Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Full-time: 40 hours/week, 100% FTE

Compensation range: $120,000 - $132,000 annual salary, exempt

Benefits Overview: Medical, vision, dental and life insurance, vacation and sick time off, paid federal holidays, and retirement plan (See full job description for more details).

Organization Size: 50+ employees

Report to: Chief Executive Officer

Location(s): This role may be located at any of our 4 centers (Salinas, Gilroy, Modesto or Stockton, CA) or the Headquarters office in Watsonville, CA. This position is eligible for hybrid work schedule after successful completion of the first 90 days of employment.

NOTE: We are only hiring one (1) VP of Marketing and Communications at Digital NEST.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW: 

Digital NEST is a workforce development center that has welcomed thousands of youth from working-class, farmworker communities to develop the technical and professional skills they need to achieve their dreams. It is an exciting time for the NEST. We are focused on growth and expansion to five communities across The Monterey Bay (MBR) and San Joaquin Valley (SJVR) Regions in Northern California by the end of 2026. Digital NEST has Centers in the heart of Watsonville, Salinas, Gilroy and Modesto. The final Digital NEST Center is expected to launch in Stockton in the fall of 2024. 

JOB OVERVIEW: 

The Vice President of Marketing and Communications will be responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive communication and marketing strategies to promote Digital NEST's mission, programs, and impact within the five communities we serve, as well as in California and beyond. This individual will have a key role in shaping and executing the strategic communication plan, managing day-to-day media relations, and collaborating with teams and external partners to effectively highlight NEST members, NEST alumni, leaders, solutions, and programs that bring about long-lasting change. This position requires a dynamic individual with a passion for inspiring youth and expertise in digital marketing, branding, and community engagement. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Organizational Communications (50%)

• Lead the creation, execution, reporting of the Digital NEST strategic communications plan, aligning communications and marketing efforts with organizational goals.
• Develop and lead the thought leadership strategy to establish trust and position Digital NEST as a leader in workforce development, technology education, rural education, and youth career development. 
• Oversee digital marketing efforts, including the website, social media, blogging and email campaigns. 
  • Conduct comprehensive media analysis; based on analysis, create and oversee organizational digital strategy across all Digital NEST platforms.
  • Oversee website redesign and ongoing management to ensure alignment with goals and priorities and updates for all web pages.
• Manage media and public relations programs and develop partnerships to enhance visibility. Serve as the primary point of contact for all incoming media relations requests, ensuring timely and effective responses.
• Oversee brand integration throughout the organization.
  • Maintain the official brand guidelines across the organization, including training staff to use them if/when they develop their own materials; and to share them with outside consultants on related projects.
  • Ensure message and design consistency, and clarity across the organization as brand guidelines are updated.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of storytelling strategy and quality control.
• Manage internal communications in close collaboration with the Digital NEST Leadership team. Establish and implement regular cadence for internal communications, i.e., intranet, internal newsletters, etc.

Content Development (20%)

• Oversee the creation of compelling marketing materials and communications.
• Create and implement an organizational content strategy and oversee the yearly editorial calendar.
• Create strategic materials for the leadership team and ensure quality control of all communications materials.
• Lead the marketing and communications (mar/com) team to create high-quality printed and digital materials per the communications plan and for departments as needed.
• Oversee the storytelling process and manage the mar/com team to:
  • Coordinate with each department to identify the best stories to tell,
  • Conduct interviews and write stories,
  • Create strategies that get members to share stories about the impact of the NEST; follow up with members to develop their stories and share them publicly.
• In collaboration with the development team, create compelling end-of-year and fundraising collateral to inspire ongoing giving to the Digital NEST; collaborate with Development Team for all content for direct asks as well as incorporating indirect/soft asks into web and printed materials; collaborate for all outreach to donors and prospective donors (both individual and institutional).

Programs Communications Support (20%)

• Collaborate with program directors to highlight success stories and program impact.
• Lead the mar/com team to work closely with the program team to implement the member recruitment and engagement portion of the communications plan.
• Oversee implementation of a consistent look and feel for print and online program collateral that are in line with organizational brand guidelines.

Leadership and Staff Supervision (10%)

• Participate in leadership-level meetings, attend monthly meetings, and other meetings as needed and collaborate on agency-level leadership and management activities.
• Provide supervision of the marketing and communications team via coaching and mentoring.  Additionally, support the career and professional development of marketing and communications staff.
• Represent the Digital NEST on relevant, external committees/task forces, as well as, speaking engagements, conference panels and training. 
• Prepare and support all external talking points and collateral for the CEO and others on the Leadership Team, on occasion.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Minimum of a B.A., ideally with an advanced degree.
• At least 15 years of senior communications and/or marketing experience. 
• At least 7 years in a supervisory role.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Availability to work and travel occasional nights and weekends.
• Self-starter with a high degree of initiative, creativity, and proven ability to work independently.
• Ability to lead and collaborate effectively during times of uncertainty, ambiguity, and rapid change.
• Exceptional time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Professional demeanor and the ability to use tact and diplomacy when interacting with donors, NEST staff, clients, and other stakeholders.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Passion for the mission of Digital NEST and belief in upholding the organization’s core values.
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues of culture/ethnicity/race, gender, sexual identity, class/SES, and immigration status. 
• Ability to be an ally to people of color, women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex individuals and their allies (LGBTQIA). 
• Candidates must have a valid CA driver's license, pass a background check, and be able to travel and work evenings or weekends occasionally, or as needed.

NOTE: The job offer will be contingent upon the successful completion and passing of a background check.

ABOUT OUR BENEFITS: We take a holistic approach to wellness, physical, emotional, and financial. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• 100% Agency Paid Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance for the employee
• SIMPLE IRA Retirement Benefit with up to 2% employer match
• 10 Paid Vacation Days for Full-time Employees (non-Director and non-Chief positions)
• 15 Paid Vacation Days for Full-time Employees (Director and Chief positions)
• 13 Paid Holidays Annually Plus Business closure/holiday the week between Christmas Day and New Years Day
• Paid Sick Time Off
• Annual Parking Permit
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Flexible Work Schedule

We understand that no candidate is perfectly qualified for any job. Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of dedication, impact, and the ability to thrive in a fluid and collaborative environment. We want you to learn new things in this role and encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we’re looking for. We also know that diversity of background and thought makes for better problem-solving and more creative thinking, so we're dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Digital NEST, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Digital NEST is committed to an inclusive experience for all applicants and will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations in the interview process, to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.  

Please refer to our career page for more information on how to apply for reasonable accommodations.