Director of Marketing & Communications

Description

Are you a strategic and creative marketing and communications leader passionate about fighting hunger in our community?

United Food Bank is seeking an experienced Director of Marketing & Communications to strengthen our brand, expand our reach, and inspire engagement among donors, volunteers, partners, and the community. The ideal candidate brings expertise in brand strategy, integrated campaigns, digital marketing, communications, storytelling, and team leadership, with the ability to turn organizational priorities into compelling strategies that drive engagement and impact.

Our Mission and Values:

We are passionate about our Mission of Uniting Communities to Alleviate Hunger. You are most likely to find success at United Food Bank if you are motivated to embrace our values

          We are Uniters – working together as one united team.

          We are Cultivators – with a growth mindset and willing to try new things.

          We are Optimists – with a positive attitude and a commitment to move our mission forward.

Position Summary:

The Director of Marketing & Communications leads United Food Bank's marketing, brand, communications, and storytelling function, translating organizational priorities into effective audience strategies, campaigns, and communications. This role ensures United Food Bank has a clear, consistent, and compelling voice across audiences and channels and that marketing and communications efforts advance community engagement, philanthropy, and organizational goals.

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy & Communications Officer, the Director provides strategic and operational leadership for brand management, integrated campaigns, public relations, storytelling, social media, website and digital strategy, and organizational communications. The Director leads the Marketing & Communications team, advises organizational leaders on communications and audience strategy, and partners closely with Philanthropy and other teams to strengthen United Food Bank's reach, reputation, engagement, and impact.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Marketing, Brand & Campaign Strategy (35%)

• Develop and lead marketing and communications strategies that advance organizational priorities and align with the broader direction established by organizational leadership.
• Serve as the day-to-day steward of the United Food Bank brand, ensuring consistency in positioning, messaging, voice, visual identity, and audience experience.
• Lead the development of integrated marketing campaigns supporting philanthropy, volunteer engagement, corporate partnerships, community awareness, and other organizational priorities.
• Develop audience strategies that build awareness, deepen engagement, and create pathways for individuals and organizations to take action.
• Partner closely with Philanthropy to support fundraising priorities and campaigns through audience strategy, messaging, storytelling, creative development, digital strategy, and channel execution.
• Establish marketing goals and KPIs and use performance data and audience insights to improve campaign and channel effectiveness.
• Identify and evaluate emerging marketing technologies, platforms, and practices that can strengthen United Food Bank's reach and effectiveness.
• Manage relationships with external agencies, consultants, media partners, and other marketing resources.

Digital, Content & Communications Strategy (40%)

• Develop and lead communications and content strategies across earned, owned, and digital channels in support of organizational priorities.
• Oversee day-to-day public relations and media relations, including proactive media opportunities, media engagement, and development of organizational messaging.
• Partner with the Chief Philanthropy & Communications Officer and organizational leadership on communications related to reputation, sensitive issues, and other high-profile matters.
• Guide content strategy and execution across the website, social media, email, video, publications, and other communications channels.
• Develop and maintain a strong organizational storytelling approach that demonstrates impact and brings United Food Bank's mission, services, donors, volunteers, partners, and communities to life.
• Oversee website strategy, content, user experience, optimization, and ongoing management to support community engagement, philanthropy, volunteerism, and neighbor support.
• Use Google Analytics and other digital measurement tools to understand audience behavior, evaluate performance, and identify opportunities to improve the digital experience.
• Lead search engine optimization strategy, including technical and content SEO, to increase visibility and connect audiences with relevant United Food Bank content and resources.
• Monitor changes in search behavior and develop strategies to improve visibility within AI-powered search, answer engines, and other emerging discovery platforms.
• Identify and implement appropriate uses of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to improve marketing effectiveness, content workflows, audience insights, and team productivity.
• Ensure communications are clear, consistent, accessible, audience-centered, and aligned with organizational priorities and messaging.
• Identify and advance opportunities to strengthen United Food Bank's visibility and credibility as a trusted regional voice on hunger and food insecurity.
• Provide communications strategy, messaging expertise, and counsel to organizational leaders within the scope of the Marketing & Communications function.

Team & Organizational Leadership (25%)

• Lead, coach, and develop the Marketing & Communications team, including functions such as public relations, storytelling and content, social media, website management, and marketing execution.
• Establish team priorities, goals, KPIs, workflows, and accountability in alignment with organizational and departmental priorities.
• Develop effective processes for prioritizing and managing marketing and communications needs across the organization.
• Build strong working relationships across departments and serve as a strategic partner to teams seeking marketing and communications expertise.
• Manage the Marketing & Communications budget and recommend effective allocation of internal and external resources.
• Regularly communicate marketing strategies, performance, insights, risks, and opportunities to the Chief Philanthropy & Communications Officer and other organizational leaders.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the Marketing & Communications team.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Passion for alleviating hunger and serving the community, and commitment to our mission and values.
• At least 7 years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, brand management, digital marketing, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience developing integrated marketing and communications strategies across multiple audiences and channels.
• Strong knowledge of brand strategy, campaign development, content strategy, digital marketing, public relations, and communications.
• Demonstrated experience with website strategy, user experience, content management, and website optimization.
• Working knowledge of HTML and the ability to effectively manage and troubleshoot web content.
• Proficiency with Google Analytics and experience using digital analytics to evaluate audience behavior, campaign performance, and website effectiveness.
• Strong understanding of search engine optimization, including content and technical SEO principles.
• Familiarity with evolving search practices, including AI-powered search, generative engine optimization, and strategies for increasing organizational visibility in AI-generated search results.
• Comfort using artificial intelligence tools and evaluating opportunities to incorporate AI responsibly into marketing, content, research, analysis, and team workflows.
• Exceptional communication, messaging, writing, and storytelling skills.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate organizational priorities into effective marketing strategies and execution.
• Experience establishing KPIs and using data to evaluate and improve marketing effectiveness.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Experience collaborating across departments and with senior leadership.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM and marketing platforms preferred.
• Nonprofit or mission-driven marketing and communications experience preferred.

Physical demands and work environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms on a daily basis.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus

• The employee must lift and/or move up to 30 pounds
• Ability to sit at a computer for extended periods and perform repetitive motions with a mouse and keyboard
• Ability to travel (locally) up to 10% a year for off-site meetings and events

In instances of a federal, state, or locally declared emergency, United Food Bank is typically considered an essential service and emergency responder; all of its employees may be called in to perform regular or emergent duties.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions and perform any other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.