Marketing and Communications Senior Manager, Communications
Job Description
About Great MN Schools
We work to ensure that every child is able to attend an excellent and equitable school that prepares them to thrive in their lives, careers, and communities.
Great schools that enroll kids from low-income backgrounds make a difference. These students grow academically at twice the rate, are twice as likely to graduate, and are six times as likely to earn a postsecondary degree. We focus on developing and sustaining great schools in Minneapolis for all students through:
- Creating more high-performing schools for underserved communities. Our school-centered approach starts with identifying schools with strong leaders and culture, and helping them diagnose their strengths and gaps. We facilitate the development of a strategic roadmap, and surround schools with support to ensure the implementation of strategic interventions and evidence-based solutions.
- Building community partnerships to support underserved families’ ability to navigate K-12 systems. We work with community organizations to provide families with helpful tools and resources, resulting in families choosing better options for their children, stronger family-school relationships and stronger schools.
- Advancing proven solutions toward more high-performing schools. We elevate what’s possible, and engage the community as partners in change.
By working alongside schools and supporting families, we’re committed to transforming education equity for students—of all backgrounds—and elevating what’s possible.
Position description
Great MN Schools has reached a pivotal moment in its development as an organization. In order to achieve the results we envision for Minneapolis students and schools, we need to reach a wider variety of stakeholders with messages that build support for our mission and persuade key audiences to take action. Our Senior Manager of Communications will serve as the architect of communications plans and deliverables that support the organization’s broad goals. This position will report to the Senior Director of External Affairs, with a dotted-line relationship with the Vice President of Community Engagement.
As an individual contributor, the Senior Manager of Communications will excel at content creation, sharing, and amplification; prioritization and project management; collaborating with influence; and developing and implementing strategic and creative integrated marketing and communications plans.
We are a small team that works collaboratively to reach our goals, under the direction of a highly engaged leadership team and active board. The Senior Manager of Communications will be adept at presenting and defending the rationale for recommendations and decisions, and developing the team’s understanding of communications principles and strategy.
Our organizational values are identified below. In addition, we value continuous learning and improvement and provide both formal and informal opportunities for our staff to grow within their roles. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our team and as a guiding principle of our interactions with stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- In partnership with the Senior Director of External Affairs, the Vice President of Community Engagement, and others, develop an integrated marketing and communications plan aligned with the organization’s strategic goals
- Advocate for approaches that will meet our stakeholders where they are and build awareness of and support for our mission, goals, and priorities
- Use existing research and coordinate additional research and engagement as needed to understand our core audiences and tailor messages effectively
- Develop content that blends technical and persuasive writing with storytelling, identifying ways to foster emotional connections with our audiences while reflecting our key messages
- Identify and advocate for opportunities to bring organizational priorities and communications into strategic alignment
- Maintain digital marketing platforms such as Great MN Schools’ websites (greatmnschools.org and minneapolisschoolfinder.org) and social-media platforms, including writing and designing web content and social media content
- Write, edit, design, and distribute routine email communications and email campaigns for a variety of audiences
- Develop content for and and project-manage the creation of print and digital materials such as annual reports
- Support event production through communications tasks such as creating invitations and leave-behinds as well as drafting talking points, etc.
- Develop key messages, position statements, opinion pieces, etc. related to our external affairs priorities including legislation, policy, and candidacy
- Design and develop new communications strategies to reach new audiences and engage them in our priorities (e.g., podcasts, media partnerships, toolkits, etc.)
Qualifications
The ideal candidate has a proven track record in communications, journalism, public relations, or a relevant field, and has a minimum of five years of experience within progressively responsible roles in integrated marketing and communications. They bring the following skills and personal characteristics:
Skills
- Exceptional content-creation skills, including writing for a wide variety of audiences and channels – social media, web, email, media relations, presentations, reports, etc. – with a high standard of excellence
- Flexibility to move seamlessly between strategy, implementation, and analysis as well as between creative and technical content creation
- Assisted graphic design skills within platforms such as Canva
- Photography and video production and editing skills are a plus
- Planning, implementation, monitoring, and analysis within social-media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
- Proficiency within content management systems such as Gutenberg (a WordPress product), customer relationships management platforms such as Bloomerang, and email systems such as Mailchimp
- Experience managing multiple priorities simultaneously with strong attention to detail and ability to operate independently and in collaboration with others
- Experience collaborating with external consultants and contractors (e.g., graphic designers, videographers, printers)
Personal Characteristics
- Strong commitment to Great MN Schools’ mission and organizational values
- Mission: To ensure every child attends a great school that prepares them to thrive in their lives, careers, and community
- Guiding principle: We center on creating equitable, sustainable outcomes for kids
- Values: Honesty, Inclusivity, Intentionality, Courage, and Collaboration
- Growth mindset
- Takes initiative; a self-starter
- Motivated by supporting others to collectively achieve organizational goals
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and experience applying an equity lens to their work
- Enthusiasm, team orientation, and positive energy
Location
Great MN Schools maintains offices in the North Loop Minneapolis WeWork office located at 729 N. Washington Avenue. Team members work from the office two days per week, with the flexibility to access WeWork and/or work remotely on the other work days.
Compensation
$75,000-$90,000, plus a competitive benefits package, including 401K match, health, vision, and dental insurance, disability coverage, and access to HSA and FSA plans. Employees are also eligible for the team bonus program, designed to support collaboration and collective ownership, and to recognize shared impact on organizational goals.
Great MN Schools is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity within our team. We encourage applicants who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and people from households with low incomes to apply.
