What are the responsibilities and job description for the Communications Manager position at Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition?
Communications Manager
Department: Administration Date Prepared: 10/23/2023
Prepared by: Kylie Dickerson Reports to: Director of Marketing
FSLA Status: Full-Time, Exempt Location: St. Louis (in-office)
Summary of Position
Are you a natural storyteller who believes no child should face the future alone? Do you have strong
opinions about the Oxford comma? Are you known far and wide for your attention to detail? Do your
friends ask you to ghostwrite their cover letters, speeches, and texts?
The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition is seeking a grammar enthusiast, creative writer, and lover of all
things media to join our Marketing & Communications Team. Members of the Marketing &
Communications Team support the Coalition’s mission by inspiring the community to invest in the
futures of children impacted by foster care and to engage with our mission. We are seeking a strong
writer and even stronger editor to ensure the outstanding communications our volunteers and
donors deserve. You will work closely with our team of experts to support the agency’s marketing,
communications, and fundraising efforts through newsletters, impact stories, social media, print and
digital advertisements and any other storytelling focused on stakeholders in the community.
The Coalition is interested in hiring a Communications Manager with specialized
experience in Marketing and/or Communications, and will determine responsibilities and
title dependent upon the candidate’s experience and qualifications.
Our ideal candidate approaches their work with the same creativity, grace, and grit our kids and families
show every day in their healing journey. This position will help us continually ask, and better answer, the
following questions:
- Does our community hear the voices of our clients?
- Does our community hear the voices of our program staff?
- Does our community hear how staff and clients talk to one another?
- How accurately can our community describe what success looks like from our clients’
- How often does our community hear the voices of our donors and volunteers?
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
• Give all Coalition donors, volunteers, and ambassadors an unparalleled giving experience by
- Rigorously edit all copy written by the Development and Marketing & Communications teams.
- Regularly interview program staff to collect stories of children and families impacted by foster
- Use storytelling to familiarize external stakeholders with the voices and perspectives of children
- Collaborate with the Development Team to segment communications to different stakeholders.
- Support the Coalition’s mission – attend special events, training events, and other “all hands on
- Work with Marketing Director to schedule and produce stakeholder communications, including
- Assist Marketing & Communications team in implementing active social media content strategy
- Support the Marketing & Communications team on various graphic design projects.
- Willingness to assist with website maintenance, specifically updating success stories, program
- Edit and proof work to ensure high editorial standards are met across all content outputs.
- Coordinate online or print publishing cycle and manage content areas.
- Participates and engages in team and agency meetings and/or individual professional
- Respects and demonstrates an understanding for differences, including the ability to interact
effectively with individuals regardless of race, religion, gender, gender identity and expression,
national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability and socioeconomic status.
- Responds promptly to communication from staff, clients, and professionals promptly.
Mandatory COVID-19 Policy to Include Bivalent Vaccine
Candidates must show proof of being fully vaccinated and be updated on eligible boosters,
which includes the Bivalent Vaccine. Religious and/or medical accommodations will be
considered for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law. Applicants
should be aware that for external-facing roles, particularly those involving close contact with
vulnerable individuals, accommodations that include remaining unvaccinated against
COVID-19 may not be deemed reasonable. The Company will engage in the interactive process
individually in light of each particular role.
Department Specific / Non-Essential Functions
- Other duties as assigned with or without accommodation.
- Support the Coalition’s mission – attend special events, training events, and other “all hands on
deck” activities
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
• Bachelor’s degree in English, marketing, communications, journalism, or equivalent
experience in a related field
Experience
- Experience in the nonprofit sector and working with volunteers.
- Experience managing complex projects and deadlines with a high degree of
independence.
Preferred Skills / Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage donors and volunteers with the Coalition’s
- Strong attention to detail.
- Strong organizational and time management skills and ability to prioritize.
- Strong ability to work collaboratively and as a member of a team, sharing in responsibilities,
- Strong written and interpersonal communication skills with a passion for storytelling.
Additional Skills/Competencies necessary to carry out services to the service population’s culture
and socioeconomic characteristics
- This position requires an understanding of diversity (ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, etc.)
- This position requires respect for the confidentiality of the children and families the
- This position requires a clean criminal history.
- Behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, and displays a positive image of the
- Demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitments to others.
Organizational Relationships/Scope
• This position reports to the Director of Marketing, and works closely with
the Development Team.
• This position entails work in the community and office.
- Use of an automobile for local travel to multiple sites may be required.
- The Coalition office is considered home-base with primary office hours Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM
- 4:30 PM.
- This position requires flexibility. Evening and weekend hours may be required to meet the
expectations of this position.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate
- The physical requirement of this job includes sitting, standing, walking, climbing stairs; lifting up
to 25 lbs., pulling and/or pushing on occasion.
Agency Shared Values
Employees of the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition agree to hold themselves and colleagues to the
following values:
- Equity: We insist on fairness and respect. We are deliberate in ensuring everyone has safety,
- Family: We are family. We are connected and support one another in meeting the needs of our
- Diversity: We celebrate differences and harness the power that diversity brings. Every viewpoint
- Innovation & Excellence: We are intentional about knowing better and doing better, using
- Inclusion: We respect, leverage, and engage everyone’s unique strengths and talents so each
- Integrity: We are an agency built on integrity, maintaining a culture of trust, respect,
- Courage: We stand up for each other and what is right for our clients and stakeholders with
- Teamwork & Collaboration: We develop and maintain authentic relationships by being flexible
and open-minded and maximizing the strengths of each individual in the team to accomplish
the best outcome for our children and families. Everyone contributes in leadership.
Disclaimer
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed
by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive
list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position.
Job Description Acknowledgment
I have received, reviewed and fully understand the job description for this position. I further understand
that I am responsible for the satisfactory execution of the essential functions described therein, under
any and all conditions as described.
Printed Employee Name: Date:
Employee Signature: