Senior Manager of Development & Communications

LOCATION OF POSITION:
Remote. Northeast is highly preferred. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Research shows that qualified talent from historically marginalized groups often self-select out of applying to positions if they don't meet all the qualifications listed. Consider this description our best thinking at the moment. Strong candidates may not meet all the requirements but still have valuable experience and expertise to offer. If you believe you could be a strong candidate, please apply!

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

An increasing number of Americans – most of whom are women and people of color – are employed in service sector jobs that are marked by low wages, no health care, job insecurity, and lack of training and career advancement opportunities. The SEIU Education & Support Fund
tackles these issues by designing and facilitating worker-centered, relationship-based, and accessible education, training and workforce development programs.  We serve as a strategic partner to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and collaborate with other unions, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and employers to help workers access good jobs and spark positive social change. Throughout our work, we promote a culture of empowerment that honors experience, culture, diversity, and inclusion. 

POSITION SUMMARY

As the Senior Manager of Development & Communications, you will help create and develop the strategic vision and plan for external relations for the organization. In partnership with the Chief Advancement Officer, you will lead communications and fundraising for the organization with the goal of externally building awareness of ESF throughout various audiences, leading to increased visibility and revenue growth. 

The Senior Manager plays a pivotal leadership role in defining and executing SEIU ESF’s communications, while also focusing on the strategic growth and operationalization of the organization’s funding model through comprehensive grant development and management. 

This new position will collaborate with team members and colleagues in other departments to develop a narrative to be used across ESF communications and branding, including social media, website, print, and outreach materials for various stakeholders and constituencies, as well as for grant proposals and reports.

The ideal candidate is a stellar project manager, deadline-driven, and a strong writer and editor. They will be both a big-picture strategic and creative thinker and a doer willing to take on large and small tasks to achieve shared goals. They should be a communications or development generalist with an interest in both fields.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Development

• Works closely with the CAO to develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy to secure public and private support for SEIU ESF and its programs
• Manage the grant application process, from timeline creation, to working with staff to develop compelling grant narratives, to submission and follow-up
• Research and identify grant opportunities aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic goals
• Explore and track external partnerships and possible collaborations

Communications

• Work with the CAO to provide strategic oversight and creative leadership to guide vision and messaging for external communications to increase knowledge and awareness of ESF, its mission, programmatic activities, and the value of its work, as well as craft compelling cases for support to galvanize our community and introduce us to new champions
• Collaborate with Directors to generate all marketing materials, website, social media, and newsletter content to ensure alignment across all departments

• Write, copy, and design graphics for all social media and communications tools
• Relaunch, grow, and manage ESF’s social media channels, including creation of annual editorial calendar 
• Oversight and creation of quarterly ESF newsletters, with potential for additional external-facing communications
• Support the preparation of external reports, presentations, & documents for alignment with brand voice and style

General

• In partnership with the CAO, create and manage an annual fundraising and communications plan, including a budget and recommendations for any external support as needed

• Develop and report on relevant metrics to gauge the efficacy of our digital communications (e.g., social, email, Google Analytics, press hits) and fundraising efforts.
• Oversight of all departmental consultants (currently two)
• Other duties as assigned
  

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. That said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the following:

• Five to nine years of comparable experience in development or communications within nonprofit organizations is preferred
• Experience developing and implementing a comprehensive communications or fundraising strategy
• Commitment to embodying ESF’s values and contributing to our worker-centered culture
• Possesses strong visual, written, and verbal communication skills. Able to craft and adapt content to a range of formats and audiences
• Excellent time and priority management skills and ability to work in a fast-paced growth environment
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse internal and external partners
• Have previous online community management experience 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Familiarity with labor movements, unions, or workforce development initiatives
• Graphic design skills and experience with editing software. (e.g. Canva, Adobe InDesign, CapCut, etc.) preferred
• Experience in Google Analytics, social media insights, Squarespace, and basic HTML or similar systems

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Is committed to a worker-centered, empowerment-based approach to training
• Is flexible, comfortable working independently, and is a sophisticated collaborator
• Exceptional judgment, interpersonal, and communication skills and ability to manage up, down, and laterally; demonstrates flexibility, creativity, humility, and patience.
• Has excellent organization and communication skills; demonstrated initiative, flexibility, creativity, humility, and empathy
• Ability to work independently and be a self-starter as well as a collaborator in a dynamic team environment; can balance inclusive processes while driving toward deadlines.
• Ability to travel occasionally for events, retreats, and conferences
• Experience working with diverse communities.

BENEFITS

We understand the importance of offering our employees strong support and benefits. That’s why we provide 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision plans for you and your eligible dependents and offer a defined benefit pension plan for retirement. We also offer an initial and annual home stipend, and you can choose between a biweekly cell phone stipend or a company-sponsored cell phone.

In your first two years with us, you’ll accrue up to four (4) weeks of vacation and five (5) weeks after completing two years of service. We also recognize the value of work-life balance, so we offer paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, six (6) personal days, and two (2) floating holidays. 

COMPENSATION

At the Education and Support Fund (ESF), we understand how crucial it is to create a compensation and benefits system that not only attracts but also retains a diverse and talented team. We are committed to ensuring that our compensation practices reflect our values and the unique experiences of each employee. Our philosophy focuses on the following important principles:

1. **Honoring Our Culture**: We believe that every individual's lived experiences and professional journeys are invaluable. Our compensation framework aims to acknowledge and celebrate this diversity, as it enriches our organization and strengthens our community.

2. **Innovative**: We strive to be forward-thinking in our approach. By embracing an inclusive design process, we are dedicated to crafting a compensation program that is not only fair but also transformative, promoting a culture of growth and opportunity for everyone at ESF.

3. **Worker-Centered**: Your voice matters to us. We are committed to listening to the needs, experiences, and perspectives of our staff as we develop our Compensation Framework. We want to ensure that all factors are thoughtfully considered to create a supportive and equitable environment.

At ESF, we are committed to fairness, consistency, and transparency in our compensation practices. The salary for this role is predetermined based on standardized geographical cost of labor data and the candidate's primary place of residence. The selected candidate will receive one of the following salaries: $77,846, $87,188, and $95,751, depending on their location.

Salaries are assigned by matching the candidate’s current location to our cost-of-labor chart and cannot be negotiated. We understand that compensation is an important factor in your decision-making and encourage candidates to review and ask questions about our benefits information to get a better understanding of our total compensation package. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 

SEIU Education and Support Fund follows the spirit and intent of all federal, state and local employment law and is committed to equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. In alignment with our mission, we recognize the importance of our staff reflecting the communities our work aims to benefit as well as the desirability of increasing employment opportunities for people from historically marginalized groups. We encourage and seek applicants from people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ communities, bilingual and bicultural individuals, and people with disabilities.