Job Description

Background:

City Parks Alliance is the only independent, nationwide membership organization solely dedicated to urban parks. The mission of the City Parks Alliance is to engage, educate, and nurture a broad-based constituency to support the creation, revitalization, and sustainability of parks and green spaces that contribute to more vibrant and equitable cities.

City Parks Alliance (CPA) leads and serves the community of diverse organizations that encompass the parks and recreation world, from neighborhood groups to government agencies, championing high quality urban parks throughout the nation. City Parks Alliance is vital to sound public policy and citizen engagement that recognizes city parks as an integral part of forming strong, vibrant, equitable cities that nurture their communities and local economies. Our vision is that everyone in urban America will have access to the benefits of parks, recreational opportunities, and green spaces. 

City Parks Alliance believes that parks and recreation services play a critical role in advancing racial equity.  Equity is about fairness:  Full and equal access to opportunities, power, and resources so all people may thrive and prosper regardless of demographics. Equity is embedded in all of City Parks Alliance’s work, from our approach to curating our conferences and selection of speakers and community based stories, to our research focus on creating more equitable city-wide systems, to our advocacy efforts to increase investment in urban parks and recreation in neighborhoods of greatest need.  We continue to learn and grow as an organization to broaden cultural, racial, and ethnic perspectives on our board and staff.  See our organizational values and statement on racial equity and justice for more about our commitment to advance these principles.  

Job Description:  

The Communications and Marketing Director oversees the development and implementation of communications strategies and systems across multiple print and digital platforms to increase visibility of our programs and their impact, promote our organizational brand, strengthen our niche in the sector, market the benefits of membership, and communicate the broader message of the value of urban parks and the need for investment in them. This position will be guided by the vision and directional framework of CPA’s new strategic plan, which is expected to be completed by February 2023. 

This is a full-time position. 

Primary Responsibilities: 

The Communications and Marketing Director supports key strategic goals around programming, advocacy, membership, fundraising, and branding to establish City Parks Alliance as a leading voice for urban parks. The Communications and Marketing Director combines expertise in editorial, design, marketing, advertising, project management, member services and customer relationship management (CRM), and traditional and social media and public relations to ensure consistent messaging and brand unity across City Parks Alliance. The Communications and Marketing Director will lead a small cross-functional team of staff and contract employees (including a graphic designer and technology specialist).  This position will report to the Executive Director, supervise the Strategic Communications Manager, and work closely with the Program Director and Programs team, Senior Membership Manager, Advocacy and Development directors, and relevant board committees. As part of a small staff, CPA’s directors also play a key role in implementation so this position will be expected to both supervise and do work directly as needed.

Core Functions:

• Provide strategic direction to all communications and marketing efforts (10%) 

1. 1. 1. Develop and oversee implementation of annual marketing and communications plan that supports and advances the new strategic plan (to be released in February 2023). 
      2. Increase visibility of the organization and all programs, activities, and online resources to multiple sectors to strengthen awareness of CPA as a leading voice for urban parks.
      3. Provide clarity of organization’s mission, values, and niche in the ecosystem of parks organizations based on the outcome of the strategic plan. 

• Oversee execution of all communications to members and other constituents of CPA via multiple channels (20%)

1. 1. 1. Ensure timely, relevant, and strategically messaged information about CPA programs and urban parks is distributed through e-newsletters (general and member-exclusive), blogs, advocacy alerts, social media, CPA’s website, printed collateral, videos, and other formats.
      2. Develop and implement standards; provide editing oversight of all external and internal communications.
      3. Support communications for fundraising efforts, including help with grant and sponsorship proposals.
      4. Develop speeches and presentation materials for executive staff and board.  

• Lead marketing of CPA and its programs (20%)

1. 1. 1. Ensure consistency of CPA’s branding in all formats including website and promotional materials.
      2. Responsible for meeting Greater & Greener and other event registration goals.
      3. Oversee design, creation, and distribution of all marketing material related to CPA programs, including Greater & Greener conference in Seattle in 2024 and future conferences, and membership related collateral. 
      4. Oversee communications and marketing strategies related to Toro Urban Park Innovation Award (biennial award given during Greater & Greener), including project nominations, site visit and selection process.  
      5. Ensure fulfillment of all marketing-related deliverables for sponsorships, funders, and supporters (i.e. logo placements, other recognition).
      6. Produce annual impact report to be used in fundraising efforts.

• Provide management and administration of staff and contractors (20%)

1. 1. 1. Provide guidance, mentorship, and management to direct reports.

• Oversee dynamic and well-functioning organizational and Greater & Greener websites and other online communications tools (10%)

1. 1. 1. Provide direction to design upgrades to the organizational and Greater & Greener websites.
      2. Ensure communications systems, including technology platforms, are appropriately employed and effectively used to support CPA’s strategic direction and objectives, including successful upgrades of technology platforms to improve website interfaces and the user experience by June 2024. 

• Advance a platform of leading ideas about urban parks (10%)

1. 1. 1. Oversee publishing and dissemination of results of special research projects to ensure study findings are accessible, easy to understand, and useful. 
      2. Work with CPA staff to identify, monitor, and publicize key trends in the urban parks field.
      3. Strengthen the CPA network by highlighting member stories through the CPA blog, op-eds, and other means of storytelling.

• Oversee media and public relations (10%)

1. 1. Serve as CPA’s primary media point person, handling all media and public relations; issue press releases.
   2. Publicize CPA, its programs, and the urban parks field through earned and paid media placements.  

Requirements

• Creative and entrepreneurial approach to communications and marketing.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in public relations, journalism, communications, or marketing with demonstrated experience managing a comprehensive strategic marketing and communications program that advances an organizational mission. 
• Excellent writing and editing skills; ability to write/edit for a variety of formats and tailor messages to different audiences; familiarity with editorial/publishing processes and practices. 
• Ability to make public presentations at board meetings, meetings with external stakeholders
• Strong familiarity with and ability to effectively employ social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and to assess and implement technology platforms and tools. 
• Experience overseeing website design and understanding of back-end development; knowledge of WordPress and Salesforce.
• Strong graphic design sensibility and understanding of visual language. 
• Knowledge of the field of urban parks and recreation, or related fields, such as urban design/planning, landscape architecture, or equitable community development. 
• Understanding of federal and local advocacy. 
• Understanding of fundraising and conference marketing.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a small non-profit team setting; experience with membership organization a plus.
• Must be willing to travel (less than 10%)
• Supervisory/staff management experience.
• Detail oriented.
• Bachelor’s degree.   

Compensation: 

• Annual Salary: $100,000 – $115,000
• 15 days per year vacation (first three years with increases thereafter)
• 12 days per year sick leave
• 10 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
• Full health/dental/vision coverage
• Short term disability
• Employer contribution to tax deferred annuity plan after 2 years of employment
• Flexible schedule 
• City Parks Alliance is located at 1777 Church Street, NW, Washington, DC, but work continues to be conducted remotely during the pandemic.  We offer options for fully remote, or a combined remote and in-person balance.  

How to Apply

Please submit cover letter, resume, and two writing samples in one pdf with subject line “Communications & Marketing Director Application” to [email protected]

Job Categories: Conservation. Job Types: Full-Time.

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