Vice President of Marketing & Communications

Reporting to the Executive Vice President/COO, the Vice President of Marketing & Communications will lead and manage the marketing and communications initiatives of this growing national civic education organization. The VP will plan and implement a strategic, integrated marketing approach to support, enhance, and grow Founding Forward’s educational programs. This position is critical to the success of Founding Forward’s recently approved strategic plan, which calls for dramatic growth. This position will strategically align activities across external and internal communications, fundraising initiatives, programs, and board engagement.Specific ResponsibilitiesDevelop and oversee a new and innovative comprehensive, proactive communications, marketing, and branding strategy to continue growing brand familiarity, programs, and messaging.Manage all marketing/communications efforts, directly or with the team, including marketing material, general communications, recruitment, and brand development.Manage the current team of two marketing professionals and develop plan for future growth.Serve on the Senior Leadership Team and collaborate with staff, leveraging key partnerships to support and implement marketing plans, drive growth, engage constituents, and support advancement efforts.Train all staff to more seamlessly maintain brand management and effective communications.Develop communication strategy to engage Union League members to increase participation and support.Develop a robust recruiting program to grow program participation to reach aggressive goals as adopted in a new strategic plan.Execute focus group research, monitor trends in civic education and implement key learnings into communications strategies.Ensure clean data collection, performance reporting, and segmentation across media channels.Manage strategic communications and messaging for signature events and programs.Work with leadership to develop KPIs to measure/evaluate effectiveness of marketing/ communications to help inform and drive performance and decision-making.Oversee/manage all outward-facing Founding Forward marketing and communications, including but not limited to website, marketing collateral, donor collateral, and social media channels, to ensure integrity of message, compliance with communication protocol, and inclusion of brand voice.Execute paid media strategy (print/broadcast advertising, paid Facebook/Instagram content/advertising, out of home advertising, etc.).Manage outside vendor partner relationships, such as printers, agencies, photographers, videographers, freelance consultants, etc.Serve as a trusted advisor to Founding Forward leadership and assist in writing key communication on their behalf.Develop crisis communication protocol and serve as lead advisor on any necessary crisis communication.Develop and cultivate relationships with press/media on behalf of Founding Forward.THE CANDIDATEThe Vice President of Marketing and Communications must have an understanding of and appreciation for the mission and vision of Founding Forward, along with a desire to promote civic education and engagement. The ideal candidate will have an executive presence, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to exhibit good judgement under pressure. The Vice President will have a variety of experiences in integrated communications planning, traditional and digital advertising, collateral development, marketing research/data analytics, website maintenance/analytics, content development, and public relations. The successful candidate will be a self-starter, able to take the initiative with strong attention to detail and follow through while prioritizing tasks and managing systems in a fast-paced environment. The Vice President will interact effectively with all levels of staff, volunteers, and constituents.QualificationsMinimum of eight years of marketing/communications experience, with at least some experience in a nonprofit setting, with four or more years of progressive leadership responsibilities.An appreciation for the mission of Founding Forward and a desire to grow in knowledge of and support civic education.Proficient in current marketing and communication platforms and trends with proven experience building a marketing and communications program.Excellent writing skills with demonstrated examples and samples including interpersonal/first-person narrative, press releases, website copy, speeches/message points, crisis statements, social media content, newsletter content, etc.Executive presence, with superior communication skills to express, orally and in writing, Founding Forward’s mission, vision, and goals with clarity, passion, and persuasion.Proven project management, analytical, multi-tasking, and organizational skills.Strong knowledge of Google Analytics and Facebook Business Manager/Ads Manager.Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.Ability to operate with excellence on a strategic and tactical level (macro/micro).Excellent judgement and problem-solving skills.Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, motivate, and develop staff, fostering a culture of accountability, professional development, and high performance.Demonstrated ability to think strategically, plan, and execute multiple, complex projects with experience building and scaling teams and systems.Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communication, journalism, English, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.Must be willing and able to travel occasionally.Available to attend events after work hours or on weekends as needed.THE INSTITUTIONFounding Forward is a national, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic education organization formed through the merger of two long-standing American institutions: The Union League Legacy Foundation, founded in 1947, and Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, founded in 1949. For generations, the two organizations have recognized Americans who uphold the foundations of our democratic system of government and educated future leaders to carry those founding principles forward. Based on their decades-long partnership, they united around a shared goal: to ensure a future rooted in liberty. Founding Forward informs and engages citizens through transformational educational experiences grounded in American history. These experiences enable students, teachers, and citizens to understand, appreciate, and practice the principles, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17