Communications & Brand Strategy Manager
23 hours ago
Inglewood
Job DescriptionSalary: $88,000 Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) Reports to: National Director of Development Direct Reports: Storytelling & Content Lead; Digital Communications & Design Lead Location: Hybrid Inglewood, CA Status: Full-Time, Exempt Compensation: $88,000 per year Position Summary The Communications & Brand Strategy Manager leads the strategic direction of communications, narrative development, and brand positioning for the Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI). This role ensures that SJLIs public voice, storytelling, and visual presence reflect the organizations mission, values, and growing national influence. Working across departments and regions, the Communications & Brand Strategy Manager translates SJLIs work in education equity, health in the built environment, youth leadership, and community power into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with key audiences including community members, partners, funders, policymakers, and the broader public. This role oversees the organizations communications pipelinefrom narrative development and campaign strategy to storytelling and digital distribution. The manager ensures that SJLIs communications remain consistent, culturally grounded, and responsive to a rapidly changing social, political, and media landscape. The Communications & Brand Strategy Manager supervises a small communications team responsible for storytelling, design, and digital platforms. Together, this team ensures that SJLIs work is visible, understood, and positioned to inspire action, investment, and long-term impact. The ideal candidate is both a strategic communicator and narrative leader who understands how storytelling, media, brand, and public messaging work together to strengthen movements, amplify community voices, and advance social change. Key Responsibilities Organizational Communications Strategy & Narrative Leadership • Develop and lead SJLIs comprehensive communications strategy aligned with the organizations mission, strategic priorities, and programmatic initiatives., • Shape and steward SJLIs institutional narrative, ensuring that the organizations work is communicated in ways that are clear, compelling, and rooted in community voice., • Translate complex programmatic work into accessible public messaging that reflects the depth and impact of SJLIs initiatives., • Identify opportunities to position SJLI within broader public conversations related to education equity, community health, youth leadership & advocacy, and systems change., • Work closely with executive leadership to align communications priorities with organizational strategy, fundraising goals & aspirations and external engagement., • Establish messaging frameworks that ensure consistency across all public communications. Brand Strategy & Institutional Visibility • Serve as the steward of SJLIs brand identity, ensuring that messaging, tone, and visual presentation remain consistent and aligned across all platforms and materials., • Guide the ongoing development of SJLIs brand presence as the organization grows in scale, influence, and public visibility., • Oversee the development of major communications materials including reports, presentations, publications, and campaign assets., • Maintain and evolve brand guidelines, messaging frameworks, and communications templates., • Ensure the organization presents a cohesive and professional presence across digital platforms, public materials, and partner collaborations., • Provide strategic oversight for SJLIs website, ensuring that messaging, storytelling, and featured content reflect organizational priorities, campaigns, and institutional narrative. Campaign Communications & Strategic Initiatives • Lead communications planning for major organizational initiatives, campaigns, and milestones., • Develop and manage the execution of messaging strategies and communications plans for fundraising (including capital campaign) campaigns, community initiatives, and public awareness efforts., • Collaborate with the Development team to support donor communications, institutional storytelling, and philanthropic engagement., • Coordinate communications efforts for key organizational events, announcements, and strategic moments., • Ensure that campaign communications reflect both strategic goals and authentic community voice., • Working with Executive Leadership to managing communications responses during politically sensitive moments or public issues affecting the organization or the communities it serves., • Identify opportunities to leverage the SJLI website as a key platform for campaign communications, storytelling, and public engagement. Media Relations & Thought Leadership • Lead media engagement efforts that expand SJLIs visibility and position the organization as a thought leader in social justice, youth leadership, health in the built environment and community-driven change., • Develop and manage execution of multimodal communication strategies for SJLI to amplify its work including but not limited to podcasting, docustyle content curation, and more., • Build and maintain relationships with journalists, media outlets, and strategic communications partners., • Identify and secure opportunities for media features, interviews, opinion pieces, and other public-facing opportunities., • Support executive leadership in preparing for media appearances, public remarks, and external communications opportunities., • Track media engagement and visibility metrics to evaluate communications impact. Editorial Leadership & Communications Quality • Serve as the organizations editorial lead, ensuring that all external communications maintain a high standard of clarity, accuracy, and storytelling quality., • Provide editorial oversight and copyediting for key communications materials including reports, campaign materials, and publications., • Guide the development of story pipelines that elevate youth voices, community impact, and organizational milestones., • Ensure that communications reflect SJLIs values of equity, authenticity, and community-centered storytelling. Team Leadership & Cross-Department Collaboration • Supervise the communications team responsible for storytelling, design, multimodal and digital communications., • Provide strategic direction for content development, digital engagement, and visual storytelling efforts., • Collaborate closely with program teams to identify impactful stories that illustrate SJLIs work and community partnerships., • Support staff across the organization in aligning external communications with SJLIs messaging and brand standards., • Foster collaboration between