive
- A deep understanding of and commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and record of implementing systems to support these values
- Proven experience and success in a communications and marketing position Experience in the non-profit and/or K-12 public education sector preferred
- Experience supervising, mentoring, and developing staff
- Ability to write and edit using consistent messaging, tone, and organizational style with attention to requirements for different audiences and the ability to simplify complex information. Must have strong copy editing skills. Comfortable sharing a point of view
- Demonstrated project management skills with ability to work independently and as a collaborator, to take initiative, and to manage multiple tasks and projects at the same time
- Purposeful orientation, with evidence of capacity to make good decisions independently and in collaboration with others
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Google Drive, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), WordPress, Salesforce, and email targeting tools
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills and ability to work well in a collaborative environment with diverse stakeholders
- A well-rounded interpersonal skill set with the capacity to collaborate with many diverse stakeholders within the organization, work effectively and collaboratively in a team environment, and facilitate joint problem-solving with the team
- Flexibility as a leader who can operate at a highly strategic level, but can also perform tactical communications-related responsibilities
- A highly self-motivated work style and willingness to proactively take on roles within project teams and the organization
- Comfort with and interest in joining a small, entrepreneurial organization with a flexible working environment
- Ability to thoughtfully give and receive feedback, and experience doing so
- Bachelor’s degree and experience in the field
CCE offers a competitive salary as well as health and dental insurance; generous paid time off including sick time, vacation days, floating holidays, and personal time; 403(b) with employer match; flexible spending accounts; and internet services and cell phone subsidies. The salary range for this position is $85,000 to $105,000 based on skills and experience. CCE offers a virtual (work from home) office environment with in-person meetings as needed and travel on occasion (up to 10%) primarily in New England and sometimes to other areas of the U.S. Further information about the Center for Collaboration Education can be found at our website: https://www.cce.org.
To be considered for this position, please submit a cover letter and resume using this website (https://cce.tfaforms.net/72). Interviews and performance tasks will be conducted virtually via video conferencing and online platforms.
The Center for Collaborative Education is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and is committed to diversity in the workplace.