Job Description

Summary of Position: The Director of Marketing and Communications will oversee and develop After School Matters’ brand, strategic media & messaging, marketing tools, and communications capacity, and build positive awareness of After School Matters and the impact it has on Chicago teens. The Director will support the CEO and Executive team to identify needs and priorities, develop strategic communications for a range of purposes and audiences, and work to elevate ASM’s profile and attract new supporters, participants, and advocates. The Director will lead the marketing and communications team for ASM and will report to the Chief of Strategy and Staff.

This is a full-time position.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy & Management

• Develop and execute a comprehensive strategic marketing and communications plan for external audiences using tactics and channels including web, social media, earned media, events, search engine optimization, print and digital collateral, etc.
• Support the CEO and executive team related to strategic issues.
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO and executive team on all matters of communications and public engagement.
• Develop crisis communication plans and manage reputation-related issues proactively.
• Collaborate with Development, Programs, and other departments to ensure consistent messaging across donor, participant, and partner communications.
• Set quantitative and qualitative metrics and results to evaluate the effectiveness of communications strategies and ensure quality standards. Proactively seek, compile, and report on feedback from recipients, both internal and external. Be able to present results against deliverables.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify, create, and manage new strategic partnerships that can be leveraged for audience growth and brand awareness. Lead development of integrated marketing plans for high-level initiatives in partnership with leadership.
• Partner with the Development team on the execution of communications strategy for large fundraising events and objectives.

Media Relations

• With the Communications team, create a proactive media relations strategy to maximize ASM’s impact in the communities we serve, including pitching, press conferences, media events, and more.
• Lead strategy and execute approval for all earned media, including press releases, media advisories, letters-to-the-editor, and opinion editorials.
• Develop communications strategies and lead implementation for selected events and campaigns.
• Collaborating with various departments, oversee the production of agency-wide communications, including annual reports and special projects.

Other Functions

• Develop and oversee content for varied platforms including speeches, brochures, donor communications, donor tools, talking points, web, media, and internal communications.
• Identify key stakeholder and supporter segments through research and analytics – to include audience needs, attitudes and behaviors within each segment. Conduct regular peer analyses between After School Matters and similar organizations nationwide.
• Oversee ongoing development, maintenance, and enforcement of the organizational brand guidelines.
• Maintain and implement ongoing plan to collect program content in support of branding and marketing strategies.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with external vendors for development of larger-scale marketing and branding projects (e.g. Campaign, Gala, national initiatives).
• Review organizational and development materials to ensure inclusion of appropriate branding critical to the success of achieving internal and external communications goals and objectives.
• Communicate in a positive, effective manner with teens, staff, and program providers.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supervise communications/marketing staff including Marketing and Creative Specialist, Branding and Design Specialist, Communications Manager, and Communications Specialist.
• Supervise freelancers and vendors as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience in creating and implementing a full-scale integrated marketing strategy, including developing and managing graphic design (digital and print), photo, video, social media, and other projects as needed.
• Ability to use excellent judgment to manage workflow and elevate priority issues to the Chief of Strategy and Staff and CEO.
• Knowledge of governmental affairs.
• Outstanding organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Proficient written and oral communications skills.
• Experience creating and implementing a social media plan—specifically, best practices for strategy and implementation of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn content.
• Website management – specifically content development
• Works well in a team environment.
• Ability to travel regularly to visit After School Matters programs across the City of Chicago.
• Availability for weekend and evening commitments.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 7+ years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, and/or public relations, ideally in the nonprofit or social impact sector.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing marketing strategies and campaigns.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in digital tools including CMS (e.g., WordPress), email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp), social media tools, and analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics).
• Experience with brand development and media relations.
• Strong project management and leadership skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Passion for the mission and values of After School Matters.

Compensation: $110,000 - 130,000 salary, depending on applicable experience and education 

About Us: After School Matters is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that annually offers after-school and summer programs to nearly 19,000 Chicago high school teens to explore and develop their talents while gaining critical skills that will set them up for success in college and beyond.

Thirty-five years later, now known as After School Matters, our program has engaged more than 450,000 Chicago teens and is the nation’s largest and most successful provider of after-school and summer programs for high school teens. No other organization offers programs to high school students at the scale and quality that we do.

We offer paid apprenticeships led by professionals in the fields of arts, communications and leadership, sports, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Our nationally respected youth development model has been replicated in cities across the country and earned us the City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Programs take place at community locations throughout the city, including three ASM buildings: downtown at Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, the Michael and Karyn Lutz Center in Belmont Cragin, and the Pullman community at Gately Park. Currently, After School Matters' annual operating budget is approximately $35M and employs approximately 500 staff across the organization. For more information, visit

EEO:    After School Matters is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, military discharge status, age, marital status, parental status, or source of income. 

Job Tags

Full time, Apprenticeship, Summer work, Freelance, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,

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