Managing Director, Communications

Managing Director, Communications

Job Description

  

About the Role

Good Reason Houston is on a mission to ensure that Houston becomes the top public education city in the nation. We seek a communications professional committed to transforming the educational experiences for over 700,000 students and families in Houston. 

A critical part of shaping that future, Good Reason Houston’s next Managing Director of Communications will develop and manage an integrated communications & marketing strategy to broaden Good Reason Houston’s impact. Specifically, this strategy will:

1. Enhance the understanding of key education decision-makers and those who influence them on relevant issues that could significantly improve the quality of public education in Houston. Good Reason Houston aspires to be the go-to source of data, insight, and information about public education in Houston. 
2. Expand the general public and stakeholder awareness of Good Reason Houston’s mission and efforts. Good Reason Houston aspires to be a critical voice in shaping education policy in Houston. Good Reason Houston aspires to be the most well-known and well-respected nonprofit in Houston.
3. Work with the Policy & Advocacy department to marshall an outpouring of support from parents and community stakeholders who will advocate for transformative change in Houston’s public education systems. Good Reason Houston aspires to be a critical voice in shaping education policy in Houston.
4. Work with the Advancement department to significantly expand awareness of Good Reason Houston’s mission and impact to potential funders. Good Reason Houston aspires to be the most desirable education organization to fund in Houston.

This high-impact role will be tasked with growing our brand presence; maintaining a positive public organization image; effectively communicating our key messages to various stakeholders, including partners, policy makers, parents, media outlets and the general public; and developing and growing our advocacy communications, both for Good Reason Houston and Houstonians for Great Public Schools, our 501(c)(4) affiliate. 

 
The Managing Director, Communications reports to the Chief Operating Officer and sits on the organization’s management team. 

 

The ideal candidate for this role will be:

 

• An exemplary team leader and people manager. You will lead and develop an existing team of 3 full time communications staff. You care deeply about how your team grows and develops. You will set clear vision, direction, and expectations and maximize the strengths of your team to deliver against them. You enjoy serving as a mentor to, advocate for, and cheerleader of others. 
• A persuasive communicator. You will be responsible for developing a sophisticated messaging strategy and communicating it effectively to key stakeholders including staff, parents, educators, elected officials, media, and donors. You will think strategically about the content that is produced to ensure it not only informs but influences the outcome of local and statewide discussion around public education quality. 
• Current affairs minded. You have your finger on the pulse of the public discourse around public education and know how to compose an argument and support it with facts, insights, and storytelling to influence stakeholders that matter toward a different point of view aligned with the priorities of Good Reason Houston.  
• A strategic thinker. You will be responsible for setting the communications strategy for Good Reason Houston, its affiliated partner Houstonians for Great Public Schools, and all of the initiatives and campaigns underneath our umbrella including PreKHouston, Houston Loves Teachers, and the Houston Parent Action Network. While expected to be a strategist, you will also roll up your sleeves and engage with our teams and partners to keep a pulse on community sentiment, local/state/national education trends that matter, local Houston area school systems and all points of connection that allow Good Reason Houston to grow our audience and become the go-to provider of public education insights in Houston.
• A savvy marketer. You will lead the organization’s effort to build its brands on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn, and dramatically grow new audiences through novel partnerships and significant advertising campaigns. 
• A stickler for details. You will be responsible for managing the brand identity of Good Reason Houston and its affiliated brands and initiatives. You will be laser focused on ensuring that only exceptional content (e.g., copy, graphic design, collateral, and swag) that reflects the values, mission, and brand identity of Good Reason Houston is produced across the organization. 
• Data driven. You will set ambitious performance targets and rigorously assess the efficacy of our larger communications efforts to achieve the intended goals of the organization. You will relish gathering data, formulating insights, and articulating strategic brand opportunities that will impact the organization and drive omni-channel growth.
• A collaborator. You and your team will be responsible for working with many internal teams and external partners to accomplish goals. You will thrive in an internal environment that requires significant collaboration and approach each project with a keen desire to ensure that every function of the organization that requires communications support receives impeccable service from your team.
• Equity minded. You are aware of and seek opportunities to surface patterns of inequity in student outcomes, the voices elevated through communications, and staff interactions. You believe that inequity is reflected in systems and culture and seek opportunities to introduce strategies and practices that aim to more effectively engage and empower a diverse team and community. This orientation will be reflected in all of the above characteristics.

 

Primary Responsibilities

 

Vision & Strategy Development and Management 

• Develop and manage a comprehensive communications strategy for Good Reason Houston (GRH), Houstonians for Great Public Schools (GPS), and various Good Reason Houston brands and campaigns including: PreKHouston, Houston Loves Teachers, Houston Parent Action Network 
• Develop and manage a marketing and public relations strategy for Good Reason Houston and Houstonians for Great Public Schools 
• Ensure all activities result in clear, tangible, and measurable outcomes aligned to Good Reason Houston and Houstonians for Great Public Schools’ outlined priorities

 

Team and Organizational Leadership 

• Lead a team of 3 full time communications positions: Manager of Communications, Communications Associate, Digital Communications Associate
• Support enterprise coordination as a member of the Management Committee
• Oversee the day-to-day and long-term activities of the communications function including budgeting, planning, resourcing, and staff development 

Execution, Relationship Building and Coordination 

• Manage team members and vendors to create attractive, easy-to-understand content and deliverables, including digital, video, social media, and print projects 
• Partner with internal subject matter experts to create consistent messaging and content across events, digital media, and owned and earned media that lead to GRH’s intended outcomes
• Monitor and analyze communications related to public education to identify opportunities and proactive measures for engagement
• Collaborate with GRH staff on advocacy content to inform critical audiences and increase awareness of GRH and GPS policy priorities
• Build strong relationships with media representatives, public education influencers, and communications personnel of partner organizations to secure positive media coverage and thought leadership opportunities
• Advise senior leaders on communications and preparation for internal and external forums

Our Team

Along with our core beliefs, the traits listed below were generated by the team to capture what it looks like in action when operating at our best. 

 

We embrace and drive change.

We are flexible and fierce.

We operate with a bold bias toward action.

We fess up when we mess up.

We dare greatly and engage humbly.  

We grow as we go.

We turn up the love when we turn up the heat. 

We root for each other. 

 

Good Reason Houston staff are expected to support this organizational culture by promoting and adhering to these team traits to maintain an open and cohesive work environment and relationships.

 

Qualifications & Key Attributes

• Seasoned communications generalist with at least 8 years of relevant experience 
• Demonstrated commitment to race, equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Significant experience developing and leading organization-wide strategic communications efforts and maintaining an enterprise-level view 
• Skilled people manager
• Advocacy or political communications experience preferred
• A keen sense of design and visual aesthetics
• Superior written and verbal communication skills
• Experience developing cross-channel marketing plans
• Exceedingly strong project management, collaboration, and analytical skills
• A track record of positioning an organization to achieve tangible results through awareness-building and influencing 
• Experience leading communications strategy for a mission-driven organization preferred 

Working at Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. New hires are offered a salary depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. Benefits offered include 401(k) (automatic 3% employer contribution), life, medical, dental and vision insurance packages. Each employee accrues 35 paid time off days per calendar year in addition to the 19 paid holidays per year. Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization, but allows for virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.

Apply at www.GoodReasonHouston.org/Careers.

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