Managing Director of External Relations

ABOUT US:

Women's Lunch Place is a safe, welcoming daytime shelter and advocacy center for women experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty. We offer a supportive community that provides healthy meals, housing support, wellness programming, and other critical services designed to restore dignity and empowers women to make positive changes in their lives.

The Opportunity

The Managing Director of External Relations manages WLP's relationships and interactions with outside entities. This includes marketing, communication, constituent engagement and stewardship, and relationship building with stakeholders such as government bodies, other organizations, media, and the broader community. Key aspects typically involve public relations, government affairs, media relations, community outreach, and stakeholder management, with the primary goals being:

• Build and maintain a positive brand reputation for WLP
• Influence relevant policies and decisions and foster beneficial partnerships and collaborations
• Manage communications during crises
• Ensure the organization's interests are represented effectively while creating mutual understanding with key external groups
• Ensure regulatory compliance is maintained and operational excellence is achieved

Base Salary: $120,000/yr

The core components of WLP External Relations are marketing and communications, donor engagement and stewardship, and philanthropy operations. Together, these three areas strengthen WLP's positioning for philanthropic investment, enable the philanthropy team's critical work to secure funds on behalf of WLP, and focus on creating value for all parties involved.

The Managing Director of External Relations will lead these strategic initiatives for Women's Lunch Place, overseeing a comprehensive program that advances the organization's mission, amplifies its impact, and strengthens stakeholder relationships. The incumbent will manage two key business units encompassing these core functions, ensuring integrated strategies that support WLP's ambitious fundraising campaign and ongoing programming.

This position joins WLP at an inflection point as the organization moves forward with the quiet phase of an ambitious fundraising campaign. The Managing Director will develop and execute sophisticated marketing and communications strategies that elevate WLP's visibility, articulate its unique value proposition, and inspire increased philanthropic support. They will serve as the organization's senior marketing strategist while overseeing the systems and operations that support WLP's robust development program.

The ideal candidate brings significant experience in nonprofit marketing and communications, with demonstrated success in campaign communications and stakeholder engagement. They must be an exceptional storyteller who can translate WLP's mission and impact into compelling narratives across multiple channels and audiences. The Managing Director will be a collaborative leader who can build strong partnerships across the organization while mentoring and developing their team members.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Management
  • Lead WLP's external relations team across two business units, providing mentorship, direction, and professional development
  • Develop and implement comprehensive marketing and communications strategies that advance organizational goals
  • Serve as senior marketing strategist and brand steward
  • Ensure integration between marketing/communications and development operations
  • Partner with development team on campaign communications and donor engagement
  • Establish metrics and reporting systems to track impact and success
  • Oversee key volunteer groups e.g. boards and committees

2. Marketing & Communications

• Direct WLP's overall marketing and communications strategy
• Oversee brand management and visual identity
• Lead content strategy across all channels including digital, print, and social media
• Drive public relations efforts and media relationships
• Manage crisis communications and reputation management
• Ensure consistent messaging and voice across all external communications
• Oversee production of annual report, impact reports, and campaign materials

3. Donor Engagement & Philanthropy Operations

• Direct donor communications and stewardship programs
• Oversee development operations including gift processing, acknowledgments, and database management
• Drive donor engagement strategies and recognition programs
• Ensure excellent donor experience through streamlined systems and processes
• Lead campaign operations and support materials
• Manage vendor relationships for external relations functions

4. Team & Program Oversight

• Supervise and support the Directors of:
  • Marketing & Donor Engagement
  • Philanthropy Operations
• Foster collaboration between units and with development team
• Drive innovation and best practices in external relations
• Manage departmental budget and resources
• Build and maintain effective cross-functional relationships

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
• 7-10 years of progressive marketing/communications experience
• 5 years of staff management experience
• Demonstrated success in campaign communications
• Excellence in writing and editorial direction
• Strong digital marketing and social media expertise
• Experience with donor databases and CRM systems
• Project management and budget oversight experience
• Understanding of development operations and donor relations

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in social services or related nonprofit sector
• Knowledge of the Greater Boston media landscape
• Background in women's issues or gender-based services
• Campaign experience in organizations with $ 6M annual fundraising
• Crisis communications experience
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite

Personal Characteristics

• Passionate commitment to WLP's mission and values
• Strategic and creative mindset
• Collaborative leadership style
• Excellence in relationship building
• Strong project management abilities
• Attention to detail and quality
• Ability to manage multiple priorities
• Comfort with ambiguity, change management, and growth

This is a full-time, hybrid, exempt position based in Boston, MA. The compensation package will be competitive and commensurate with experience, including a comprehensive benefits package as detailed in the full prospectus.\