Communications Director

Communications Director

Reports to (Title): President

Department: Communications

Full-time and Remote

Salary: $118,000-$148,000

About Borealis Philanthropy 

As a philanthropic intermediary, Borealis Philanthropy builds bridges between funders and organizers by creating opportunities for impact-driven investment in movements building a future that serves all of us.  We connect Grantmakers to organizations that share their mission. We team with philanthropy to conceive, develop, and implement grantmaking initiatives that resource the many innovative organizations within each of our respective grantmaking funds. Through our collaborative funds, we create opportunities for donors to learn from the organizers on the ground and provide resources to leaders, organizations, and movements pursuing transformational change. In partnering with philanthropy, we remove barriers to funding for grassroots organizations and invest in intersectional movement work across communities so that they have the resources they need to thrive.

Our Values 

Responsiveness, Racial Equity, Trust, People-Centered, Curiosity Boldness

JOB OVERVIEW 

Borealis Philanthropy seeks a visionary, experienced, and values-based Director of Communications (Director) with a commitment to racial and social justice. The Director will develop and lead Borealis’ strategic communications work, amplifying our donor collaborative funds and telling the story of our unique approach to people-powered philanthropy. The ideal candidate has experience across disciplines, including some combination of strategic communications, media, journalism, data, and visual design, as well as experience in social movements and philanthropy. They are a natural connector - of people, issues, stories, and learnings, and will use this super power to elevate the voices and visions of Borealis’ grantee partners. We are looking for a strong team player who is excited to dream, build, and sustain with us, and who brings a low-ego, high-impact approach to the work.

The Director will have the opportunity to build and manage a small communications department, as well as external vendors, to support Borealis’ strategic communications goals. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of communications and high-level strategy experience and will be a senior member of the Borealis team.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS / KEY JOB OUTCOMES 

• Hold the vision, strategy, and leadership for communications across the organization
• Strengthen Borealis’ brand and messaging in service of deepening and expanding donor partnerships, amplifying grantees’ work and stories, and influencing the philanthropic field to center the experiences of those most impacted by injustices
• Oversee press strategy and expand Borealis’ national presence to reflect our growth and the outsized impact our grantees have had across movements
• Serve as a strategic thinker, content creator, and thought partner to Borealis’ program staff and leadership

• Be a partner to organizational leadership in managing internal communications across departments
• Lead communications work across Borealis’ collaborative funds, including messaging, collateral, video, etc. (Note: The Director will build a team, including a new role who will eventually take over as the lead to supporting fund-specific communications)
• Hire and manage a stellar, values- and impact-driven communications team, as well as a team of communications consultants
• Develop a dynamic mission-focused communications strategy and identify opportunities to expand and communicate Borealis’ grantmaking initiatives
• Support the President in representing the organization as needed to existing and potential funders, foundations, government officials, media relations, etc.

• Consult with program staff to identify goals and monitoring plans to strengthen impact of communications
• Manage resources, remove barriers, provide creative solutions to staff to achieve goals and objectives for effective communication
• Coach, manage performance, influence, and leverage staff to execute programs/projects within parameters including quality, timelines, and cost
• Support Borealis’ culture and values; align outcomes, practices, and communications within organizational culture
• Other duties as assigned

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor’s degree in related field such as communications marketing journalism, English, business, or public relations
• Five (5) years of previous supervisory experience

• Ten (10) years of experience in content development, managing multiple media platforms including social media, website, blogs, etc.

 COMPETENCIES (Knowledge, Skills & Personal/Behavioral Attributes) 

• Exceptional written and verbal skills, writing and editing skills and the ability to translate messaging from multidisciplinary teams into compelling stories and targeting diverse audiences

• Ability to manage change, work under pressure, manage multiple projects simultaneously both strategic and tactical
• Ability to work collaboratively and execute strategies
• Ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis using software tools
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience training and mentoring diverse participants
• Experience with and a deep commitment to racial and social justice

• Management experience, including creating a professional environment with team members that is collaborative, values-driven, and results-oriented
• Excellent project management skills - from the visioning phase, to clarifying roles and timelines, to execution
• Creative thinker who is, at the core, a communicator, but who is influenced and knowledgeable of a variety of disciplines including graphic design, learning and evaluation, and digital media

WORKING ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

This job operates in a virtual office environment with frequent national travel.  This role routinely uses standard office equipment, and the employee is generally subjected to long periods of sitting, typing, and working at a computer. May require the ability to occasionally lift and transport items.

Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion:  Borealis is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [[email protected]]. Borealis is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive staff team. We strongly encourage applicants who are people of color, LGBTQ, women, trans and gender non-conforming people, people with disabilities; and/or formerly incarcerated people.