Director of Marketing & Communications

Job description

JVS is a non-profit, non-sectarian agency. Our mission is to empower individuals from diverse communities to find employment and build careers; and to partner with employers to hire, develop and retain productive workforces. JVS provides a broad range of services including adult education, skills training, job readiness training, job placement and support, and access to post-secondary education. JVS assists employers in their search for well-qualified job applicants and their initiatives to upgrade the skills of their incumbent workforce. ### POSITION SUMMARY The Director of Marketing and Communications reports to the Senior Vice President of Policy & Advancement and serves as the lead strategist and implementor of JVS’s marketing and communications activities, from ideation through to measurement. This role ensures the marketing & communication function supports JVS’s organizational priorities, enrollment goals, engaging new employer partners, and fundraising efforts, while keeping all activities connected to the organization’s mission and vision. The Director develops and oversees campaigns to reach key new and current audiences and strengthen JVS’s reputation as the largest, oldest workforce development agency in New England. They provide strategic vision on agency-wide initiatives, from program marketing and storytelling to business development, advancement campaigns, and public relations. This role owns brand management efforts and brings deep marketing & communication expertise and the capacity to try new things, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategic vision. The Director leads a three-person team, made up of one Digital Marketing Specialist and one Marketing Analytics Specialist, along with managing relationships with external vendors for public relations, design, photography, videography, and print collateral. ### ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS **Strategy and Brand Management** - Lead the ongoing implementation and improvement of JVS’s marketing and communication strategy, with a vision rooted in JVS’s mission and strategic priorities. - Develop, implement, and evaluate an integrated marketing plan that incorporates market research, audience segmentation, targeted outreach, and measurable digital outcomes. - Support brand integrity across all JVS’s internal and external messaging, ensuring consistent voice, visual identity, and tone to strengthen brand awareness - Translate data, anecdotes, and other sources of information into compelling visual stories that deepen audience engagement, support fundraising efforts, and demonstrate JVS’s impact on people’s lives. **Program Marketing** - Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of marketing campaigns across owned and earned channels — including email, social media, web, fundraising appeals, and events — to increase audience growth, conversions, and program enrollments. - Develop processes and procedures for collaboration with program staff to support with recruitment, enrollments, and storytelling to share about programmatic impact. - Produce regular reports and dashboards to track engagements, conversions, and enrollments to improve marketing efforts. **Fundraising Communications** - Collaborate with the Advancement team to draft, build, and send fundraising appeal emails. - Oversee the creation and delivery of email marketing campaigns for donors, lapsed donors, and prospective donors to increase engagements. - Oversee the ideation, design, development, and print of event-specific collateral, invitations, and more. - Support with fundraising efforts by providing copywriting support, drafting appeals, completing design work, and more. **Digital & Print** - Oversee social media strategy, including platform-specific approaches, content calendars, and performance analysis. - Oversee the editing, layout, design, and copywriting for all external materials, including Annual Impact Reports, brochures, flyers, the website, and more. - Oversee, manage, and update the JVS website, including content updates, new page builds, and SEO traffic. - Thoughtfully implement emerging technologies to improve team workflows and strengthen reporting capabilities. - Leverage Salesforce Pardot, Sprout Social, Asana, and other platforms to execute campaigns, track metrics, and manage project progress. **Team Leadership and Development** - Manage, mentor, and develop two direct reports, including goal setting, professional development, and fostering creativity, collaboration, accountability, and excellence. - Oversee scheduling and project prioritization across all marketing, communications, and creative content work, from conception through final delivery. **Cross-Functional Collaboration** - Sustain relationships with departments across JVS, including the advancement team, IT team, programmatic teams, People & Culture, and the policy team, to provide timely, effective, and robust marketing and communication support. - Serve as a member of the agency’s internal public policy team to provide strategic communications direction on how to communicate policy changes and legislation updates to staff, employers, and community partners. - Provide strategic consultation and communication support to the executive team, including internal communications, remarks and speeches, quotes and press releases, strategic communication counsel, and vision setting for the agency. - Manage media relations by cultivating story ideas, developing relationships with journalists, managing relationships with public relations consultants, and tracking media coverage. - Manage relationships and budgets with external vendors, agencies, and partners. ### MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Proficient in Salesforce and Salesforce Pardot - Robust knowledge of the media and news landscape in Greater Boston - Excellent writing and editing skills - Proficient in graphic design tools, such as Canva and Adobe Suite - Excellent leadership skills - Project management skills - Website development skills, including SEO, rank math, HTML, and Wordpress experience - Analytical acumen and ability to translate complex data into understandable reports, visualizations, and metrics - Ability to collaborate effectively across teams to produce high-quality communications and marketing materials in timely fashion - Ability to juggle multiple competing deadlines and priorities at once ### EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED - Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in marketing, communications, or related field. Graduate-level degree preferred but not required. - Minimum of 5 years of experience in communications and marketing - Experience marketing programs to complex audiences and vulnerable populations - Experience with fundraising appeals, events, and other fundraising communications activities - Demonstrated experience overseeing a team - Expertise in marketing strategy, brand management, and market research - Experience developing marketing campaigns across paid and earned channels - Eye for visual design and aesthetics ### PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - Background in nonprofit marketing and experience/knowledge of JVS’s primary audiences - Experience building and launching new campaigns - Experience working in the nonprofit or workforce development sector - Comfort with emerging technologies, project management tools, and workflow software.