Director, Marketing Communications Business Partner (multiple Openings) Apply By: Friday August 2, 2024

About JFF 

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers toward a shared North Star: By 2033, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.  

To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff of more than 300 people across the country working remotely and in offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels, forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible.   

We’re on a path of ongoing growth and expanding impact. We have an operating budget of $105 million, and we’re funded by dozens of leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn more about JFF and join us as we build a future that works—for everyone.  

 

DEIBW at JFF  

Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and well-being (DEIBW) are core to JFF’s North Star and mission. We employ and build diverse teams across race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, age, and lived experiences and are constantly working toward ensuring these differences are celebrated and included. We aim to cultivate a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads, professional development, and equitable career advancement opportunities. Learn more about what DEIBW looks like in practice at JFF. 

We seek to invest in and learn from those who represent the communities we serve, particularly individuals from populations who have been explicitly or implicitly excluded from the workforce. Knowing its importance to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff members, we aspire to attract and retain a diverse team and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply to our open roles. JFF is a fair chance employer and in alignment to our North Star, we strongly encourage individuals whose highest level of education attained is less than a 4-year degree; People of Color; and people with records to apply. 

 

About the Position 

JFF's Marketing & Communications team elevates JFF’s visibility, impact, and reach through strategic brand and message development, media engagement, field outreach, and high-quality event and deliverable production. Our diverse team of strategists, business partners, creative and graphic designers, and event and promotion leaders support JFF’s enterprise initiatives, and our individual business units, in achieving their ambitious and innovative programmatic goals. Through the creation of strategic communications plans and integrated campaigns, the Marketing & Communications team generates engagement, and drives action, and awareness towards JFF’s impactful work and North Star goals. 

Currently, we are hiring two Marketing and Communications Business Partners (BP’s), who will be individually assigned to support the marketing and communications strategy for JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning (CAWBL), and our Workforce and Regional Economies Practice (WREP). JFF’s Marketing and Communications BP’s serve as the central link between business unit leaders and the Marketing and Communications leadership team in developing comprehensive communication plans that align to the strategic priorities of their assigned business unit.  

In this role, you will serve as a strategic thought partner and trusted advisor to the business unit leaders for your assigned portfolio (either CAWBL, or WRE).  You'll be trusted to inform and drive forward communications strategy and priorities and develop comprehensive communication plans aligned to the strategic priorities of your assigned team, which will include messaging and positioning, campaign planning, product development and rollout, awareness building, and program demand generation. 

The BP role offers the opportunity to work with colleagues across JFF’s Marketing Communications team, (including project management, editorial, and design teams), on the timely completion of deliverables. You will be part of a larger Marketing and Communications Business Partner team, collectively working to create consistent processes, share best practices, and problem solve. Additionally, you’ll work collaboratively and cross-functionally with a “squad” of Business Partners from various disciplines (People and Culture, Finance, Development, etc.), leveraging a OneJFF approach and ensuring strategic connections across JFF’s Business Units. 

Ideal candidates are strategic and consultative, with strong content writing, project management skills, and experience designing and executing marketing communications campaigns, including familiarity with the content domains of apprenticeship and work-based learning, or workforce and economic development.  You will excel in this role if you are adept at balancing multiple priorities and know how to develop marketing and communication strategies that make the best use of capacity and resources, while making a positive impact on a team’s goals. If you are eager to develop and share the narrative of the impactful work of these teams, we encourage you to apply.  

What You’ll Do: 

Expand CAWBL and WRE’s influence through engaging marketing strategies and communications campaigns: 

• Serve as the strategic marketing and communications advisor for leaders on your assigned business unit, leading the development of the communications and marketing to advance the group’s priorities and impact agenda 

• Assess communications needs of programmatic initiatives and propose communications deliverables and solutions that are aligned to meeting programmatic goals based on available project budgets, scope and timeline  

• Support the planning and delivery of thought leadership content derived from core knowledge products, including webinars, blogs, social media posts, email newsletters, etc. 

• Lead the development of go-to-market plans for products and services and identify the best opportunities for generating demand and capturing interest in our work (e.g., contact us forms, newsletter subscriptions, resource downloads, event registrations, etc.) 

