COMMUNICATIONS AND ADVOCACY MANAGER
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
ALABAMA POSSIBLE seeks to hire a COMMUNICATIONS AND ADVOCACY MANAGER who has the skills and experience to use stories and other communications tools to bring us closer our various constituencies, including students and families, donors and other supporters, and policymakers.
Alabama Possible is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to remove barriers to prosperity through advocacy, education, and collaboration. Alabama Possible builds educational equity through the following program areas:
Research: We annually publish the Poverty Data Sheet, a comprehensive graphic resource that highlights statewide poverty rates and data related to educational attainment, employment, and food security.
Engaged Learning: We promote engaged learning that combines classroom instruction with thoughtful community and civic engagement. We support relationship- building among our higher education members through statewide events including our annual Hungry for Justice and Lifetime of Learning conferences.
Poverty Simulations: We facilitate Poverty Simulations, which increase participants’ understanding of the hardships and emotional toll experienced by low-income families. Through role-playing, participants must try to provide food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs for themselves and their “families”.
College Access and Success: Our college access and success programs include the Blueprints College Success Initiative and Cash for College. Both programs promote and build educational equity for low income, minority, and first-generation college-going students across the state of Alabama. Through the Blueprints College Success Initiative, we team students with near-peer mentors who equip them to make structured decisions about their postsecondary options and support them as they navigate the college-going process. Through Cash for College, we work to increase the number of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The communications and advocacy manager will collaborate with internal and external partners to collect, produce, and distribute stories to meet organizational goals. This includes creating and implementing a strategic communications plan that engages stakeholders, including students and families, donors, policymakers, and using qualitative and quantitative evaluation to measure impact and effectiveness. In addition, the communications and advocacy manager will track local, state, and federal policy issues and coordinate relationship building efforts with policymakers and influencers.
The communications and advocacy manager will work closely with the board of directors, executive director, and program team to achieve shared goals. They will report to the executive director and be directly responsible for managing the systems and structures that support our communications and advocacy efforts.
Highly qualified candidates will:
• Believe authentically in Alabama Possible’s work to break down barriers to prosperity and understand the vital role building champions for our work plays in realizing our vision
• Work proactively and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Operate with a mindset of learning, listening, and achieving goals
KEY COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS
• Stellar writing skills and keen sense of newsworthiness
• Storyboarding experience; understanding the effectiveness and appropriateness of story assets (text, images, audio, video) and how to combine them
• Visual, audio, and video content creation experience; well-developed eye/ear for best practices in each
• Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to coordinate and oversee story collection
• Experience in creating strategic communications plans (from research through measurement/evaluation) and in designing specific content strategies to meet organizational objectives
• Experience crafting editorial calendars and in re-purposing stories across platforms
• Working knowledge of intermediate- to advanced-level equipment (DSLR camera, video, audio recorder, microphones)
• Comfort and experience using editing software (image, audio and video, post-production)
• Ability to design and maintain a story bank (using database or other software/hardware solutions)
• Expertise with content management systems for web, e-newsletter services, and social media
• Experience using web analytics and social media monitoring/measurement tools
• Ability to work independently and make appropriate decisions with limited direction
• Strategic thinking, planning and problem-solving
• Self-motivation, innovation, creativity, and patience
• Sense of adventure and ability to adapt to dynamic situations
• Planning and organizational skills, including project and time management
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to delegate assignments
• Expertise with online platforms: content management systems for web, e-newsletter services, and social media
• Experience using web analytics and social media monitoring/measurement tools=
EDUCATION, JOB KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
• Bachelor’s degree and at least three years’ full-time, professional work experience with significant responsibilities. Master’s Degree strongly preferred. Education cannot substitute for work experience.
• Team orientation, ambition, and a strong work ethic.
• Willing to work weekends and evenings and travel throughout Alabama as necessary.
• Access to a car, possession of a valid driver’s license, and proof of current automobile insurance.
• Complete and pass all background checks and security clearances.
COMPENSATION
• Based on qualifications, experience, and ongoing superior performance
• Health and dental insurance provided by the organization; matching retirement contributions and vision coverage also available
• Vacation, sick time, and generous paid holiday schedule
ABOUT BIRMINGHAM
Millennials are choosing Birmingham to live, work and play. Between 2010 and 2015 Birmingham’s YP population grew 58 percent, in large part due to a revitalized downtown, job growth and a premier location for food lovers. Birmingham’s national accolades include No.1 Best City for Millennial Entrepreneurs, Most Affordable City, and No. 2 in the Country for Median Income Growth.
Birmingham a Top 10 City for YP Population Growth
Birmingham is a top city for affordability
TO APPLY, submit your cover letter, salary expectations, and resume to Danielle Tate via email to danielle@tateassociatesllc.com with “Communications and Advocacy Manager” in the subject line. To ensure your resume is considered, PLEASE follow the submission process. And PLEASE – no direct emails or phone calls to Alabama Possible staff. They are focused on the mission – to remove barriers to prosperity through advocacy, education, and collaboration!!! Thank you.