Communications Specialist
Position Title: Communication Specialist
Supervisor: Communications Director
Department: Executive
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt, hourly
Classification: Regular, full-time
Location: Portland, Oregon
Salary: $49,048 – $58,956
Position Summary:
The communications specialist at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) is responsible for supporting the development and implementation of an effective communications strategy to increase the visibility and impact of NICWA’s work dedicated to the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families. This position reports directly to the communications director and works closely with staff across the organization to assist with developing and shaping messages for a range of written products, social media, website content, and earned media efforts. The position will work remotely on Mondays and Fridays, and report to our Portland, Oregon, office Tuesday – Wednesday.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Supports NICWA’s strategic communications for the organization as a whole
- Shapes NICWA’s social media presence by creating content and managing campaigns aligned with NICWA’s annual strategic communications plan
- Works with the communications director to ensure quality control of all NICWA communications
- Contributes to writing, editing, and creatively repurposing organizational products and communications for distribution across channels
Essential Functions:
Strategic Communications
- Implements communications strategies designed to support NICWA’s organizational strategic planning goals
- Maintains NICWA’s authentic voice as a Native nonprofit while sharing culturally based content
- Develops, edits, and evaluates the performance of website content
- Ensures quality control of all NICWA communications, including fact checking and proofreading content before launch, with direction from communications director
- Collect and analyze data and stakeholder feedback on the effectiveness of communications, messaging, and brand identity to present to communications director, NICWA staff, and board
Content Creation
- Assists with conceptualizing and drafting content in various formats, including print newsletters and factsheets, email communications, website copy, social media content, and other materials as needed
- Creates eye-catching social media content, including graphics and videos within social media campaigns
- Identifies opportunities to publicly communicate stories about NICWA’s programmatic work
- In close collaboration with NICWA staff develops compelling and relevant content for key stakeholders and audiences
- Creatively repurposes content for distribution across channels
- Creates, formats, and schedules email communications
General
- Monitors the news for ongoing opportunities, such as breaking news stories and relevant advocacy and awareness activities, and identifies relevant ways to be part of the conversation
- Provides back-up support to the communications director to serve as the initial contact for media reporters on all inquiries
- Manages NICWA’s graphics and photo libraries, including support for template creation and photo permission organization
Additional Responsibilities:
- Performs other duties and assignments as directed.
- Participates in NICWA activities and teams as required.
Supervision:
This position works under the direct supervision of the communications director.
This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
Standards of Conduct:
- Models ethics, integrity, and accountability
- Exercises sound judgement
- Adheres to accuracy and quality standards
- Contributes to NICWA’s learning community
- Manages workload effectively
- Manages adversity
- Develops strategic perspectives
- Displays professional effectiveness
- Promotes NICWA’s mission, vision, philosophy, and goals
- Builds organizational knowledge
- Maintains constituent focus and builds constituent knowledge
- Champions change
- Builds relationships
- Communicates effectively and powerfully
- Fosters collaboration and teamwork
- Inspires and motivates others to high performance
- Abides by NICWA policies, procedures, and organizational structure
Qualifications:
- Associate’s degree or vocational/technical school degree required; Bachelor’s degree, preferably in communications, marketing, English, or related field
- One to three years of relevant work experience
- Knowledge of Native culture and social service systems with demonstrated working experience with tribal organizations, tribal service systems, and tribal government structures preferred
- Knowledge of Indian Child Welfare Act and child welfare practice preferred
- Proven track record of communicating effectively to a wide range of audiences
- Familiarity of using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for professional purposes preferred
- Experience with content management systems and email deliverability applications required, Wordpress and Constant Contact preferred
- Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud
- Ability to organize, manage, and complete a large number of tasks with conflicting deadlines in a timely and accurate manner using organizational project management methods or tools
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) products
· Demonstrated knowledge, experience, and ability to actively cooperate in a team environment, both in leadership and peer relations, and motivate others to do the same
· Excellent interpersonal, communication (including listening, writing, speaking), customer service, and time management skills are essential
· Proficiency with operating a variety of office equipment and computer hardware/software applications is required
· Possesses strong proofreading and grammatical skills with attention to detail
· Ability to analyze and problem-solve
Travel Requirements:
Local travel is infrequently required. Overnight travel outside of the area is infrequently required.
Physical Demands:
Frequently involves sedentary work: exerting up to 30 pounds of force and a negligible amount of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
Physical Requirements:
Constantly requires the ability to receive detailed information through oral communications, and to make fine discrimination in sound. Constantly requires repetitive movement of the wrists, hands and/or fingers. Often requires walking or moving about to accomplish tasks. Often requires standing and sitting for sustained periods of time. Occasionally requires ascending or descending stairs or ramps using legs, feet, arms, and hands. Occasionally requires stooping, which entails the use of the lower extremities and back muscles. Infrequently requires crouching.
Typical Working Environmental Conditions:
The worker is frequently subject to inside environmental conditions which provide protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily from temperature changes, and is occasionally subject to outside environmental conditions.
Disclaimer:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as exhaustive; duties, responsibilities and activities may change with or without notice.
NICWA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, disability, veteran, or any protected status.
To Apply:
Complete application materials include: a cover letter, resume, and NICWA’s employment application (which can be found at https://www.nicwa.org/employment/). The position will remain open until filled, with the first round of applications reviewed on January 16, 2023. Please send completed application materials to Mariah Garcia at mgarcia@nicwa.org.
Paper application materials may be mailed to:
NICWA
Human Resources Department
5100 S Macadam Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR 97239