• Define audience personas and maximize engagement to guide the development of communications content and refinement of strategies  

Foster collaboration as a central link between Marketing Communications and your dedicated business unit: 

• Liase between your assigned business unit, and the Marketing Communications team, effectively balancing competing priorities, and ensuring that the team’s capacity is leveraged in support the business unit’s communications strategy 

• Lead campaign and project chartering processes to ensure alignment on roles, goals and milestones for individual communications efforts, including ensuring clear understanding of program goals and objectives, committed deliverables, resources and timelines 

• Build the capacity of staff to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and principles into the development of communications deliverables 

• Partner with program leads on proposal development for project funding of new communications deliverables 

Deliver powerful results through strategic planning and analysis: 

• Manage project budgets to ensure effective use of resources for delivering work on time, on budget and on scope 

• Measure the effectiveness of marketing communications programs through Google Analytics, Cision and Hubspot to track campaign metrics and KPIs 
• Identify external visibility opportunities for business unit leadership, and support subject matter experts in preparing for speaking opportunities and media interviews in collaboration with PR and Events teams 

Act as a strategic leader to the Marketing Communications Team: 

• Keep up to date on the latest communications tools, strategies, and trends and share best practices with other team members 

• Collaborate with other BPs to problem-solve, elevate trends, and build solutions to support each other’s work 

• Identify and implement processes and tools for strong collaboration between Marketing Communications, Business Partners, and program groups 

• Continually increase your domain expertise and content knowledge  to more fully inform marketing and communications strategies 

 

Who You Are  

The qualifications listed within the job description are intended as a guide and we do not expect candidates to bring all experiences and skills listed. Research supports that self-selecting out of potential professional opportunities is particularly common among individuals with identities that are marginalized in professional spaces. So, if you believe that you can meet the overall expectations of the position, we encourage you to apply so that we have an opportunity to learn more about you and the unique strengths you would bring to the work. 

• You bring experience leading the design and implementation of marketing and communications strategies, with broad knowledge of communications best practices, and an ability to influence and make strategic recommendations to senior leaders (New hires at the Director II level at JFF typically bring 12+ years of prior professional experience through a combination of full-time, part-time, internship, and/or freelance positions)  

• You have led mission-driven marketing and communication strategy and initiatives, and bring experience in, or familiarity with workforce development systems and actors or apprenticeship and work-based learning.  

• You understand how to successfully manage towards results, not just deliverables, and you bring a track record of strategically deploying communications and marketing techniques to achieve ambitious goals around reach, influence, and behavior change 

• You have the ability to build trusting relationships that position you to influence and make strategic recommendations to leaders; you know how to drive stakeholders to clarity and action, even with competing priorities and perspectives  

• You have experience leveraging web analytics and other data to assess your impact and drive decision-making and you keep up with the latest tools and trends within the field 

• You are skilled in project and budget management, and have proven experience leading teams, vendors and /or subcontractors to successful project outcomes 

• You have a track record of quickly and effectively building domain and subject matter expertise to inform your work with various clients or stakeholders 

• You are fluent with social media platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter), marketing platforms (Salesforce CRM, Hubspot), and project management tools (such as Asana), and can learn and use new tools quickly and effectively. 

• You are skilled at navigating ambiguity, anticipating bottlenecks, and developing creative solutions that support you and others’ work 

• You know how to refine messaging and create engaging content for a variety of audiences; you bring skills with ethical storytelling and centering the voice and expertise of impacted individuals 

• You possess high energy and passion for JFF’s mission and North Star, and the ability to apply JFF’s core values to all areas of your work    

• You are energized by stewarding JFF’s DEIBW values and practices within your day-to-day work, including embracing the differences and celebrating the diversity that each individual brings to JFF  

• You value building positive and collaborative relationships with others, including people whose identities and backgrounds differ from your own 

 

 

What We Offer  

At JFF, we’re fueled by the desire to create a world where everyone has equal opportunity for economic advancement. Our team works hard to push the boundaries of what is possible, and in return, we provide a gratifying work experience, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits program that includes flexibility and choice as core values in order to support people wherever they are in their lives and careers.  

JFF has offices in Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC; employees are welcome to use JFF office space to work in-person or hybrid, or completely remote. To improve the employee experience and promote productivity while working remotely, JFF offers an annual home office stipend to all regular full-time and part-time employees. In addition, new employees receive office equipment as needed.   

The hiring range for this role is $120,000 - $150,000 annually, in alignment to JFF’s Director II salary band and our compensation philosophy. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.  

 

To Apply  

As part of your application, please include your resume and a thoughtful cover letter, addressed to  Rob Grimmett, Senior Director, Marketing Communications, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position. 

We are accepting applications through August 2, 2024. Applications submitted by that date will be reviewed and candidates will receive updates on their candidacy by the week of August 12, 2024.  

At JFF, we’re also committed to accessibility and want to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can fully access and engage with our application and hiring process. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability and/or have specific access/accommodation needs in order to fully participate in our hiring process, please contact us at hiringaccommodations@jff.org. 

 

Positions at JFF are not eligible for employer-visa sponsorship or open to F-1 student visa holders.