Job Description

MISSION OF NATIONAL SKILLS COALITION 

 

National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition working toward a vision of an America that grows its economy by investing in its people, so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper. We engage in organizing, advocacy and communications to advance state and federal policies that support these goals – polices that are based on the on-the-ground expertise of our members and allies.

 

Business Leaders United (BLU) is an initiative of the National Skills Coalition and operates as a national network of small and medium-sized businesses and business membership organizations promoting public investments in skills training and workforce development programs that strengthen the workforce and economy. https://www.businessleadersunited.org/

 

POSITION SUMMARY 

 

The Communications Manager is responsible for developing and executing communications strategies and tactics and engaging BLU members and allies that target members of the coalition’s Business Leaders United (BLU) initiative. This person will lead strategies to use traditional communications and digital tools to engage and mobilize people to support BLU’s network, advocacy, and engagement goals. The Communications Manager will expand the reach of NSC’s communications, find new audiences, bring more constituents to our platforms and build awareness of our key issues.

 

He or she is action-oriented, and eager to actively collaborate with policy and communications staff on simultaneous campaigns. This job requires strong project management skills, and the ability to multi-task in a deadline driven environment. The successful candidate will be able to translate complex ideas into succinct and impactful communications for a wide range of platforms and purposes. He or she must also demonstrate a team-oriented approach to shared work, problem solving, and strategic planning.  

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Communications

  • Work with BLU members and business leaders across the country to effectively communicate about our issues, priorities, and agenda to a wide range of audiences including the press, policy makers, and stakeholders.
  • Work to increase the visibility of BLU in the media and assist in developing written materials such as op-eds, press releases, advisories, backgrounders and other media-friendly collateral.
  • Assist in creating social media strategy and digital initiatives and drive engagement of stakeholders.
  • Write and edit a range of content and collateral.
  • Oversee the development of videos and other digital and traditional storytelling products.  

 

Policy and Coalition Communications

  • Prepare BLU members to participate or act as spokespeople in advocacy activities or actions that publicly promote the organization or our policy platform.
  • Develop network-wide correspondence and support BLU member mobilization.
  • Provide communications guidance and support to the BLU Affiliate Network.
  • In collaboration with policy and communications staff, develop or adapt business-facing policy and issue-based materials that can be used directly with business leaders and by national network partners.  

 

Event Planning

  • Manage the development of all communications collateral for BLU’s events – including look/branding, printed collateral, and social media plans.  

 

Planning

  • Conceptualize, develop, and execute, and assess vibrant, cohesive communications strategies and tactics for BLU’s most dynamic campaigns in coordination with NSC staff.
  • Actively participate and contribute to planning BLU initiatives and strategic communications campaign plans to ensure that communications goals are integrated into campaign strategy.
  • Maintain BLU’s communications calendar.  

  

Technology

  • Use NSC’s project management software, efficiently manage communications projects that include BLU staff, coalition partners, and other stakeholders.  

 

 

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

 

 

CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Project Management: Brings together every component of a project, including resources or planning, that are needed to complete in a timely manner.
  • Partnership Development: Ability to develop, maintain and strengthen partnerships with others inside and outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.
  • Strategic Thinking/Management: Creates and communicates a long-term vision, balances short- and long-term goals, keeps own and team’s work aligned with overall goals, creates, adjusts strategic plans.
  • Organizational Awareness: Using knowledge of the organization and the organization’s business environment to turn data into insight.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Interpersonal skills: Exhibits respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationship.
  • Problem Solving: Solves problems while ensuring rules and directives are followed.
  • Communication Skills: Ability to effectively engage and communicate with target audiences.
  • Initiative: Takes independent action, seeks out new responsibilities, acts on opportunities, generates new ideas, practices self-development.
  • Attention to Detail: Committed to accuracy and excellence, looks for improvements continuously, monitors quality levels, finds/owns/acts on quality problems.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Therequirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.


Education & Experience:

  • Minimum of 3 years relevant experience
  • Knowledge of business association landscape and players
  • Knowledge of postsecondary and workforce development policy and policymaking
  • Knowledge of postsecondary and workforce development field, practitioners
  • Excellent written communication, including drafting emails, social media copy, web copy, blogs
  • Public speaking (ability to effectively engage and communicate with target audiences)
  • Strong interpersonal, collaborative skills
  • Proactive, problem solvingorientation
  •  Ability to manage tasks and projects and meetdeadlines
  • Attention todetail
  • Effectively uses technology to communicate/collaborate with colleagues and managework

    COMPENSATION: Salary range for this position is $60,000-$85,000; salary depends on relevant experience and new staff rarely start at the top of the range. Excellent benefits package, including employer-paid health and dental, retirement plan, life and disability insurance and generous vacation policy.


National Skills Coalition is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.