Communications Manager #57582 $61401.6+ DOE

Make a difference with VOA Oregon! For over 125 years, Volunteers of America Oregon has been dedicated to serving the most vulnerable members of our community. Through our programs in behavioral health, addiction treatment, reentry services, and support for children and families, we provide life-changing services that promote safety, healing, and empowerment.

Join a mission-driven organization that truly values its employees! This is a full-time position with excellent benefits, including:

Comprehensive health coverage - medical, dental, and vision insurance, with an employee medical premium starting at just $12.50 per paycheck

Financial protection - life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance

Retirement security - 403(b) with an automatic 5.5% employer contribution after 18 months, regardless of employee participation

Work-life balance - a generous paid time off (PTO) plan, starting with accruals that earn 15 days in the first year, 23 days in the second, and 26 days in the third

Upfront sick leave - 80 hours of front-loaded sick time (prorated in the first year), which resets annually on January 1

Paid holidays - 10 paid holidays each year, plus three personal holidays (prorated in the first year) for employees to take time off to celebrate holidays, events, or milestones that matter most to them

Student loan forgiveness - As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, VOA Oregon is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which can help employees reduce or eliminate their federal student loan debt after 10 years of qualifying payments.

Additional perks - flexible spending accounts, an employee assistance program, and other voluntary benefits and discounts

At VOA Oregon, you'll be part of a compassionate and dedicated team, making a real difference in our community. Apply today!

Position Close Date 6/26/2025

Position Summary: The Communications Manager serves as a member of the Volunteers of America Oregon (VOA Oregon) development team and is responsible for developing and executing strategic communications that advance the organization's mission, programs, and brand visibility. Reporting to the Vice President of Development, the Communications Manager implements organization-wide internal and external communications initiatives, digital engagement strategies, and branding efforts to enhance engagement with key stakeholders, including donors, clients, and community partners. This position manages website content, digital marketing, social media, media relations, internal communications, and collateral development to ensure messaging is consistent, audience-focused, and aligned with strategic priorities. The Communications Manager collaborates across departments to elevate organizational storytelling, enhance public awareness, and drive engagement with key partners.

Education, Training and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, marketing, journalism, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of training, education, and experience may substitute for a degree.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in communications, marketing, or public relations for a nonprofit, healthcare, government, or mission-driven organization.
• Ability to execute comprehensive communications and engagement strategies, including employee and donor engagement campaigns.
• Experience developing and implementing social media strategies, digital marketing campaigns, and multimedia content.
• Experience with website design strategy to maximize public engagement and accessibility, working collaboratively with both in-house stakeholders and external design partners to ensure alignment with organizational goals and user best practices.
• Ability to write, edit, and publish communications materials, including newsletters, press releases, web content, fundraising appeals, and promotional collateral.
• Photography, video production, and graphic design experience preferred.

Other Eligible Requirements:

• Must complete a criminal history background check and receive authorization from the State of Oregon's Background Check Unit.
• Must not be excluded from participation in federal healthcare programs, including but not limited to listings on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals/Entities and the System for Award Management (SAM) exclusion list.
• Must have an active driver's license, current insurance, a reliable vehicle and ability to meet VOA Oregon's and VOA Oregon's insurer's driving standards to travel between worksites and meetings.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Implement communications activities aligned with the organization's plan, with goals and timelines developed in collaboration with the VP of Development that are aligned with VOA Oregon's mission, vision, and strategic plan, to increase brand visibility, community engagement, and fundraising effectiveness.
• Manage and oversee VOA Oregon's digital platforms (e.g., website, social media, e-newsletters, third-party donor platforms, etc.), ensuring content is consistently relevant, current, accessible to diverse audiences, and in adherence with brand standards to maximize online engagement and information access.
• Collaboratively develop, write, and edit high-quality content across all communications channels, including newsletters, press releases, articles, annual reports, fundraising appeals, and internal communications, to deliver compelling and consistent messaging to diverse audiences.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to support communication efforts that reflect fundraising and program priorities.
• Ensure adherence to VOA Oregon's brand identity in collaboration with the VOA National Office, executive leadership, and external partners to ensure the organization's messaging and visual assets are unified and impactful.
• Coordinate media outreach activities and maintain media contact lists in collaboration with the VP of Development, pitching story ideas, responding to media inquiries, and coordinating interviews and press opportunities to enhance public awareness and media visibility.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on communications performance data, including website analytics, email engagement rates, social media metrics, and campaign ROI, to inform adjustments and demonstrate impact.
• Coordinate internal communications strategies, in partnership with leadership, that foster employee engagement, support organizational culture, and promote cross-departmental information sharing.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and consultants, such as graphic designers, web developers, video producers, and photographers, to ensure projects are completed on time, within scope, and aligned with brand standards to enhance communication capacity and execution.
• Develop and maintain a content repository, including a photo library, video assets, and story bank, and maintain brand templates to streamline communications workflows and ensure consistency across campaigns and materials.
• Develop and maintain calendars, project plans, and production schedules for communications initiatives to ensure timely execution and efficient workflow management.
• Support communication plans that provide rapid response support, crisis communications, and reputation risk management to ensure timely and accurate messaging during organizational emergencies or public relations challenges.
• Participate in interdepartmental efforts to integrate communications strategy with development, programs and other initiatives to strengthen the organization.
• Completes additional tasks as assigned by the vice president of development .

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of communications principles, including audience segmentation, branding, messaging frameworks, and storytelling techniques to effectively promote mission-driven initiatives and engage diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of nonprofit development and fundraising communications, including donor stewardship strategies and campaign messaging to support revenue growth.
• Knowledge of digital marketing best practices, including content management systems (CMS), email marketing tools, social media platforms, search engine optimization (SEO), and digital analytics to maximize engagement and reach.
• Knowledge of media relations practices, including writing press releases, managing media inquiries, and cultivating media partnerships to enhance brand visibility.
• Knowledge of visual communication and basic graphic design principles to produce or supervise the development of high-quality visual content for digital and print communications.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and practices .
• Skilled in writing, editing, and proofreading with strong grammar, style, and tone to produce high-quality content tailored to diverse audiences.
• Skilled in executing on projects, including communications workflows, and campaign schedules.
• Skilled in cross-functional collaboration, working effectively with program staff, fundraising teams, and external partners to align communications strategies with organizational goals.
• Skilled in data analysis and performance tracking, including the ability to use engagement metrics and analytics to inform strategy, demonstrate impact, and optimize campaigns.
• Skilled in building and maintaining strong interpersonal relationships with diverse team members.
• Skilled in using technology platforms such as Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator), MailChimp or similar eMarketing tools, Google Analytics, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality, professionalism, and ethical standards in handling sensitive financial and personnel information.
• Ability to promote a trauma-informed feedback culture that supports inclusivity and belonging.
• Ability to develop communications that reflect cultural responsiveness and mindful of audience perspectives, ensuring messages are respectful, relevant, and accessible to a broad range of communities.
• Ability to adapt to changing organizational needs, competing priorities, and time-sensitive projects in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

Supervisory Responsibility: This position does not currently have direct supervisory responsibilities but may oversee contractors, interns, or additional staff as organizational needs evolve.

Physical Demands: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.

• While performing the duties of this job the employee is consistently required to sit for a large portion of the day, occasionally stand and walk, use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects and keyboard, reach with hands and arms, concentrate, talk and hear.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:Works in a professional office setting.This position will be assigned to work onsite at the administrative office, located at 3910 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97214. After completion ofthe onboardingperiod, the Communications Manager may be eligible to telework for a limited number of days per week, subject to supervisor and organizational approval.

Expected Hours of Work: This is a full-time, salaried exempt position, typically operating from Monday to Friday. Evening or weekend hours may be required to meet organizational needs or respond to time-sensitive issues.

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature, responsibilities, and level of work required for this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the role. Duties may evolve to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Volunteers of America Oregon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.