Director of Communication and Digital Engagement

JOB DESCRIPTION

Director of Communications and Digital Engagement

Reports to: Chief Strategy & Growth Officer Functional Area: Advancement

FLSA Status: Exempt

Job Classification Category: Director

Position Overview:

The Director of Communications and Digital Engagement is primarily responsible for leading the development and implementation of Academy of Hope Adult PCS (AoH) strategic communications and digital engagement plan. This role will lead, manage, and supervise daily communications, marketing, and digital engagement efforts of AoH along with providing direct supervision of the communications team. This role reports to the Chief Strategy & Growth Officer. This role will play a critical role in leading AoH’s external and internal communications, developing and executing digital initiatives to enhance AoH’s online presence, expanding the reach of our programs, and fostering meaningful connections with our adult learner community. If you are passionate about leveraging digital tools to promote education and engagement, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in the adult education landscape.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Enrollment, Advancement, & Organizational Growth

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive and cohesive external and internal strategic communications plan that contributes to both annual and long-term organizational priorities, in service of AoH’s mission, vision, and values.
• Ensure communications strategies and communications-specific performance measures are aligned with Academy of Hope’s Strategic Plan, organizational KPIs, enrollment targets, fundraising priorities, and programmatic goals.
• Lead the communications and marketing components of integrated campaigns supporting learner enrollment, workforce pathways, fundraising, donor engagement, advocacy, partnerships, alumni engagement, and institutional growth.
• Partner with Enrollment and program leadership to develop audience-specific recruitment campaigns and digital conversion pathways, including audience strategy, messaging, landing pages, paid and organic promotion, and campaign-performance analysis.
• Oversee the development, integration, and execution of a results-driven digital marketing/communication strategy that is aligned with the AoH’s organizational goals and priorities.
• Partner with the Development team, which retains responsibility for fundraising strategy and donor relationships, to develop donor communications, fundraising campaign materials, cases for support, sponsorship materials, stewardship content, annual reports, and segmented donor engagement communications.
• Actively collaborate and integrate strategies across departments that help to ensure effective communications and digital engagement to internal and external audiences.
• Enhance AoH’s external visibility, image, and influence while educating the public about key adult education, workforce development, and advocacy issues
• Establish protocols and procedures for managing crisis communication both internally and externally, ensuring the school's reputation remains protected during challenging times.
• Support communications budget creation, management, and alignment with CARES values and strategic priorities.

Internal Communications

• Develop and implement a robust internal communication strategy to foster a cohesive and informed school community.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and department heads to disseminate important updates, announcements, and organizational initiatives effectively.
• Oversee the creation of newsletters, emails, and other internal communication materials that convey key messages, achievements, and relevant information to staff, faculty, and learners.
• Organize and lead staff meetings, town halls, and other internal events to encourage transparency and open communication.
• Establish institution-wide communication best practice guidelines and processes.

External Communications

• Develop and execute an integrated external communications plan to raise the AoH’s visibility and reputation in the DC Metro area.
• Direct and manage the development and implementation of a strategic communication and digital engagement strategy that effectively supports organizational priorities across messaging, awareness, growth, and engagement for targeted AoH stakeholders, including prospective and current learners and donors, alumni, volunteers, and staff.
• Serve as the primary contact for AoH, responding to media inquiries and cultivating positive media relations.
• Maximize media opportunities by developing and maintaining relationships with media members, influencers, and community leaders to generate coverage of programs, services, and key activities
• Craft compelling press releases, articles, and op-eds to highlight the AoH’s achievements, milestones, and unique programs offerings.
• Oversee the management of the AoH’s website, social media channels, and other digital platforms to engage with various audiences effectively.
• Oversee digital marketing, engagement, and social media strategy, including ensuring the publishing of consistent, timely content and engagement activities.
• Direct and assist in the creation of digital, video, audio, and print content. Determine and optimize rich and creative content for search engines and advertisements.

Digital Communications Platforms and Product Ownership

• Serve as the business and content owner for AoH’s public-facing digital communications properties, including the website, content management system, campaign landing pages, email marketing platforms, communications-managed SharePoint content, and communications analytics. Partner with Enterprise Services/IT on hosting, security, system administration, access controls, backups, and other technical infrastructure.
• Lead communications requirements, content strategy, vendor coordination, user-experience improvements, search-engine optimization, accessibility, content governance, and performance goals for website redevelopment and digital improvement projects. Partner with Enterprise Services/IT on hosting migrations, domains, cybersecurity, integrations, backups, and technical performance.
• Establish clear, accessible digital pathways for prospective learners, donors, alumni, partners, staff, board members, and community stakeholders in partnership with the departments that own the underlying services and processes.
• Coordinate communications requirements for the use and integration of platforms such as Mailchimp, Salesforce, website forms, social media platforms, and analytics tools to strengthen audience segmentation, campaign measurement, and stakeholder engagement. Enterprise Services/IT and designated data owners retain responsibility for technical administration, integrations, data governance, privacy, and security.

Brand Management

• Ensure all content reflects an engaging and consistent voice that aligns with AoH’s brand, including collaborating across departments to ensure style and editorial consistency.
• Develop and enforce communication guidelines to ensure all communication aligns with the school's values and messaging.