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Associate Director, Communications

Associate Director, Communications (Washington, DC, or Durham, NC)
The Associate Director of Communications oversees day-to-day coordination and execution of a wide range of internal and external communications efforts that help advance needed social and environmental change, supporting both Arabella’s communications strategy and the communications goals of its clients.
 
The ideal candidate excels at complex stakeholder engagement, project management, message creation, media relations, and client service. This position requires effective cross-functional collaboration, excellent oral and written communication, strong copy-editing and organizational skills, and a drive for successful outcomes in advancing social change work. 
                                                            
Essential Responsibilities:

  • Oversee and manage existing communications on behalf of Arabella’s clients, ensuring appropriate messages are conveyed, a consistent and compelling voice is presented, and messages contribute to developing and advancing the client’s brand and communications goals. Lead vision and strategy development for these vehicles, including implementing and identifying new vehicles, methods, and opportunities for communications.
  • Manage ad hoc communications on behalf of Arabella’s nonprofit clients, collaborating with stakeholders across multiple teams. Gather input for crafting messages and coordinate feedback and review processes.
  • Support development and management of contact lists for communications.
  • Develop and track metrics to evaluate the success and impact of communications. 
  • Oversee communications calendar, ensuring regular contact and messages with range of audiences, and provide updates on calendar and plans to clients.
  • Contribute to a variety of media relations efforts, including tracking news media, coordinating multi-stakeholder responses, and drafting content for use by senior leaders or for distribution to nonprofit clients.
  • Contribute to crisis communications efforts of both nonprofit clients and the firm.
  • Support creation of guides, resources, and trainings focused on communications.
  • Lead periodic briefings for internal teams about marketing and communication efforts.
  • Other projects as necessary.
To Be Successful in This Role, You’ll Need:

  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
  • At least five years’ experience with steadily increasing responsibility in communications for a business or nonprofit organization with a social change mission
  • Proactive, well-organized, and able to lead multiple efforts simultaneously.
  • Strong upward management skills to drive process and compliance
  • Demonstrated ability to manage projects and processes from start to finish, including ongoing analysis of impact and results.
  • Ability to strategize as well as execute communications plans
  • Experience with media outreach and analysis tools such as Talkwalker, Cision, or Meltwater
  • Experience with MailChimp, SharePoint, and Salesforce are a plus
  • Ability to develop relationships across offices, teams, and all levels, including executives and external partners
  • Excellent writing, editing, and speaking skills
  • Passion to support growing social change organizations
Our Core Competencies:

  • The ability to provide excellent service, including being able to address complex service matters, implement and communicate service changes to everyone involved, and to coach teammates on how to apply the firm’s service standards
  • The ability to manage large-scale and cross-firm projects, including delegating and managing all resources, identifying and implementing improved processes, monitoring consistency across project teams, and providing direction and support to teammates
  • The ability to facilitate and negotiate among stakeholders with conflicting needs and to generate consensus among decision makers
  • The ability to help effectively communicate difficult messages; to adapt style, tone, and content to meet various needs; and to coach teammates on crafting content.
  • The ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with others to achieve shared goals, including encouraging and facilitating effective compromise, drawing on the capabilities of all team members, and leading team-level knowledge sharing
  • The ability to use available resources and feedback to continually develop mastery in your role and facilitate team and project-level learning, including coaching others
  • The ability to solve complex challenges by identifying innovative solutions and facilitating coordination with others
About Arabella Advisors
Arabella Advisors helps foundations, philanthropists and investors who are serious about impact achieve the greatest good with their resources. We work on issues ranging from the social and economic advancement of women and girls, and conservation of our climate and planet, to reducing poverty and inequity in the United States and around the world. Our staff members are mission-driven and action-oriented, and have a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, business, nonprofits, government, finance, law, and other fields. We combine creative, strategic thinking with knowledge and networks developed through decades of hands-on experience. The fastest-growing philanthropic advisory firm in the nation, Arabella is also a certified B Corporation. 
 
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Advancing DEI within our firm and in our work with partners is critical to our mission. To be effective partners to philanthropists, nonprofits, and communities impacted by philanthropic dollars, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging, and a nuanced understanding of the racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other disparities that undergird the issues we engage in and the interactions we have with one another. For us, equity means that our staff members, our clients, and the people they serve can experience the same level of success, no matter their starting place. We expect all our employees to share this commitment, and always seek ways to improve how well we live these values. Click here to learn more about DEI at Arabella and read our official DEI statement.
 
Total Rewards (compensation and benefits)
This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary, bonus, and benefits. Our base salaries are based on a blend of similar sized organizations from different sectors, including nonprofits, foundations, and professional service firms. They are also based on local market rates and differentiated by geography.
All full-time staff are eligible for our generous benefits package on their first day of employment:

  • Health insurance- On average Arabella pays 86% of the medical premium, 80% of the dental premium, and 100% of the vision premium
  • Paid time off- 16 days’ vacation, 10 personal days, 11 company holidays (7 federal and 4 more from a list of inclusive cultural and religious holidays and your birthday), 20 hours’ volunteer leave, 8 weeks’ parental leave
  • 401(k) retirement plan- We offer a 4% employer match on a dollar-per-dollar basis, and there is no waiting or vesting period; all funds contributed by you and Arabella are yours to keep on day 1
  • Reimbursements for your personal cell phone plan and fitness
  • Pre-tax withholding for transportation and parking
  • Bonus incentive opportunities
  • Access to professional development opportunities
 
Working with Us
While this position must be based in Washington, DC, Durham, NC, or Chicago, IL, Please note that all Arabella Advisors’ offices have reopened, and we work in a hybrid environment.  
 
 We reopened our offices in Summer of 2022 and work with a hybrid workplace strategy to ensure continued flexibility for our staff, while deepening our strong culture rooted in collaboration and in-person interactions between colleagues. We expect that after their initial onboarding, all Arabellans will have the choice of two hybrid schedules. Our hybrid schedule options include Flex, with 1-2 days per week in the office, or Office-based, with 3+ days per week in the office (or more if preferred) and the remaining days working at home/remotely. We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act. 
 
To center the safety and well-being of its employees, Arabella Advisors requires that any employee who is required to conduct in-person activities for their job must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within four weeks of their start date. This position may require candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Accommodations may be sought and approved in accordance with the law. 
 
We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers page to learn more. 
 
How to Apply
Submit a resume and a one-page cover letter online. The cover letter should address why you’re excited to work at Arabella and why you’re qualified for this specific job.
 
Arabella Advisors is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to racial equity. If we can make the application process easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know.
We encourage you to read (or listen to) our DEI statement prior to applying. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color and members of marginalized groups to apply for open positions. Once you have applied, we welcome your feedback on how you have experienced our values around DEI in the recruitment process.
 
While Arabella is open to individuals from various locations applying to join our team, please note that we generally are unable to pay for relocation expenses, and all applicants must already be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of application to be considered for this position.
 
We will review applications as they are received and look forward to hearing from you.