Director of Communications, How I Decide Foundation

Posted by How I Decide on August 13, 2018

Organization Description:
Founded in 2014, the How I Decide Foundation is an educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) based in suburban Philadelphia. Our team is composed of academics, educators, and business professionals, and our work synthesizes insights from mindfulness through the behavioral sciences to neuroscience. For four years, we successfully developed and distributed award-winning and nationally recognized programs developing youth decision making skills and dispositions. We are now shifting our strategy from program development and distribution to building and catalyzing the field of decision education for youth.

Our new work will focus on identifying, coordinating, and amplifying the efforts of individuals and organizations in the many fields related to decision education for youth. We aim to find, bring together, and support a growing community committed to the vision that improved decision-making is the key to a better collective future, and dedicated to the effort to equip youth with the skills to be better decision makers throughout their lives. Ultimately, we see critical thinking and decision skill development becoming a core part of every youth’s educational experience.

For more information, please visit http://howidecide.org.

Position Description:
Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the Director of Communications will set and guide the strategy for all communications, branding, website, social media, and public relations messages and collateral to consistently articulate our mission and engage the stakeholder community. The Director of Communications will ensure that the How I Decide Foundation is viewed as the primary reference, disseminator, and conduit of information within this diverse constituency.

The Director of Communications will work closely with a senior peer group within the organization as the communications partner on a variety of strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities
• Develop, implement, and evaluate the annual communications plan across the network’s discrete audiences in collaboration with the How I Decide team and constituents
• Lead the generation of online content that engages audience segments and leads to measurable action. Decide who, where, and when to disseminate
• Put communications vehicles in place to create momentum and brand awareness, as well as to test the effectiveness of communications activities
• Manage development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic collateral including, but not limited to, newsletters, brochures, annual report, e-newsletters, social media postings, and the How I Decide Foundation’s websites
• Develop and manage all media contacts and improve our organization’s visibility beyond its immediate constituency.
• Coordinate and organize annual meetings that engage the network’s discrete audiences
• Mentor and lead team members responsible for the How I Decide Foundation’s websites’ administration and coordination
• Coordinate webpage maintenance–ensure that new and consistent information (article links, stories, and events) is posted regularly
• Coordinate social media engagement – ensure that new and consistent information is posted regularly
• Track and measure the level of engagement within the network over time

Qualifications:
The How I Decide Foundation is seeking an accomplished Director of Communications who has at least 10 years of communications experience, ideally in an “in-house” leadership role within a complex (based on number and variety of constituents) nonprofit entity, and covering areas such as website content, newsletters, and donor communications. The ability to take knowledge and transform it into exciting and useful messages, and disseminate it to the right audiences through the best distribution channels is critical. The ultimate goal is to build an active, engaged, and growing community of interest.

Qualifications of ideal candidates include:
• Highly collaborative style; experience developing and implementing communications strategies
• Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills
• A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”
• High energy, maturity, and leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both the strategic and tactical levels
• Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters
• Self-starter, able to work independently, and entrepreneurial; enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives
• Experience or interest in education and/or cognitive science is a plus

Application Process:
Please email your resume, a cover letter (stating minimum salary requirements), and samples of previous communications work to employment@howidecide.org by September 1, 2018.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The How I Decide Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.