Communications Manager

Overview

Position Overview

College Track seeks a smart, detail-oriented, and entrepreneurial Communications Manager who is passionate about telling the story of unlocking every student’s potential through the power of a college degree. This is a full-time position at our national office in Oakland, California. Reporting to Director of Communications, the Communications Manager will be responsible for executing College Track’s communications strategies for internal and external communications. College Track has grown at a rapid rate and will continue to grow in scale over the next four years—to a $40 million annual budget, 400 full-time and part-time staff, 5,000 students, 1400 alumni, and 13 centers nationwide. This role will support the promotion of College Track’s values to all internal and external stakeholders including full-time and part-time employees, students, families, philanthropists, school districts, community groups, college and corporate partners, and media outlets. 

The Communications Manager will primarily be responsible for carrying out College Track’s communications strategy via email newsletters, social media campaigns, print campaigns, digital media campaigns, and maintaining the organization’s communications resources. The Communications Manager will also support integrated marketing and communication products in tandem with the Marketing & Communications team, such as print publications, marketing collateral, web pages, advertising campaigns, videos, and event programs.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

Internal Communications (60%) 

• Draft, circulate for approval, and integrate edits on copy, and manage address lists and recipient groups, for a large portfolio of internal email newsletters
• Assist with presentations and other materials for All-Team Meetings
• Assess intake, assign tickets, and follow up on internal communications requests via Zendesk
• Regularly update internal web pages and documents 
• Provide input on leveraging internal communications to create a vibrant culture where staff feel valued, appreciated, and informed, which, in turn, attracts and retains top-tier, mission-driven talent.

External Communications (30%)

• Draft social media posts, brochure copy, fact sheets, talking points, and other materials
• Copy edit and proofread reports, brochures, event programs, and other marketing products
• Give feedback on organizational videos 
• Update public website as needed
• Assist with the preparation and distribution of press releases and media advisories 
• Work with site support staff to write student case studies for story bank and social media

Communications Department Management (10%)

• Proactively establish and maintain effective working relationships with personnel in all departments across the organization and select counterparts at external partners
• In accordance with Key Performance Indicators, assist with measuring, tracking, and reporting the success of marketing and communications tactics, working in tandem with our Organizational Performance department.
• Draft, disseminate, and analyze surveys designed to measure effectiveness of internal communications vehicles 
• Participate in the MarCom department’s strategic planning process, including annual summits, in conjunction with the org-wide annual planning process.

Skills & Experience Required

First and foremost, the Communications Manager must be deeply passionate about College Track’s Vision for Impact: to produce college graduates who maximize their potential, become role models in their communities, and inspire others with our approach and results. Additionally, candidates must possess the following qualifications:

• Strong identification—personally and/or professionally—with our students’ life experiences and demonstrated commitment to social justice and educational equity.
• At least 3-5 years of communications experience, preferably in corporate or employee communications, B2C communications, education, or social justice organizations on a national level.
• Demonstrated expertise in digital marketing and social media campaigns, including the ability to leverage analytics to measure the effectiveness of marketing and communications strategies.
• Exceptional and inspiring writing and communications skills; passion for word play, with a knack for design and art-direction.
• Proven track record of excelling in a fast-paced, high-volume, self-directed, resource-constrained environment.
• Reliable decision-making capabilities: able to weigh information and make complex decisions on the fly and manage through ambiguity.
• Superior project management skills, including the ability to self-manage work plans, timelines, and budgets.
• Ability to toggle between the 50,000-foot and 5,000-foot views
• Positive, proactive, solutions-oriented disposition with exceptional ability to collaborate with all levels of staff, across all departments in the organization.
• High level of self-awareness, humility, and emotional intelligence; skilled at giving and receiving constructive feedback to and from direct reports and peers.
• Highly adept at Constant Contact, MailChimp, Monday.com, Classy, Joomag, or other comparable digital communication platforms.
• Expert user of Google for Business Suite, MS Office, and Box programs and tools.
• Basic familiarity with design programs such as Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, or other comparable tools.
• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in marketing, communications, journalism, or related fields preferred.

Additional Requirements

College Track requires that the holder of this position be fully vaccinated, and boosted (if eligible), against COVID-19, as defined by the CDC. College Track will require proof of vaccination and a booster shot from all future employees. New hires who are booster eligible but have not yet received the booster shot will have 60 days from their date of hire to do so.

 

College Track works to remove barriers for first generation college students on their journey to college completion. Our commitment to removing barriers for first generation college students doesn’t stop when college ends. While we hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, we especially encourage applicants who identify as first-generation college graduates to apply for open opportunities on staff. 

College Track is an equal opportunity employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce. College Track does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.