Director of Communications

Director of Communications

Any CEO Office

The Opportunity

The Director of Communications leads CEO’s strategic communications, media engagement, and storytelling work. This role will have primary responsibility for refining CEO’s communications strategy, defining and advancing communications plans for different stakeholders, and leading the communication rollouts of local and national advocacy campaigns. Serving as a strategic thought partner reporting to the Executive Vice President, the Director will also lead a communications team that includes a manager, an associate, interns, and consultants. The Director will work closely with CEO’s senior leadership and executive team as the in-house expert advising on communications-related issues.

The ideal candidate will have developed and led strategic communications efforts at a statewide or national, mission-driven organization using high-quality written and visual storytelling. 

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

CEO's Staff Vaccination Policy

CEO has implemented an org-wide vaccination requirement that requires all new staff to be fully vaccinated before their first day of work. We have made this decision for the safety of our participants and employees and to enhance our ability to continue to provide the vital services we offer to our participants. As part of the onboarding process, new hires will be asked to submit proof of vaccination status prior to their first day of employment. If you are unable to get vaccinated against COVID19 for medical or religious reasons, you can request a reasonable accommodation.  An interactive meeting will be scheduled to discuss your request.  

CEO does not discriminate against individuals with actual or perceived infection with COVID19 or based on an actual or perceived history of such infection nor based on any protected status.  

Who We Are

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people with recent criminal convictions. Across the United States, over 6,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 25,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996. In 2016, CEO embarked on a 5-year strategic plan to grow to serve 9,000 participants annually. 

Who You Are

• You are an established communications expert with substantial relevant communications experience including collaborative strategic development, accessible articulation, and successful implementation of nationwide communications plans with measurable results.
• You have the ability to utilize strategic communications approaches to advance CEO’s policy and resource development objectives using social and digital media expertise
• You can create dynamic and impactful messaging that motivates key constituencies to support CEO
• You have results-oriented national and/or regional media relationship management experience
• You have significant supervisory experience and dynamic team management skills and a commitment to supporting the professional and equitable development of diverse team members
• You have strong verbal and written communication skills and are an experienced writer and editor capable of generating and finalizing error-free written content in a timely manner and teaching others to do the same
• You are highly collaborative and have experience with developing and implementing communications strategies with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• You have experience with data and deadline-driven, detail-oriented project management and can effectively manage and prioritize individual and team workflows 
• You have the ability to transform knowledge, data, and experiences into powerful written, graphic, video, and audio messages while disseminating them to appropriate audiences through a variety of channels
• You can effectively collaborate with the Executive Team and other senior leaders to set short- and long-term communications goals

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Key responsibilities of the Director of Communications include but are not limited to:

Communications Strategy & Operations 

• Develop and regularly refine CEO’s overall communications strategy, which should align with CEO’s values including racial equity, by assessing progress against clear goals and objectives targeted to discreet audiences 
• Ensure CEO’s communications work balances the strength of CEO’s national brand with local communications needs and opportunities 
• Serve as a strategic advisor, functional expert, partner, and coach to the executive, senior, policy, fund development, and program teams on key internal & external communications and strategy development 
• Manage the communications budget and work to raise funding in collaboration with the Executive Vice President and the fundraising team 
• Implement and maintain tools to measure and share the performance of the Communications team and initiatives
• Recruit, retain, and effectively manage a diverse team of communications professionals; provide coaching, guidance, and professional development opportunities for team members

Marketing and Brand Development

• Craft compelling and impactful values-based messaging and campaigns that generate increased support for CEO and our value proposition for the reentry field, while elevating the voices of persons with lived experience in the criminal legal system 
• Refine CEO’s brand, including the development and implementation of a style guide, to support a consistent and high-quality approach to CEO’s written and visual products that are based on key messages branding elements and organizational strategic priorities
• Lead the generation of online content and messaging calendars; Coordinate webpage maintenance ensuring that new and consistent information (article links, stories, and events) is posted regularly
• Write and edit original content, which may include monographs, reports, fact sheets, opinion pieces, blog posts, and internal communications, in collaboration with CEO’s senior team 
• Manage the development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic collateral including but not limited to newsletters, brochures, and website content 
• Develop and regularly update a crisis communications plan for CEO
• Refine and continuously improve CEO’s Ethical Storytelling approach that empowers the voices of justice-impacted individuals
• Support and amplify CEO’s fundraising campaigns to individual and corporate donors through list-building, messaging development, and other year-round donor engagement strategies
• Job requires flexibility in schedule to accommodate emergent situations which may require working additional hours, including overtime and weekends as needed.

Compensation and Benefits  

The salary range for this position is $110-155,000 annually. The actual salary from this range and level of this position will be based on the candidate’s experience and qualifications. CEO's compensation philosophy considers a variety of factors including experience, internal equity, and the labor market associated with the city in which the position is located. This position can be located in any of the cities in which CEO operates. Our salary offer will fall within this range and will be reflective of the labor market of the city in which the position is based, as well the other factors named above.  

We recognize that salary is a part of the overall compensation package and are happy to provide a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, and professional development opportunities to our staff. We also offer paid parental leave, participation in a retirement plan, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays and more. We are a workplace that promotes continual learning and teamwork, offering lunch and learns, team outings, holiday gatherings and more for our staff.

More About Us

The Center for Employment Opportunities believes that everyone deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our commitment to being an anti-racism organization that is inclusive across all identities and experiences drives us forward every day. We exist to create greater opportunities for people who face multiple barriers to personal and professional success, and we’re passionate about being agents of change who promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to opportunities for all.

People who are justice involved, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+ , and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. CEO’s commitment to DEI aligns with the CROWN Act, creating an open space where our employees can present as their true authentic selves. We are an equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

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