Marketing and Communications Partnerships & Communications Manager
Job Description
Position Title: Partnerships & Communications Manager
Position Status: Full-Time
Location: Chicago, IL
Start Date: October 2021
About Code Nation
Code Nation (codenation.org) brings together a community of students, technologists, teachers, business leaders, and other champions. A movement spanning cities, cultures, and industries, our community builds bridges across social and economic divides and unites people with the power to change each others’ lives.
Founded in 2012, Code Nation equips students with the skills, experiences, and connections that together create access to careers in technology. With a volunteer teaching cohort of professional web and software developers and a network of school and company partners, we provide coding courses and work-based learning programs to students who attend under-resourced high schools. Our industry-aligned curriculum and vast network of supporters provide students with the tech skills and social capital they need to break into the tech workforce.
During the 2020-21 school year, Code Nation reached over 1,300 students in more than 80 classrooms across the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, and New York City. Nearly 350 software developers volunteered their time to work with students in support of our mission. Due to the pandemic, for the first time ever we ran all of our programs 100% virtually. This school year, we intend to return to in-person programming as soon as it’s safe to do so, informed by local health guidelines.
Code Nation is committed to being an inclusive, pro-Black, and anti-racist organization. We believe that anyone can learn to code, and everyone should have access to careers in the thriving tech workforce. Ideal candidates are committed to educational and tech equity and working against institutional inequities in all forms.
About the Role
Code Nation Chicago is seeking a Partnerships & Communications Manager to build strong relationships with a diverse community of corporate partners, foundations, peer organizations, and educational institutions in order to secure donations, facilitate engagement opportunities, and rally volunteers in support of our mission. The Partnerships & Communications Manager will play a key role in the region’s development efforts to raise $1.25 million and support communications and marketing to elevate Code Nation’s brand and reputation in the city of Chicago, the organization’s newest region.
This is a new role on a small, fast-paced, entrepreneurial team and ideal candidates will be versatile and excited to be the wearer of many hats. You’ll be a great fit for this role if you are enthusiastic about taking on new projects, teaching yourself new skills, and embracing challenges with creativity and resourcefulness. Ideal candidates will have an understanding of the steps needed to secure and deepen strategic partnerships and are capable of leveraging existing partner networks to identify new opportunities. They enjoy working with both internal and external stakeholders, and can effectively tailor their communication style to address a wide variety of audiences. Candidates who already have existing connections within Chicago’s tech sector, educational ecosystem, and/or philanthropic circles are preferred.
Responsibilities
- Partner Development & Fundraising Support (20%)
- Work closely with the Chicago Managing Director on execution of Code Nation’s fundraising strategy in pursuit of annual fundraising goal (FY22 goal: $1.25M)
- Lead corporate partner identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to secure company and employee giving as well as meaningful programmatic engagement
- Support Managing Director in managing relationships with a portfolio of other partners, including foundations, peer organizations, and educational institutions
- Provide tactical support for fundraising efforts like grant writing, giving campaigns, and cultivation events
- Track opportunity progress in Salesforce
- Corporate Partner Engagement (50%)
- Work closely with the programs team to identify programmatic partnership needs and with corporate partners to identify engagement opportunities to meet those needs
- Coordinate 20+ field trips to tech companies and collaborate with Program Managers to ensure a positive experience for all stakeholders
- Coordinate planning and execution of annual Hackathon event with deep engagement from corporate partners
- Deliver excellent customer service to partner organizations by addressing challenges and responding to inquiries with timely communication
- Design and implement creative initiatives to deepen Code Nation’s engagement with corporate partners and their employees
- Volunteer Recruitment & Community Building (20%)
- Support efforts to recruit new volunteers into the Code Nation community, with an emphasis on recruitment of web and software engineers from under-represented background in tech
- Regularly host volunteer info sessions and other recruitment events targeted at corporate partners
- Establish partnerships with tech meet-up communities and coordinate regular Code Nation participation
- Support programs team with volunteer community building to ensure strong satisfaction and retention
- Communications & Brand Building (10%)
- Liaise with Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing to support in the local execution of our national communications and marketing strategy
- Tailor national marketing materials to meet local needs
- Research and secure opportunities for the Chicago region to build brand visibility and awareness
- Coordinate Chicago external communications efforts to share stories of local impact and grow our regional community of supporters
Skills and Qualifications
- Demonstrated commitment to educational and tech equity
- 2+ years of experience in fundraising, partnership development, and/or communications & marketing, ideally with a working understanding of all three areas
- Knowledge of and connections within the Chicago tech, educational, and/or philanthropic sectors
- Excellent relationship-building skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts clearly, adapting the message(s) for a range of external audiences
- Strong organizational skills with demonstrated success managing many projects and priorities at once
- Self-motivated, flexible, and entrepreneurial
- Thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative working environment
- Proficiency with Google Suite
- Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM software
- Ability to travel throughout the Chicagoland region and to work extended hours, including weekends on occasion
- Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and, if hired, present proof of vaccination by start date
What You Can Expect
Code Nation has a high-performing culture characterized by our desire to provide our staff members with the support, resources, and information they need to be successful in our organization and in the non-profit field in general. If you take on this position, you can expect to be offered a compensation package, including salary and benefits, that will be commensurate with your experience and competitive within the non-profit sector. Some of the benefits we offer to our staff members include, but are not limited to:
- Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance and a Flex spending account for out of pocket medical costs
- Generous Time Off policy-15 days of paid time off & 14 paid holidays/office closures
- 401k Retirement Plan
- Starting salary range for this position is $60,000 – $65,000 per year.