communications, development, and program teams to ensure coordinated storytelling and messaging. Qualifications • Bachelors degree and a minimum of 5 years of experience in communications, marketing, public relations, or related fields; nonprofit experience preferred., • Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic communications initiatives., • Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills with the ability to translate complex ideas into accessible narratives., • Experience managing media relationships and securing press opportunities., • Ability to translate complex ideas and programmatic work into compelling narratives., • Experience leveraging data to drive program improvements and demonstrate impact., • Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously., • Experience leading or collaborating within small communications teams., • Commitment to social justice, equity, and community-centered storytelling., • Strong emotional intelligence, cultural humility, and the ability to collaborate across diverse teams., • Valid drivers license and ability to attend SJLI programs (in each region as needed), community events, and partner activations as needed to manage content capture as needed. Preferred Qualifications • Experience working within nonprofit, advocacy, or youth-serving organizations., • Experience supporting executive communications or public-facing leadership., • Familiarity with digital communications platforms and campaign strategy., • Comfort working in fast-paced environments with evolving priorities., • Experience collaborating across departments to support organizational initiatives. Core Competencies: At SJLI, we believe that how we approach our work is just as important as what we achieve. The following core competencies reflect the values, skills, and mindsets that are critical for success in this role and throughout our organization. These competencies guide our hiring decisions, inform our performance evaluations, and shape our professional development efforts. We seek candidates who demonstrate strength in these areas and a commitment to continual growth and learning. Team Member Competencies: • Growth Mindset: Demonstrates a willingness to learn, adapt, and improve continuously in response to evolving youth needs and social justice landscapes., • Mission Driven: Shows a strong commitment to SJLI's mission and values, integrating them into all aspects of youth programming and advocacy work., • Communication: Exhibits excellent verbal and written communication skills, adapting style to various audiences including youth, team members, community partners, and stakeholders., • Ownership: Takes responsibility for youth program outcomes, team performance, and departmental goals, showing initiative and follow-through., • Cultural Humility: Demonstrates respect and openness to diverse perspectives and experiences within the youth communities SJLI serves and advocates for., • Workload Management: Effectively prioritizes tasks and manages time to meet deadlines and achieve program goals, while supporting team members in their work. Leadership Competencies: • Develops and Motivates Others: Inspires and supports the growth of team members and youth participants, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning., • Emotional Awareness: Demonstrates empathy and understanding in interactions with youth, team members, community partners, and stakeholders, particularly when addressing complex social justice issues., • External Relationship Builder: Cultivates and maintains strong partnerships with key stakeholders to advance SJLI's initiatives., • Continuous Improvement Minded: Consistently seeks ways to enhance efforts for greater impact., • Strategic Thinking: Aligns communication of programs with SJLI's broader goals and mission, anticipating challenges and opportunities in all efforts., • Manages with Data: Uses data-driven insights to inform decision-making, evaluate the effectiveness of communications, branding and marketing efforts, and improve outcomes for SJLI and the communities it serves. Candidates are encouraged to share how they have demonstrated these competencies in their past experiences and how they would apply them in this role. SJLI is committed to supporting the ongoing development of these competencies through mentorship, training, and professional development opportunities. Equal Opportunity Employer: SJLI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status. We encourage applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, particularly those from underrepresented communities and those with lived experiences relevant to our work with youth of color. SJLI is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and the youth we serve. Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment for this position are consistent with those of a typical office setting. However, this role requires regular travel within Los Angeles County for meetings, events, and community engagements. The position may require standing for extended periods, lifting up to 25 pounds, and navigating various community settings. Evening and weekend work is often necessary to accommodate community schedules and community events. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Compliance with Laws and Regulations: Team member must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to anti-discrimination laws, labor laws, and laws governing non-profit organizations. They must also adhere to SJLI's policies and procedures, including those related to ethics, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. Given the work's focus, familiarity with and strict adherence to laws and best practices related to working with minors and community members is essential, including mandatory reporting requirements, safety protocols, and data privacy regulations. Background Check and Clearances: Employment with SJLI is contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive background check and any required clearances or certifications, as applicable to the position. This includes, but is not limited to, criminal background checks, child abuse clearances, TB testing, and verification of eligibility to work with youth. Team members must also maintain any relevant certifications or clearances throughout their employment. At-Will Employment: Employment with SJLI is on an at-will basis, meaning that either the employee or the organization can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, unless otherwise specified by applicable law or a written employment agreement. However, SJLI is committed to fair employment practices and open communication to ensure a positive and productive work environment for all employees.