Communications Specialist

About Indy Reads Our vision is simple: 100% literacy for all. Located in historic Fountain Square and serving central Indiana, Indy Reads builds the literacy, English language, and job readiness skills to empower adults and families to reach their full potential. We advance our mission through our virtual and in-person Community Classrooms and our community bookstore, which serves as a retail space, community space, and extension of educational programming. This highly regarded, well-established nonprofit organization has more than 40 years of experience in adult education and community-building through literacy. Guided by the CEO’s bold vision and a deep commitment to advancing literacy for all amid rising demand, Indy Reads is poised for growth. Our adult learners are at the heart of everything we do. Dedicated staff and volunteers work with native and non-native English speakers to strengthen their literacy and English language skills, earn their High School Equivalency diplomas, and acquire workforce certifications. With literacy and language education, our adult learners redefine their potential for success. They get new and better jobs, help their children with homework, and engage with society in new and deeper ways. Indy Reads advances social equity through education. Position Overview The full-time Communications Specialist will raise awareness of and promote Indy Reads’ mission, programs, and impact through storytelling that engages prospective and current students, partners, and donors. A significant part of the position involves producing creative content, including social media, newsletters, emails, and event and community recaps, that can be leveraged across Indy Reads’ communication channels. The Specialist plays a key role in centering and uplifting stories from our students, volunteers, community bookstore, and the organization, as content that brings the organization's impact to life. This full-time position reports to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and requires weekday (M-F 9am-5pm) availability and some evening and weekend availability. Work will occur primarily on-site at Indy Reads’ location. Hybrid work options and flexibility may be available. Indy Reads is seeking a person in this role who is detail-oriented, has a love of DEIA-centered communication and storytelling, maintains professionalism, and demonstrates a high level of passion for the mission. The following is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job. Other duties may be assigned. Roles And Responsibilities Social Media & Media Relations Manage Indy Reads’ brand and profile across social media platforms through strategically crafted content and engagement, coordinating social media needs with other staff. Collaborate with other departments to define monthly content priorities and support social media requests from other teams, stakeholders, and media outlets. Track and report on performance analytics across all digital platforms, using insights to grow audience and engagement. Support media relations efforts as needed with relevant staff collaborators. Copywriting, Newsletters, & Email Campaigns With the support of the CAO, develop and distribute content for newsletters, emails, blog posts, features, and other organizational communications. Support organizational and departmental communications and collateral (copywriting, copyediting, signage, etc.). Manage the Constant Contact platform (i.e., consistently updating subscriber lists) and integrate with Salesforce. Collaborate with team members to source and create graphic assets for general and campaign use. Story Collection & Storytelling Listen to stories that organically emerge from students and volunteers and collect stories from various external stakeholders to create mission-driven content. Gather photos, quotes, and video with appropriate permissions and sensitivity to student privacy. Translate stories into polished content for use across social media, newsletter, and website channels. Maintain an organized library of stories and media assets for organizational use. Event & Community Recaps Attend community and internal events and activities, for the purpose of content curation. Write and publish recap content across social media, newsletter, and website channels following events. Coordinate with program and bookstore staff to stay informed about and feature upcoming events and community engagement opportunities by creating flyers and updating public event calendars. Web Presence Assist with maintaining Indy Reads’ website to ensure it best serves the organization’s needs and is up to date. Work with the website development contractor to flag and address design and technical updates as needed. Create, manage, and optimize Google Ads for the community bookstore and classroom programming. Qualifications Basic photography, graphic design, and/or videography experience Proficiency with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office Suite, Office 365, Asana, Slack, and other tools Proficiency with Canva, Adobe InDesign, Eventbrite, and basic CMS strongly preferred Basic social media management experience, including analytics reporting preferred Proficiency in a language other than English preferred Strong attention to detail and excellent writing skills Ability to work well as part of a team within a culturally diverse environment with people from all backgrounds and with varying degrees of experience and skills Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing Curious, open, and dedicated to participating in IndyReads’ journey to advance DEIA Commitment to the mission of Indy Reads Demonstrated time management and efficiency skills; proven dependability Self-motivated and eager to learn and develop skills; entrepreneurial self-starter who enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives Honesty and integrity; manages confidential information with discretion and confidentiality A sense of humor We strongly encourage people of color, people from marginalized backgrounds, and people with immigrant experience to apply for positions at our organization. IndyReads is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Studies have shown that people from marginalized communities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If you are excited about this opportunity and believe you have skills to contribute to the role, we seek employees from all backgrounds to join our team and encourage them to bring their authentic and best selves to work. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. IndyReads makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to use his/her hands to feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk and sit. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required for this position include close vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception. Compensation This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly motivated individual to assume a pivotal role in advancing IndyReads’ mission. IndyReads offers a compensation package, including a competitive base salary of $45,000 – 50,000 as well as health, 401(k), and generous PTO/days off benefits with 2 Weeks of Wellness, 11 Company Holidays, and 20 days PTO. Applications received by August 21, 2026 will be given priority consideration. #J-18808-Ljbffr