At Waterford.org, we believe every child deserves equitable access to high-quality early learning experiences that will put them on a successful path in school and life. We are seeking a highly motivated individual to help communicate our nonprofit’s mission and values to caregivers, educators, and communities across the country!

The Sr. Director of Communication is responsible for developing effective communication strategies to connect with key audiences, building the Waterford.org image and driving curiosity about our programs. They will supervise and mentor a team that builds the promotional and informative materials the organization will send internally or to the public. They’ll work with all forms of media, including press releases, ghostwriting opinion pieces, organization newsletters, video and more!

Essential Duties and responsibilities:

• Lead communication team of three to recognize internal and external communication opportunities; define and implement appropriate strategies to support them
• Copy edits communication materials to ensure language is consistent with Waterford’s values, culturally responsive, and asset-based
• Demonstrate inclusive excellence in your approach and engagement with all stakeholders including, partners, families, schools and communities
• Develop and maintain standard talking points for recurrent topics and emerging matters ensuring that language is inclusive and avoids deficit framing and/or stereotypes about groups or communities
• Update crisis communication plan quarterly
• Respond to crisis or difficult situations quickly and expertly
• Meet regularly with internal partners to identify media worthy stories and develop initiatives that spread awareness of Waterford.org
• Lead all aspects of the development of articles, presentations, speeches, and press kits
• Work with team to monitor media and identify early education challenges/emerging issues to present Waterford.org as a solution
• Grow our media presence. Cultivate media relationships, build interest and coverage, research, create and pitch compelling stories
• Coordinate the production of press releases for media across the United States
• Coordinate and build testimonial videos promoting the stories of Waterford.org families, partners, and employees
• Collaborate with the Communication team on internal communications including a monthly newsletter, town hall meetings, employee spotlight videos and more
• Work with the Community Engagement Department to identify events that we should be covering to reach our target audiences.
• Build and manage cross-channel pre- and post-event communications to drive awareness & connections
• Build quarterly media coverage reports for Waterford’s executive team and board
• Copy edits and/or ghostwrites for Waterford leaders
• Ensure websites, social media, and other digital channels are aligned to PR efforts and are up to date with news releases, articles, etc. Work with marketing team to create a digital newsroom.
• Continuously champion, promote, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence at Waterford.org
• Work with SVP of Mar/Comm to develop, implement and adhere to the communication budget

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication, marketing, or related field that ensures excellent writing and editing skills.
• Four or more years of experience in communication or public relations demonstrating ability to develop and implement communication strategies
• Experience managing a professional team and demonstrate inclusive leadership skills.
• Proven results getting story placements and media coverage
• Passion for storytelling and connecting with communities
• Experience communicating with and on behalf of culturally and economically diverse communities and stakeholders
• Self-starter, able to work independently with strong organizational skills, the ability to prioritize and coordinate multiple projects with minimal direction
• Demonstrated experience transforming knowledge into exciting and useful messages, and disseminating to appropriate audiences through the best communication channels
• Strong presentation skills with experience in video production and voice over work
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and experience with project management software (e.g., monday.com, muckrack.com)
• Some graphic design experience is a plus (e.g., Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva)

Travel:

While this is a remote position, local, regional, and out of state travel is required. You can expect to travel 20-25% of the time. Trips typically range from 1-4 days.

About Waterford.org:

Waterford.org is an education nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy for children through equity, access, and parent empowerment. Waterford creates programs that empower parents as a child’s first teacher at home and supports teachers in the classroom. Currently, Waterford.org serves over 300,000 children across 43 states every year.

Our Commitment to Equity & Inclusion

Waterford’s commitment to inclusive excellence is foundational to achieving our mission of universal literacy. Waterford.org is a mission-driven organization, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are at the heart of what we do. These values inform our internal culture and drive our external focus on making a difference for children and families in underserved communities. At Waterford, we actively seek talent who bring diverse backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and identities to their work and demonstrate a commitment to advancing our mission.

Working at Waterford.org

Waterford.org team members are located across the United States and primarily work from home. We anticipate a base salary of $110,000+ depending on the education, experience and skill of the individual we hire.We offer a phenomenal benefits package that includes fully paid premiums for health insurance, dental insurance, basic life insurance, and disability insurance. New hires receive a one-time HSA contribution. Retirement contributions are matched up to 5% by the organization. Plus, we offer a generous vacation, sick, and holiday offering.

Waterford is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Waterford is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.