Manager of Copywriting and Storytelling

Position Title:   Manager of Copywriting and Storytelling
Status:   Full Time
FLSA: Exempt
Location: Hybrid (Washington D.C.) or Remote

JOB SUMMARY & KEY PRIORITIES
Words have the power to change minds, change culture, and impact lives. At Active Minds, we are looking for a Manager of Copywriting & Storytelling who views copy not just as text on a page, but as a vehicle to support a movement. Operating within the Marketing and Communications (MarComms) department, this position is our chief wordsmith, narrative strategist, and copy content leader. You will manage the voice of Active Minds across all channels, developing and executing a comprehensive copy strategy that inspires action, drives organizational outcomes, and supports our overall mission.

This is a highly creative, collaborative, and fast-paced role where you will translate impact data, audience insights and educational content into persuasive, emotionally resonant narratives. The ideal candidate is a cultural chameleon. You are someone who knows how to write vibrant, authentic copy that vibes with youth and young adults, but who can effortlessly switch gears to write informative, high-impact stories that inspire funders, corporate partners, supporters, and educators.

ABOUT ACTIVE MINDS
Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society. For more than 20 years, we have equipped the next generation of peer mental health advocates through a variety of programs, including the Active Minds Chapter Network, A.S.K., and Send Silence Packing. Our advocacy, initiatives, and campaigns foster lasting change in how youth view and discuss mental health, encouraging them to use their voices to influence broader conversations and inform mental health supports within their communities. Together, we are building a diverse movement of champions committed to improving mental health for all. To learn more about Active Minds, visit activeminds.org.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Copywriting, Storytelling & Content Strategy

• Movement-Building Campaigns: Lead, plan, and write clear, deeply creative, and emotionally resonant copy across a variety of mediums, including social media, digital ads, print collateral, TV/radio/video scripts, blogs, articles, website pages, emails, newsletters, and high-visibility press materials.
• Audience-Based Narrative Strategy: Develop and maintain a nuanced voice matrix. Leverage audience insights to authentically engage youth and young adults, while seamlessly crafting compelling narratives that resonate with funders, donors, supporters and educators.
• Translating Data to Stories: Take complex mental health statistics, programmatic impact data, youth and young adults input, academic information, testimonials and translate them into human-centric stories that move people to act, donate, or advocate.
• Brand Voice Stewardship: Act as the ultimate protector of the Active Minds brand voice, maintaining and evolving our brand guidelines so that every touchpoint feels unmistakably "us."
• Agile & Fun Response: Bring a sense of play and cultural relevance to fast-response copywriting. Lead the creative phrasing for pop culture moments, breaking news, viral social opportunities, website pop-ups, and urgent partnership pitches.

2. Campaign Optimization, Direct Response & Copy Performance

• Conversion-Driven Creative: Direct and oversee the creation of high-converting advertising copy for landing pages, paid search, and social ads, ensuring a seamless transition from an ad click to an engagement.
• Direct Response & Retention Narrative: Develop the copy strategy for emails, welcome series, and engagement funnels using direct-response techniques to combine empathetic storytelling with clear, urgent calls to action that drive measurable revenue and engagement.
• Testing & Creative Iteration: Create ongoing headline, call-to-action (CTA), and copy-variant A/B testing. Analyze what copy actually moves the needle, and continuously iterate to maximize ad spend efficiency and deepen audience connection.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Creative Concepting

• Visual-Textual Partnership: Brainstorm with graphic designers, marketing, PR to co-create brilliant campaigns where the strategy, words and imagery work together perfectly to move audiences and achieve goals.
• Internal Copy Consultant: Serve as a collaborative, supportive resource for internal program and development teams, helping develop, polish, edit, and tailor their specialized content to meet specific audience expectations and brand consistency.
• Mentorship & Team Spirit: Keep work fun! Provide day-to-day guidance, creative inspiration, and constructive review for team members, helping them stretch their creative muscles.

