ABOUT KEECHA HARRIS AND ASSOCIATES

Keecha Harris and Associates, Inc (KHA), is a national consulting firm that is certified by the US Small Business Administration as an 8(a) and woman-owned business. KHA has staff all over the country and operates as a virtual firm. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, KHA leads organizational development, project management, and research and evaluation projects for publicly and privately funded efforts across a broad range of topics. KHA has engaged foundations representing more than $300 billion in US-based philanthropy assets.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Under the leadership of the Director of Strategy, the Communications Manager works to dramatically expand KHA's reach, visibility, and influence among target audiences, support business development, enhance recognition of KHA's thought leadership, differentiate the organization in a competitive marketplace, embrace and project its organizational values, advance institutional goals, and strengthen the organization. The Communications Manager will work as a part of a cross-functioning team. They will also oversee and support social media and communications consultants who manage social media posts and handle product development, internal communications, website management, and client outreach.

The ideal candidate for this role will be strategic and have demonstrated experience aligning marketing and communications priorities to an organizational strategy. They must have a deep and demonstrated commitment to racial justice and diversity, equity and inclusion. The Communications Manager must be comfortable and willing to provide both strategic thought leadership and hands-on operations engagement.

The Communications Manager is responsible for the following:

ORGANIZATIONAL INITATIVES AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

• Develop, articulate and execute a vision and plan for marketing and communications for KHA that align with KHA's values and brand.
• Build and maintain strong internal cross-functional working relationships to ensure high-quality support to and from throughout KHA.
• Identify, create, and execute upon strategic relationships to develop new lines of work around communications from philanthropy, businesses, governmental agencies, and other key stakeholders in alignment with KHA core values and program interests.
• Maintain accurate and current knowledge about policies, trends, systems, issues, movements, and other relevant data to assess the national landscape and identify key leverage points for KHA to position itself as a leader in its niche.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

• In collaboration with the CEO, Director of Strategy, Director of Programs, and KHA colleagues, develop and implement strategies to conduct effective, integrated marketing and communications activities to support revenue development, raise awareness, and enhance relationships with all target audiences.
• Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of the annual strategic communications plan across KHA's audiences.
• Work closely with cross functional teams to understand projects and programs, high-impact initiatives, organizational changes, etc. and develop and execute external communications strategies to support those projects and programs.
• Develop compelling, consistent, and succinct messaging and materials that convey KHA's value and expertise and move KHA towards the vision of being a 'firm of reference' across sectors.
• Leverage the 2023 KHA Webinar Series and The R.A.C.E. Podcast to increase visibility for KHA's brand, elevate the overall capabilities of the firm, and position KHA as a thought partner and transformational leader across sectors.
• Research, write, and edit feature stories, blogs, announcements, emails, newsletters, brochures, social posts and presentations to support initiatives.
• Build a media network, navigate and respond nimbly and strategically to media inquiries to help shape stories and headlines.
• Build a robust social media strategy to amplify KHA's strategic priorities, establish KHA as a 'firm of reference,' increase KHA brand recognition, and elevate the firm's voice and thought leadership.
• Maintain the client-relations management system (CRM) in collaboration with other communications staff.
• Manage contract support and leadership for communications and media vendors.
• Be a leader, team player, and proactive professional who works and thinks strategically, while guiding the team at the tactical level to deliver high-value communications results.
• Leverage organizational and project management skills; craft agile short-term and long-term action plans.
• Measure the effectiveness of communications strategies and approaches and regularly report results to organizational leadership and staff.
• Maintain discretion and confidentiality at all times when dealing with sensitive and/or proprietary information.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Manage a team of 1-3 direct reports, and attend to ongoing skills development, support, and evaluation of the Communications team.
• Develop and support growth plans for direct reports that identify and address skill gaps, train and mentor staff on an on-going basis.
• Ensure alignment and integration of the team to support KHA's communications and media needs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, or other related field and 5+ years relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing, managing, implementing and evaluating communications and media strategies and measuring results
• Proven ability to research, analyze, and consolidate complex content into cohesive, clear, and compelling messaging
• Experience writing, editing and proofreading messages for targeted audiences
• Experience cultivating and managing client relationships and media relations networks
• Demonstrated experience running successful social media platforms for one or more companies
• Demonstrated experience working and managing staff in remote work environments.
• Experience with setting performance and professional development goals for staff and managing for results
• Experience implementing and managing multiple complex projects
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and self-motivated, willingness to take the initiative and overcome challenges
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity and social justice
• Proficiency in latest CRM applications
• Expert-level skills with Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and various virtual meeting, video, social media, and presentation tools and technology

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, or other related field and 8+ years relevant experience
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills and abilities, particularly in the areas of emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and change management
• Experience using Hubspot as a CRM tool
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and strategic listening skills are necessary to effectively exercise tact, discretion, judgment, and diplomacy when interacting and/or negotiating with all levels of internal and external stakeholders
• Experience with and/or deep understanding of racial equity and social justice
• Experience in measuring the effectiveness of communication strategies and approaches
• Knowledge of external trends and environment that can be applied to advance KHA's brand and communications/media strategies

HOW TO APPLY

Keecha Harris and Associates, Inc. is looking for qualified candidates who are committed to racial equity and justice and want to be a part of a Black woman-owned, majority BIPOC team.

To apply, use this link to access KHA's application portal. All applicants will be prompted to respond to a series of questions, and to upload a cover letter, resume, and one writing sample. If the applicant is selected for an initial interview (conducted via Zoom), an invitation containing an applicant-specific link to a pre-employment assessment will be sent to the applicant's email of record. Scheduling of interviews is contingent upon completion of the pre-employment assessment.

This position is open until filled, interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience. Applications will be screened against the criteria as listed in this profile. The position is fully remote and U.S. based.

All nominations, inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

KHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer