Senior Communications Manager

Position Title: Senior Communications Manager

Location: Remote, with periodic travel

Reports to: Director of Communications

Status: Full-time, exempt

Position Summary

Future Currents has an immediate opening for a Senior Communications Manager. The Senior Communications Manager will work closely with the Communications Director to develop and execute communications strategies that advance Future Currents’ organizational and programmatic goals. They will help the organization maintain strong relationships with current funders, partner organizations, and others and raise its profile with new audiences.

This job requires planning, managing, and implementing a broad range of communications tasks in a deadline-driven environment. The Senior Communications Manager will develop, edit, and proofread a range of written and digital content. They will work with the Communications Director to develop and implement project-specific communication campaigns (which may include earned and social media); update and maintain websites (organizational and project-specific); work with program staff and fellows to create and share reports and other materials; support the creation and distribution of a quarterly newsletter; and efficiently use Future Currents’ communications tools, including a CRM/database and email platform. 

The Communications Manager will work with the Communications Director to develop Future Currents’ strategic communication campaign plans, promote the Future Currents brand, assist with Future Currents events, and drive direct outreach strategies including email and news updates. Finally, the Senior Communications Manager will provide general communications expertise and assistance that supports Future Currents’ mission and goals.

As part of a busy two-person team, this individual will serve as a resource for many projects. The right candidate will be a strategic thinker, creative, flexible, personable, and deadline-driven.

About Future Currents

Future Currents creates the spaces for movement organizations to build resilient relationships, tackle pressing challenges, prepare for possible conditions, and map our way to the just and joyful future we deserve. We focus on the knotty, chronic, systemic, and often scary obstacles in our daily lives, whether they be authoritarian threats to our democracy, the shifting economic paradigm, or the need within movements to retool and reshape our infrastructure to meet changing conditions.

Future Currents encourages movement leaders and organizations to operate outside the dominant modes of thinking that currently limit the scope of possibility. We use a mix of creative methods — including facilitated immersive group convenings, scenario planning exercises, and resources that build the muscles of preparation and imagination — to spark new understandings, analyses, and strategies that open up the potential for long-term change. Future Currents is a project of New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs.

Responsibilities and Tasks

Organizational Communications

• Co-manage the development and distribution of a quarterly newsletter.
• Maintain the Future Currents website and other project-specific websites.
• Manage our email list.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the organization in ongoing monitoring and evaluation of impact to support the development of an annual impact report.
• Continually look for new channels through which to deliver our messages, maximize media trends, and build incremental awareness of Future Currents and our project work.

Supporting Programmatic Work

• Craft and manage communications strategies with clear benchmarks for program projects with other staff and partners.
• Create a wide range of content that will educate, inspire, and motivate Future Currents’ audiences.
• Copy edit and format materials.
• Shepherd reports and other materials (including project-specific websites) through the development, design, and distribution process, including managing vendors, timelines, and budgets.
• Work with program staff and fellows to craft and distribute emails about upcoming events or other news to share with our mailing list.
• Draft op-eds/opinion pieces, and the occasional press release or media advisory.
• Develop media/social media strategies and products that will elevate the organization’s profile and work.
• Execute earned media outreach, including direct pitches and relationship building with national and local reporters.
• Serve as a thought partner in good communication with staff, fellows, and other experts to identify communications opportunities.

Development and Grant Reports

• Support the creation of funding proposals and grant reports.

Perform other duties as assigned.

 Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability 

• 5-7 years of relevant work experience, preference for nonprofit experience. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well on a team.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, including the ability to write engaging content quickly in many voices for different audiences across different platforms, including a website, e-mail outreach, and social media. AP Style knowledge preferred.
• A demonstrated understanding of paid, earned, and social media strategy and execution, including writing op-eds/opinion pieces and pitching.
• Thorough knowledge of Google Docs/MS Word, Google Slides/PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Experience with Squarespace or similar website hosting platforms, Adobe Creative Cloud, MailChimp or similar platform, and Canva strongly preferred. Experience with monday.com or similar CRM platform is a plus.
• Ability to manage a slate of programs, projects, and vendor relationships.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, strong problem-solving and creative thinking skills.
• Flexibility and an openness to evolving responsibilities.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to take initiative and a commitment to punctuality and on-time delivery.
• Ability to use technology to collaborate with colleagues and manage work.
• Excellent organizational, planning, and multi-task management skills.
• Commitment to leading with kindness and collaborating respectfully and productively with colleagues, partners, and others.

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families). Employees are able to enroll in 401k retirement plan and are eligible for a 3% automatic contribution and up to a 3% employer match on 401k contributions. Employees are also eligible for pre-tax transportation benefits. Employees will receive 160 hours of vacation time, 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually. Employees will also receive 13 paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.

Hiring Statement

Future Currents is a project of New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. NVF is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. NVF’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

E-Verify

NVF participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the United States. Job candidates and employees authorized to work may not be discriminated against on the basis of national origin or citizenship status.