4. Workflow Leadership & Project Management

• Creative Briefing: Lead project workflows from a copy perspective, developing detailed, inspiring copy strategies and guidelines to set expectations, timelines, and budgets.
• Agency Management: Serve as a resource for agency partners to ensure their copy assets match our brand voice and quality standards.

ABOUT YOU

• A Natural Storyteller: You live and breathe words. You know how to find the beating heart of a story and tell it in a way that gives people goosebumps or moves them.
• Culturally Immersed: You stay abreast of content trends, Internet culture, and youth-driven movements. You know what resonates now and how to keep a brand feeling fresh and relevant.
• Dual-Brained (Creative + Analytical): You love the art of writing, but you get a thrill out of seeing your copy convert. You enjoy looking at A/B testing data to see which headline won.
• Agile and Energetic: You thrive in a fast-paced environment, can handle multiple creative deadlines at once, and view changes or quick pivots as a fun creative challenge.
• Stickler for the Details: You have an editor’s eye. Grammar mistakes and off-brand phrasing bother you, and you take pride in delivering polished, beautiful work.
• Mission-Driven Team Player: You are a true believer in making an impact and are passionate about mental health. You bring a positive, proactive attitude to work every single day.

You need to have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in Communications, Marketing, Creative Writing, English, or a related field.
• 5+ years of demonstrated, professional copywriting and storytelling experience with a proven track record in marketing, advertising, youth driven or non-profit organizations. (A multi-audience creative portfolio required).
• Proven success producing high-converting copy for both direct response digital funnels and traditional print media channels.
• A strong grasp of core layout and design concepts with the ability to collaborate seamlessly with visual artists.
• Mastery of standard digital workplace tools (Google Workspace, Microsoft Office) and a comfort level with design collaboration tools like Canva and Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop).

COMPENSATION 
This position offers an initial range salary of $68,250–$77,700 along with robust benefits. The starting pay for this position is equal to others at the same level throughout the organization. Candidates whose experience meets both the minimum and preferred qualifications may be considered for a starting salary that exceeds the current amount. The role sits within Active Minds Level 3 salary band, and as such, has the potential to grow to $96,000 over time. FLSA Status: Exempt.

Active Minds has an industry-leading and competitive benefits package that includes Health, Vision and Dental Insurance, Paid Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Holidays, Company Wide Mental Health Days, 401(k) Matching, HSA and FSA Options, Life Insurance, Short Term, and Long Term Disability, Fully Paid Parental Leave, Wellness Reimbursement Program, and Professional Development Stipends.

Active Minds recruits, hires, trains, compensates, and promotes our staff regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

OUR CULTURE  
Active Minds is a place where every employee matters. We value diverse perspectives, radical  authenticity, and a community-driven approach. We dream big, offering flexibility to staff while we work to achieve our mission. As such, we are proud to offer competitive salaries and benefits and an environment that is friendly to remote working and life/work balance. 

Active Minds is an equal opportunity employer that works to advance racial equity and social justice in an increasingly multicultural and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background, intersectional identities, and lived experiences. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and people with other marginalized identities. Active Minds encourages all to apply for our open positions as we depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

ACTIVE MINDS RECRUITING PROTOCOLS 

• Active Minds will never ask an applicant to send – and Active Minds will never send an applicant - a check or any payment or item of value (such as a gift card) in connection with the interview process or job onboarding process. 
• Active Minds will never ask for personal information about an applicant (such as their Social Security number or banking information) until the job onboarding process; 
• Active Minds will never extend a job offer without first conducting multiple rounds of video interviews. The Active Minds interview/hiring process will always include at least 3 virtual interviews. 
• All legitimate Active Minds job offers are extended verbally by the HR/People & Culture Team.  
• If you are expecting an email from Active Minds, please always verify that the sending domain in the email is activeminds.org and NOT any variation of it. 
•  For further information on how to protect yourself from employment scams, please review these “Consumer Advice” guidelines. 

HOW TO APPLY 
The preferred deadline is July 27, 2026. Please submit a resume and complete the application form here. This search is being supported by NRG Consulting Group . Contact View email address on activeminds.applytojob.com with any questions.