Senior Marketing and Communications Officer

Description: Summary of Responsibilities

The Senior Marketing and Communications Officer is responsible for building and leading The HC’s marketing and communications efforts to enhance brand awareness, expand reach, drive visits, as well as strengthen donor and community relationships. The Officer will develop and lead all strategic initiatives for the Marketing Team.

Who We Are

The Zekelman Holocaust Center (The HC) was founded by Michigan survivors in 1984 as a lasting memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Our mission is to engage, educate, and empower through remembrance so that individuals and society will recognize, combat, and prevent antisemitism, discrimination, and hate-based violence. The Center teaches history’s darkest period to 100,000 visitors each year, including students and adults of all backgrounds. Our new permanent exhibit places Holocaust victim and survivor stories at the center, making extensive use of archival footage, images and video testimony. Artifacts include an authentic WWII-era boxcar and a sapling from the tree located outside Anne Frank’s hiding place window. The Center also invites the public to make use of its 20,000 volume Library Archive. Museum Educators and Docents provide customized tours, workshops and programs, empowering visitors to apply the lessons of the Holocaust to create a more compassionate world where people take responsible action**.**

We value candidates who are community-oriented and civic-minded, and who demonstrate a commitment to serving others such as involvement in cultural, educational, spiritual, or other communal settings.

Why Join Us: First and foremost, you will be making a difference in the world. Benefits include work/life balance, medical, dental, vision insurance, organization-matching 401K, generous holiday schedule, and much more.

Responsibilities:

Strategy & Marketing Management

• Develop and execute a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy aligned with The HC’s mission and growth goals.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate an annual marketing and communications plan (which has previously included social media, print and digital content, and email marketing).
• Develop, implement, and evaluate marketing campaigns related to programs, special events, education, fundraising, donor retention and donor cultivation in coordination with the relevant departments.
• Ensure consistency across all organizational efforts including marketing channels, donor communications, and promotional materials.
• Identify audience(s) and explore segmentation of marketing messages accordingly.
• Maintain existing brand identity (name, colors, and fonts).
• Analyze and measure the effectiveness of marketing initiatives, adjusting strategies as needed.
• Ensure that the appropriate systems, staffing, and procedures are in place to properly and reasonably support marketing and communications.

Internal and External Team Management

• Manage and coach all marketing and communications staff (currently two: a Marketing Manager and a Marketing and Design Specialist.
• Includes oversight of staff who manages The HC website; ensuring content is compelling, up-to-date, and optimized for engagement.
• Collaborate with and oversee contracted PR and marketing agencies; ensure The HC is best utilizing.

Collaboration

• Collaborate with program staff to design and implement communications strategies and effective messaging for organizational and project-specific goals.
• Work closely with educational staff to understand and highlight The HC’s impact in donor communications, press materials, and social media.
• Work with the CEO, CDO, Director of Finance, and others to develop annual budgets for marketing / communications, and monitor progress, assure adherence and evaluate performance.
• Assist leadership team and program staff in ensuring communications are culturally competent and reach diverse audiences.

Content Strategy and Management

• Develop and manage compelling content including success stories, program highlights, and donor spotlights to drive engagement.
• Lead the strategy and generation of engaging digital content for The HC’s website, social media, email and other appropriate channels which leads to measurable action.
• Oversee the development, design, distribution, and maintenance of high-quality collateral (print and digital) including, but not limited to annual report, brochures, etc.
• Lead the creation of messaging and storytelling in appropriate forms (including video) that accurately reflects the impact of our work.
• Develop donor-focused materials, including annual reports, sponsorship outreach, and impact reports.

Press and Public Relations

• Identify trends and monitor current events and influencers to anticipate opportunities for The HC to engage in and/or lead the statewide conversation on topics relevant to our mission.
• Guide the strategy on press outreach, including messaging in press releases, creation of press kits and materials, interview preparation, and responses to media requests.
• Develop close partnerships with members of the media.
• Ensure communication of internal and external key messages. This includes co-writing/ghost writing op-eds, etc.
• Draft remarks and speeches for HC staff and leadership to deliver during events and media appearances, and for board and lay leaders during the annual benefit.
• Advise internal stakeholders on major issues and provide media training as needed.

Evaluation

• Set objectives and monitor performance across communications channels.
• Conduct marketing research through strategies such as A/B testing to guide decision making.
• Manage tracking systems and analytics to evaluate marketing effectiveness.
• Learn from usage patterns and foster data-driven growth.

Partnerships

• Build relationships with media, community leaders, and influencers to amplify The HC’s reach.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community organizations and peers to design appropriate partnerships.

Requirements:

Desired Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong creative, strategic, and analytical thinking.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.
• A flexible self-starter with proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and responsibilities.
• Collaborative with demonstrated ability to manage effectively across cross-functional teams and mentor direct reports professionally.
• Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities, proposing new ways of creating efficiencies, and guiding investment in people and systems.

Requirements:

• Professional experience leading marketing and public relations activities including the successful development and execution of both marketing campaigns as well as communications / public relations activities. Bachelor’s degree.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to The HC’s mission.
• Computer literacy in Microsoft Office.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ten years of professional experience, including experience leading the communications, marketing, events, social media and public relations activities of a nonprofit organization.
• Advanced degree preferred in the areas of communications and marketing (e.g. marketing, business administration, management, advertising, journalism, events, and/or communications).
• Experience overseeing the design and production of online and print collateral, publications, and videos.
• Experience developing and implementing successful social marketing strategies.
• Proven track record in developing a broad spectrum of proactive media relations campaigns and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively to diverse audiences.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties.