Managing Director, Marketing and Communications

Position Overview

The Managing Director, Marketing and Communications will lead City Year Bay Area’s marketing, communications, brand, and external engagement strategy in support of the organization’s mission, visibility, fundraising, school partnership, recruitment, and stakeholder engagement goals.

Job Description

Minimum Qualifications

At least eight years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, public relations, media relations, external affairs, or nonprofit communications.

At least three years of experience managing staff, consultants, vendors, or cross-functional teams.

Demonstrated experience developing and implementing organization-wide marketing, communications, or stakeholder engagement strategies.

Strong writing, editing, storytelling, and message development skills, with the ability to tailor communications for diverse audiences including donors, school partners, community leaders, staff, AmeriCorps members, families, alumni, and public audiences.

Experience advising senior leaders or executives on communications strategy, messaging, presentations, public appearances, stakeholder engagement, or media opportunities.

Ability to work collaboratively across departments and translate organizational priorities into clear, compelling communications plans and materials.

• Authorized documentation to work in the United States of America.
• Criminal background history clearance to work with school-age children, depending on the position.

Responsibilities

Strategic Marketing, Communications & Visibility Leadership

• Develop and lead a comprehensive, integrated marketing and communications strategy that increases awareness of City Year Bay Area’s work, strengthens the organization’s reputation, and positions City Year Bay Area as a trusted education and national service partner to schools, districts, communities, funders, civic leaders, and other key stakeholders.
• Set annual marketing, communications, media, storytelling, and stakeholder engagement priorities in alignment with site goals, national brand standards, fundraising priorities, recruitment needs, and programmatic impact.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Executive Director and site leadership team on communications opportunities, reputational considerations, external messaging, audience engagement, and public visibility.
• Lead the development of compelling stories, messages, campaigns, and materials that elevate the impact of City Year Bay Area’s AmeriCorps members, students, schools, staff, alumni, and community partnerships.
• Oversee high-quality print, digital, web, social media, email, video, presentation, event, and partner communications that educate, inspire, and motivate key audiences to action.
• Ensure all communications reflect City Year’s brand standards, values, voice, and commitment to inclusive, asset-based storytelling.
• Anticipate communications challenges and opportunities across the organization and develop proactive strategies that support clarity, alignment, visibility, and confidence among internal and external stakeholders.

Executive Communications and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop executive-level communications including talking points, remarks, presentations, briefings, op-eds, letters, newsletters, stakeholder updates, and partner-facing materials.
• Partner with Development and site leadership to create high-quality communications that support donor cultivation, stewardship, corporate partnerships, grants, events, and external meetings.
• Collaborate with Impact and school partnership teams to communicate student impact, AmeriCorps member service, partnership outcomes, and the value of student success coaching.
• Support the design and implementation of meaningful site visits, school visits, and stakeholder engagement experiences that deepen understanding of City Year Bay Area’s work and impact.

Cross-Departmental Communications and Internal Alignment

• Partner with departments across the site to ensure internal and external communications are coordinated, accurate, timely, and aligned to organizational priorities.
• Support internal communications planning for major initiatives, organizational updates, staff engagement, leadership messages, and change management efforts.
• Build strong relationships with staff across departments to identify communications needs, elevate stories, and ensure consistent messaging across the organization.
• Develop tools, templates, calendars, and systems that improve communications planning, collaboration, and execution across teams.

Events, Campaigns, and Public Moments

• Lead communications strategy for major organizational events, stakeholder engagements, fundraising moments, service days, AmeriCorps member celebrations, and community-facing activities.
• Oversee the development of event messaging, scripts, speaker briefings, invitations, run-of-show language, presentation materials, and post-event communications.
• Partner with event owners and cross-functional teams to ensure major public moments reinforce City Year Bay Area’s brand, mission, values, and strategic priorities.

Staff Management and Vendor Leadership

• Set vision and manage performance for a team of [insert number] staff members, consultants, vendors, or project contributors by aligning goals, monitoring progress, and fostering an environment of belonging, collaboration, and inclusion.
• Develop and empower team members through coaching, feedback, skill-building, project ownership, and clear expectations.
• Manage marketing and communications workflows, timelines, budgets, vendors, and deliverables to ensure high-quality execution and strong collaboration.
• Foster a team culture that values creativity, accountability, learning, equity, responsiveness, and service to a cause greater than self.

Site Leadership and Organizational Strategy

• Serve as a member of the site leadership team and contribute to strategic planning, annual planning, stakeholder engagement, and organization-wide priorities.
• Role model City Year’s values and contribute to a culture of collaboration, trust, belonging, continuous improvement, and shared accountability.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned by the direct supervisor to advance City Year’s mission.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, nonprofit management, education, or a related field, or comparable experience.

Experience working with senior executives, boards, funders, school districts, public agencies, media, or community partners.

Experience developing communications that support fundraising, donor stewardship, corporate partnerships, grants, or external relations.

Experience managing brand strategy, digital campaigns, social media, public relations, or content strategy.

Familiarity with education equity, AmeriCorps, national service, Bay Area communities, or school-based partnership work.

Experience using communications tools and platforms such as Microsoft Office, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, CRM systems, email marketing platforms, social media management tools, website content management systems, or analytics platforms.

City Year or AmeriCorps experience is a plus.

Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Identifies multiple pathways to address complex and nebulous problems; anticipates barriers and opportunities; develops plans to address them.
• Vision & Focus: Establishes a clear vision aligned with organizational goals; develops teams and activities to maintain alignment.
• Collaboration: Connects with stakeholders to identify shared interests; partners with others to incorporate different perspectives toward a common goal.
• Decision-Making: Uses appropriate context and data to make sensible and timely decisions; displays sound judgment when faced with opportunities/challenges.
• Developing & Empowering Others: Creates opportunities for others to learn, develop, take action, and lead.

Technical & Functional Skills

• Exceptional writing, editing, storytelling, and message development skills.
• Strong understanding of brand management, marketing strategy, media relations, digital communications, social media, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to translate complex information into clear, concise, audience-specific communications.
• Ability to develop executive-level materials including talking points, presentations, speeches, briefings, stakeholder updates, and donor-facing communications.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, contributors, and deliverables.
• Comfort using data, impact stories, and audience insights to strengthen communications strategy and decision-making.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Physical requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods and occasionally stand or walk.
• Manual dexterity for typing, writing, and handling office equipment.
• Visual acuity to read screens and printed materials.
• Hearing ability to participate in conversations and respond to phone calls.
• Ability to communicate clearly in person, by phone, virtually, and in writing.
• Occasional lifting or carrying of items up to 10 pounds, such as event materials, printed collateral, or office supplies.

Working Conditions

• Operates in a professional office setting using standard office equipment.
• May require occasional travel to City Year Bay Area school sites, partner locations, community events, donor meetings, and organization-wide gatherings.
• Typical schedule is Monday through Friday during standard business hours, with occasional evening or weekend hours required for events, deadlines, or stakeholder engagements.
• Noise level is generally moderate.
• May require reliable transportation for local travel as part of job duties.
• Must have reliable internet access for remote or flexible work arrangements, if applicable.

Compensation

Compensation: $130,000- $140,000 Annually

Benefits

• Full-time employees will be eligible for all benefits including vacation, sick days and organization holidays.
• You may participate in all benefit programs that City Year establishes and makes available to eligible employees, under (and subject to all provisions of) the plan documents that govern those programs.
• Currently, City Year offers medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment and disability coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and other benefits including 401(k) plan(s) pursuant to the terms and conditions of company policy and the 401(k) plan document.
• For more information, click here.

Employment at City Year is at-will. City Year does not sponsor work authorization visas. City Year’s dual mission is to expand educational opportunity for all students and develop the next generation of leaders through national service. Trained teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on academic, cognitive and interpersonal skills— skills that help students thrive in school, college and career.

City Year’s 900 staff and 2,000+ AmeriCorps members work and serve in 29 communities across the U.S., including Boston (where City Year was founded in 1988 and is headquartered), Baton Rouge, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Kansas City, LittleRock, LosAngeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, NewHampshire, NewOrleans, NewYork, Orlando, Philadelphia, Providence, Sacramento, SanAntonio, SanJosé/SiliconValley, Seattle/KingCounty, Tulsa and Washington, D.C. City Year also has international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy.

City Year has been designated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator since 2003, putting City Year in the top 1% of non-profits nationwide for accountability, transparency and responsible fiscal management, and among the most trustworthy nonprofits in America.

At City Year, we sometimes say we work not only “at” City Year, but also “on” City Year, recognizing that the organization, like our world, is constantly evolving and changing. Two things that have never changed: our steadfast belief in the power of young people to change our world for the better; and our aspiration to create positive school and work environments where everyone feels a sense of connection, is supported to do their best work, and is able to learn, contribute, lead and create to their fullest potential.

As an equal opportunity employer, City Year is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Fair Labor Standards Act Family and Medical Leave Act Learn more at City Year’s Facebook page, on X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.