VP Marketing and Communications

Job Description:

WHO We Are: 

Self-Help started in 1980 with a focus on economic inequality, especially in communities that have faced systemic barriers to building wealth. At the core of what Self-Help does is a drive to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity. In other words, we’re committed to economic justice! Economic Justice means that all communities have the basic infrastructure they need to thrive, from high-quality schools to grocery stores selling fresh food resources that support opportunities at a neighborhood level regardless of demographics, income, or wealth. Since our founding, we’ve constantly sought new ways to pursue greater economic justice: from providing fair and affordable loans to working with partners to demand that lawmakers change unjust policies.

We are seeking a VP of Marketing & Communication to join our Durham, NC or Chicago, Ill team!

WHAT You'll Do:

The Vice President (VP) serves as Team Leader and oversees the planning, coordination and implementation of strategic communications and marketing programs to increase awareness and support for Self-Help’s work among internal and external audiences. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, the VP supervises three directors as well as:

• Provides vision, leadership and strategic direction for Self-Help’s communications and marketing staff and operations.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, business teams and key stakeholders across the organization, providing strategic counsel to, and collaboration with, Self-Help senior leadership and team leaders to determine marketing and communications goals.

• Oversee the creation and execution of public relations, marketing and communications strategies to accomplish these goals.

• Build and protect our brand, and help Self-Help leadership teams influence positive behaviors, drive change, reinforce successes, and promote a strong sense of membership/community through coordinated, consistent messaging strategies and tactics.

• Lead organization-wide and line of service-specific online and offline channel campaigns to support business goals and objectives. Develop a positive working relationship with key internal stakeholders and a deep understanding of business goals and objectives.

• Deliver campaigns that drive results for individual business lines (e.g. membership growth and loyalty, consumer lending, deposit growth, commercial lending, real estate development, mortgage lending, etc.). Measure and report campaign and promotion results. Manage campaign budgets, spend and effectiveness.

• Develop public relations strategies focused on key business priorities and build public awareness/public information campaigns that clearly reflect Self-Help’s brand in strategic positioning, visual presentation and in messaging content and tone.

• Oversee proactive communications, marketing, and media relations strategies addressing targeted audiences to increase owned, earned and paid media coverage. Leverage traditional media as well as digital/emerging technologies for influencer outreach.

• Establish and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, creating strong partnerships with multiple internal teams and leaders. As appropriate, lead or participate in functional and cross-functional teams.

• Work closely with other external-facing teams such as member services, development and policy, Human Resources, sustainability, real estate development, etc. to ensure seamless alignment of brand and tone in all external messaging.

• Enhance Self-Help’s public websites to drive traffic, generate leads and increase repeat visitors. Evaluate Self-Help’s online marketing performance and lead the marketing team in creating an excellent web and social media presence that expands and enhances awareness of Self-Help.

• Supports or lead efforts to measure credit union quality of service, member attitudes and feedback through Net Promoter Score (NPS) or other tools.

• Remain current on laws and regulations that affect marketing, ensuring marketing pieces, disclosures, and web site are technically and legally compliant.

• Continually learn and stay at the forefront of trends and market forces in credit unions and financial services.

• Establish and monitor the annual marketing budget to maximize cost-effective operations, programs, etc. Manage vendor contracts and relationships to obtain preferable pricing, terms and service levels.

• Provide thought leadership and direction for marketing automation and use of third-party vendors.

• Lead the continuous development of Self-Help’s brand and voice to build awareness, uniqueness, relevance, and reputation among target consumers. Develop, maintain and ensure adherence to brand guidelines across all activities and all marketing and communications channels.

• Expand Self-Help’s social media dialogue with key influencers and audiences and monitor key social media trends to identify new opportunities to proactively engage with Self-Help followers and potential followers. Manage and analyze results of social media initiatives to drive continuous improvement.

• Oversee Self-Help’s internal communications efforts, with a focus on building trust and connection with employees around the organization. This includes driving engagement through innovative approaches and tools as well as high-quality storytelling that keeps employees informed about what’s happening at Self-Help.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Economics, Business or related area.

• 8+ years of additional experience in marketing, public relations and program leadership with a proven track record of success in managing a range of marketing and communications functions such as brand management, customer marketing, digital marketing, creative services, public relations and engagement, and other external communications.

• 5+ years of successful experience leading high-performance, cross-functional teams, with responsibility for direct reports in the last three years.

• Hands on experience with CRM and SEO tools like Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc.

• Experience with remote reporting relationships.

• Public relations accreditation (APR) preferred.

• Excellent face-to-face, written, verbal and presentation skills.

• Strong communicator and motivator with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse group of people including team members, colleagues, board members, and other parties.

• Thorough understanding of research and communications messaging.

• Ability to effectively run a multi-faceted, dynamic marketing department of a mid- to large-size financial institution. Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate the achievement of goals, objectives, and work plans. Clear understanding of systemic inequality and how it relates to Self-Help’s work.

• Strong understanding of the marketing continuum and experience in multiple aspects of digital, retail and traditional marketing, including data and social media best practices.

• Excellent leadership skills with a proven ability to lead, motivate, and supervise employees, as well as step in as a working manager with a hands-on approach.

• Good judgement with the ability to navigate complexity, change and nuance.

• Excellent creative ability, and exceptional oral and written communication skills.

• Strong public relations knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective audiences.

• Ability to develop and manage budgets, balance multiple priorities, meet tight timelines and work effectively.

• Experience managing third-party vendor and agency relationships.

• A leadership style that reflects and reinforces Self-Help's core values:

• A leadership style that reflects and reinforces Self-Help's core values:

• Ability to demonstrate Self-Help's Core Values:

o Mission Before Self

o Service With Excellence

o Embracing & Promoting Change

o Results Not Credit

o Diversity as a Strength

o Financial Sustainability for Mission Impact

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Close vision is required.

• Employee is regularly required to: sit; talk and hear; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

• Employee is frequently required to type and use a keyboard.

• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 to 40 pounds.

This position description is intended to describe the duties most frequently performed by an individual in this position. It is not intended to be a complete list of assigned duties but to describe a position level. Furthermore, the essential functions are listed above and reasonable accommodations will be made to meet the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

Self-Help is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Company Disclaimer: 

Self-Help is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons, regardless of race, religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression (including transgender status), age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, class or family status.