Director of Communications

THE OPPORTUNITY
Partnership with Children (PWC) seeks a Director of Communications to tell the story of our work and grow the audiences that fund it.

Founded in 1908, PWC is a blue-chip nonprofit with a 115+ year history serving 20,000 children and families in New York City’s most under-resourced communities. Today, we are a leading school-based mental health provider, working in public schools across all five boroughs to help young people overcome the effects of poverty and trauma and succeed in school and life.

As Director of Communications, you will be our lead storyteller and strategist. You will uplift the achievements of PWC staff, students, and families across our schools and afterschool programs, cultivate new donor audiences, and systematize our internal and external communications. This is a one-person department, so you will both shape and execute the communications strategy, partnering across teams to bring it to life. You report to the Chief Development Officer.

If you are a creative, hands-on communicator and a strong writer who thrives on telling powerful stories and building a brand that matches our impact, this is your chance to do meaningful work in a mission-driven organization.

HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates should send a thoughtful cover letter and their resume to katherinewdefoyd@gmail.com. Please do not use LinkedIn’s easy apply function. This will disqualify you.

CORE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Brand, Strategy & Internal Communications: 35%

• Develop and implement comprehensive communication strategies and annual communication plans for the organization’s many audiences to build momentum and awareness.
• Partner closely with senior staff to sustain an organizational branding and internal and external communication strategies.
• Design internal communication templates and toolkits (decks, one-pagers, brochures, flyers, merch, social posts). Keep messaging clear and consistent across the organization, and weave our culture, values, and beliefs into every communication.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant societal and philanthropic trends in mental health and healing arts, as well as programs and activities across PWC.

• Develop compelling stories that build interest, grow our media presence, monitor coverage, and ensure timely responses.
• Develop multi-media appeals and campaigns that attract support from corporations, individuals, and foundations.
• Collaborate closely with program staff to gather stories, testimonials, and impact data that highlight our impact and effectively communicate our successes.
• Tailor pitch decks and other materials for funders and external stakeholders to cultivate partnerships.
• Support executive communications by preparing talking points, speeches, and presentations for leadership team members.
• Help leadership develop conference presentations, whitepaper advocacy, and thought leadership communications that promote education equity and the role of trauma informed care in youth development.

• Define a social media strategy and manage the organization’s social media presence to grow our donor base and engage stakeholders around our mission.
• Lead and manage the organization’s website, including liaising with departments to ensure it accurately reflects the organization's evolving work.
• In partnership with the Chief Development Officer, develop and execute multi-channel appeals, newsletters, and other fundraising and social media campaigns to amplify organizational storytelling and reach donors.
• Track and report on communications performance, using data to refine strategy and improve reach.

• Coordinate with vendors (including the website host) and maintain an up-to-date roster of designers, printers, mail houses, videographers, photographers, and other suppliers for use by our team and other departments.
• Support the development team with the planning, logistics, communications, and operation of events throughout the year, including producing an annual Gala, cultivation events, lobby days, and conferences.
• Assist with additional projects, tasks, and campaigns as needed.

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in communications, public relations, or marketing, ideally in a nonprofit, mission-driven, or agency setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with attention to detail and an eye for design.
• Track record planning and supporting events, including galas, benefits, and cultivation events.
• Ability to translate program impact into compelling stories that resonate with donors, media, and the public.
• Skilled in executive communications and brand management, with the judgment to plan for and handle sensitive and crisis situations.
• History of success in managing social media strategy, websites, and digital campaigns.
• Proven results in securing media coverage, both directly and by managing PR partners, through compelling pitches and relationships with reporters and national outlets.
• Experience analyzing communications metrics (e.g., media mentions, advertising value, editorial reach, social engagement) and audience engagement data to evaluate performance and inform strategy.
• Expertise with communications tools (Salesforce, Campaign Monitor, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, WordPress) and social listening or media-monitoring platforms (Hootsuite, Cision/PR Wire, Google Analytics, or similar).
• Highly organized self-starter with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Commitment to PWC’s mission and organizational values: Collaboration, Continuous Learning, Going to Solution, Equity & Inclusion, and Passion.

Note: This position is full-time, hybrid and sometimes requires early-morning or evening event support. The Team currently works Tuesdays and Thursdays in-office from 9:30am-5:30pm

SALARY AND BENEFITS
Salary range is $110,000 - $115,000, commensurate with credentials and experience.
All full-time employees receive an excellent benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan with employer match, life insurance, Flexible Spending Account/FSA, Commuter benefits, and twenty-four days paid annual leave per year, plus four Summer Fridays and 12 other paid holidays.
Partnership with Children welcomes diversity in all its forms and believes that its mission can only be achieved when diversity is leveraged across all areas, including race, gender, gender expression, age, nationality, and life experience. Partnership with Children is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds. Partnership with Children provides equal opportunity for all applicants and employees.

About Partnership with Children
Partnership with Children works with public schools in New York City’s highest-need communities to provide critical social and emotional services for the hardest-to-reach youth and to systematically support schools that are safe, successful, and conducive to learning. For more information, please visit PWC’s website HERE.