EDUCATION: Masters degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field of study, or equivalent business experience

BASIC RESPONSIBILITY: The Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications will provide leadership and oversee implementation and delivery of marketing, brand building, communications, and public relations strategies which increase awareness and loyalty in key stakeholders and which position JA as a thought leader and the deliverer of relevant, responsive and innovative programs that contribute to America's global competitiveness.

ORGANIZATION SCOPE: Annual Junior Achievement USA Revenue: $17.5 M
Marketing Department Budget: $240 K operating budget (exclusive of staff compensation budget) plus grants
Marketing & Communications Staff: 8 (including SVP)
• (4) direct reports (Executive Assistant, Art Director, Director Marketing & Media Relations, Sr. Manager Online Marketing)
• 3 indirect staff

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: The Senior Vice President of Marketing:

• Serves as Junior Achievement USA "chief marketing officer" by leading the overall marketing and communications efforts; serves as expert and advisor on issues related to media, branding, marketing, and internal and external communications to the President/CEO, and other JA Worldwide and Junior Achievement USA senior managers.

• Raises awareness and profile of Junior Achievement USA through PR, campaigns and targeted initiatives to increase visibility within the business community and with thought leaders.

• As a member of the Senior Management Team of Junior Achievement USA, provides leadership, insights and support to address broad organizational issues.

• Leverages marketing, communications, and public relations strategies to advance the evolution of the organization and assure JA's mission and message achieve effective awareness and name recognition to advance the overall business objectives and organizational vision.

• Leads the development of a disciplined brand culture and assures consistent execution of brand strategies throughout all levels of JA to establish a consistent and valuable experience for stakeholders.

• Works through collaborative outreach with JA areas and other key stakeholders to support area communications, leverage national brand building campaigns and engage local JA offices toward strengthening JA's brand and achievement of the mission.

• Develops and maintains relationships with agencies and other external contacts to expand available resources through acquisition of in-kind and pro bono work; works with the board of Junior Achievement USA and local JA Areas to leverage available resources to achieve maximum impact.

• Provides expertise, supporting tools, training and sharing best practices to Junior Achievement USA Areas on matters of public relations, advertising, media communications and branding.

• Directs and provides oversight on the development of visual media elements of JA programs and promotional components to assure all quality and branding standards are satisfied.

• For donor-sponsored initiatives, facilitates cross-functional collaboration with development staff to effectively leverage brand-related assets in donor proposals; assures that donor branding and recognition requirements are clearly defined and implemented in a manner that complements the JA brand strategies and protocols.

• Leads strategic planning and implementation initiatives related to marketing, brand, public relations, and communications elements; effectively manages changes required to achieve the goals of these initiatives.

• Raises the media's image of Junior Achievement as an authoritative source of information regarding economic education and youth education. Manages all communications from Junior Achievement USA to assure that the Junior Achievement message, image and brand are conveyed in a consistent, timely and favorable manner.

• Manages organizational crisis communications.

• Serves as staff liaison to the Junior Achievement USA Board of Directors providing input, guidance and feedback on organizational marketing, branding and communication strategies and initiatives.

• Leads Marketing and Communications staff to assure achievement of business objectives; anticipates skill requirements and develops staff to meet current and long term needs of the organization.

• Performs similar responsibilities for JA Worldwide as well as other job related duties as assigned or requested.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS: The preferred candidate will have held a prior marketing / communication / public affairs leadership position in a franchise-like organization (either not-for-profit or for-profit) at a senior level with direct management responsibility for a budget and staff of similar scope and size.

Previous experience and qualifications should include:

• Demonstrated success as a marketing and communications generalist dealing with marketing, public relations, branding, and internal and external communications.

• Ability to establish and lead a marketing and communications strategic direction for the organization that is effective and sustainable for our unique organization

• Ability to facilitate and build consensus among CEO-level Board of Directors.

• Demonstrated business acumen and sensitivity to differing needs among business constituencies.

• Ability to persuasively communicate complex concepts and programs at the highest level of business, government, and media.

• Ability to manage a project in a holistic manner; articulate and manage to clearly defined goals for a project.

• Experience in building, leading, and retaining a professional and skilled marketing and communications group, in a performance driven and results-oriented environment. Track record of identifying and developing talent.

• Ability to actively foster an environment in which creativity and creative thinking are valued; provide constructive, actionable criticism without micro-managing.

• Demonstrated success in managing initiatives and projects across all visual communications media: web, video, print, outdoor, and graphics.

• Ability to raise funds and / or resources to support needed marketing and communications projects; capable of soliciting and securing substantial corporate and government contributions and investments.

• Established coalition-building skills. The ability to identify and influence leaders, mobilize volunteers and develop and maintain relationships with key people and organizations.

• Ability to coordinate a centralized brand approach in a decentralized organization.

• Demonstrated ability to secure external resources and manage vendor and key partner relationships including communicating requirements and assuring the effectiveness of products and services delivered.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications will have/be:
• Passion for JA's mission.

• An inspirational leader able to motivate JA staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, donors and educational institutions at all levels to unite behind a common brand strategy.

• Ability to support a decentralized organization and help it execute its strategic plan.

• Entrepreneurial. Flexibility to adapt to a dynamic, changing landscape and customer.

• Able to creatively leverage limited resources to maximize marketing and communications results and impact.

• A strong individual communicator able to frame a message to resonate with a variety of audiences and constituencies.

• Must demonstrate the strength of conviction and political acumen to champion new or innovative ideas, initiatives or processes in a change-resistant environment.

• Strong appreciation, sensitivity and understanding for diverse cultures.

• A record of complete integrity and strong personal character.

• Open minded and an active listener.

• Demonstrated ability to achieve results through influence and diplomacy to reach common ground and build alliances without compromising the organization's interests.

• Political and business savvy.

• An exemplary performance record.

COMPENSATION: A competitive compensation package will be provided to attract outstanding candidates.

TO APPLY: We intend to hire for this position as soon as possible. Interested executives should promptly send a cover letter and resume to: careers@ja.org. Please note "Marketing" in the subject line.
Junior Achievement appreciates your interest in this important role. We will review all resumes in the upcoming weeks, but only selected applicants will be contacted directly for an interview. We respectfully request no phone calls, please.