Marketing & Communications Department

JOB SUMMARY:

Under the general direction and guidance of the Vice President, Marketing & Communications, the Director, Communications & Events is responsible for shaping and maintaining brand narrative of United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) as well as developing, overseeing, and executing events as part of the overall marketing plan to meet goals such as donor engagement and awareness, and in support of overall fundraising goals for organization. UWGLA events reach multiple audiences including corporate partners, individual donors, the civic community and mass audiences and employ various formats (walks, community events, summits, etc.). He/she is responsible for:

• Communicating brand messaging and community impact results via communications strategies involving media relations, social media, thought leadership and public speaking opportunities, and digital
• Ensuring high quality content and consistency in brand voice
• Overseeing and  implementing all United Way events
• Fulfilling event sponsor benefits, exposure, and recognition
• Ensuring all events reflect an understanding of the target audience(s) needs, wants, and attitudes
• Establishing, building, and maintaining relationships with the target audience(s), event sponsors, and VIP guests
• Connecting target audience(s) with brand and creating pathways out of poverty mission

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Communications

• Create, develop, execute, and manage communications strategies across varied media channels and platforms.
• Oversee internal and external communications and messaging to ensure brand consistency.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with key media contacts across consumer and trade press.
• Evaluate all media inquiries and identify appropriate UWGLA spokesperson for media opportunities.
• Develop all press materials, interview briefs, and key messaging, and train internal spokespeople.
• Manage internal communications including E-Team and I-Team, partnering with Human Resources.
• Advise and manage all crisis situations and communications as needed.

Events

• Create and execute event marketing strategy and calendar to further UWGLA’s marketing and fundraising goals, in collaboration with Development and Community Impact departments.
  • Oversee several mass events with audience size of 1,000 to 10,000+ attendees, including United Way’s HomeWalk 5K to end homelessness (homewalkla.org)
  • Oversee year-round events for corporate recognition and various donor segments
  • Evaluate ROI on all events against organizational goals and adjust strategies to ensure impact of each event
• Oversee all aspects of event production: project management, budget management, programming and content, marketing collateral, site planning, vendor negotiations, analysis and reporting, and flawless execution day of event.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Development departments to identify event sponsorship opportunities to raise revenue for the events portfolio and cultivate in-kind and media partnerships.
• Responsible for fulfilling and executing event sponsorship benefits and supporting Marketing team in creating sponsorship recaps for cultivating in-kind and media partners.
• Integrate best practice customer relationship management (CRM) into all event activities, from invitations to post-event follow ups to ensure data is incorporated into donor database and generate internal reports.
• Develop a deep understanding of UWGLA’s brand mission and positioning to ensure event programming and materials leverage the brand.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS:

• Manage staff of two.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

 QUALIFICATIONS:                                                                                                                                            

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.  Master’s or equivalent advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in Marketing and/or Event management. Mass events experience (i.e. run/walks) a plus.
• Demonstrated strategic thinker with ability to develop strategies that map to stated goals and objectives.
• Proven track record in acquiring event sponsorships or possesses transferrable business development experience.
• Strong leadership skills, with ability to balance needs of multiple internal and external constituents.
• Experienced manager who cares deeply about the personal and professional development of his/her team.
• Strong project management skills.
• Highly motivated and accountable individual with ability to manage a significant workload, work efficiently at a fast pace, and adhere to numerous tight deadlines.
• Problem-solver with ability to creatively troubleshoot, thrives under pressure, and accepts constructive criticism.
• Should possess strong verbal and written communication skills with ability to communicate strategy, tactics, and results clearly to a variety of audiences.
• Strong analytical skills and experience with tracking key performance metrics for events; previous experience with CRM systems a plus.
• Must be able to exercise initiative, independent good judgement, flexibility, discretion, and solid decision making.
• Enthusiastic team player with positive can-do attitude, flexibility to re-prioritize, multi-task, and switch tasks fluidly, including ability to hit the ground running.
• Willing to occasionally work late nights or weekends during crunch times to meet business needs.
• Superior knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel) is essential.

Interested candidates please email a cover letter, resume, and salary history, with the “Director, Communications & Events” position title in the subject line, to Hiring Recruiter at [email protected]

No phone calls please.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is an equal opportunity employer.  We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or status as a veteran.   Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs.