Youth Communications & Engagement Specialist

Position Summary:

FosterClub develops and delivers innovative communications for youth who experience foster care. In this critical role as a member of our Youth Services Program Team, the Youth Communications & Engagement Specialist will lead communication strategies and initiatives to reach our youth audiences, generate and create impactful content, and contribute to FosterClub’s portfolio of print and digital publications. This position requires the production of a high volume of creative, high-quality content and material to engage and connect with our youth membership. You’ll support the team as the chief communications strategist for engaging the young people FosterClub serves.

Essential Functions

Content Creation:

Oversee and execute the development of compelling content, including written, visual, and multimedia materials that resonate with and effectively engage FosterClub’s youth audience (including contests, polls, blogs, how-to sheets, publications, presentations, memes, banners, logos, and infographics).

Dissemination:

Post and promote content developed by you or team members to FosterClub.com website (CMS is Drupal, similar to WordPress), social media platforms, email lists, in the FosterClub App, and on the FosterClub LMS.

Campaigns:

Design and implement outreach / marketing campaigns that draw youth to online and in-person events, resources, and opportunities. Track analytics and provide analysis regarding effectiveness of campaigns and communications for the team.

App:

Serve as point person for the FosterClub App (can be found in online stores) that utilizes a third-party community platform.

Membership:

Manage youth member communications, including management of contact lists and groups in CRM (we use CiviCRM, similar to Salesforce) and in app, and assist team in development and proofing of bulk email campaigns and push notifications.

Publications:

Assist with development and production of print and digital publications. Track content of publications and leverage for content creation (as defined above).

Brand:

Serve as standard-bearer of FosterClub voice and branding across our youth communications.

Assets:

Source, organize, and select communication assets such as photos, illustration, video, youth quotes, headshots, etc.

Vendor Management:

Identify and manage vendors engaged in communications, such as graphic design, photography, print, and foreign language translation.

Trends:

Keep abreast of current trends and research in youth communications, including digital platforms and cultural phenomenon that impact engagement of young people.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• At least three years of professional experience in a similar communications role.
• Ability to work with young people in the co-development of content, including coaching where needed for written work (e.g. blogs, video scripts).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including copy editing and online content creation ability.
• Demonstrated ability to develop a communications strategy and to provide technical assistance to the program team regarding communications efforts for projects.
• Highly proficient user/producer of social and digital media, with demonstrated knowledge of youth usage of platforms and the ability to identify and self-learn emerging technologies.
• Advanced skills in creation/packaging of digital assets for communications, such as photo resizing, development of PDFs and other file formats.
• Basic knowledge of graphic design principles (such as font selection, color theory), along with experience using Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) or similar design tools.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, execute, and evaluate the effectiveness of digital outreach efforts including use of social platforms such as Instagram.
• Effective project management skills – able to envision project goals, map out steps to implement them, assign and delegate tasks, and track progress. Demonstrated use of project management tools such as Asana and spreadsheets.
• Demonstrated ability to adhere to brand standards and produce collateral that represents the FosterClub brand, which is accessible, youthful, fun, and interactive.

Desired Qualifications

• Familiar with design thinking concepts, with a demonstrated ability to work in a highly iterative environment, where communication efforts require continuous collaboration with other team members and the young people.
• Intermediate to expert level experience using Google Suite (Google Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc.), Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint), or similar systems.
• Intermediate to advanced website design and website management experience, Drupal experience strongly preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced membership management experience using systems such as CiviCRM or Salesforce.
• Experience working in remote/distributed team environments.
• Intermediate to advanced experience managing online store platforms, such as BigCommerce, Shopify, or Magento.

All FosterClub Employees are expected to be/have:

• A commitment to upholding FosterClub’s FosterJEDI principles. FosterJEDI advances Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by prioritizing the well-being of the youth disproportionately impacted by the child welfare system, and in so doing, improves child welfare for all young people.
• Tech savvy
• Youth friendliness
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Commitment to ongoing personal and organizational growth and development.

Physical Demands

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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:

• Sit or stand in a stationary position at a desk up to 40 hours per week
• Moving tubs or bin <35lbs, occasionally
• Extensive movement at youth events, occasionally on uneven terrain at youth camps

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• FosterClub’s team works in a remote, distributed environment across all US time zones.
• Core working hours are 9 am to 2 pm PT | 12PM – 5PM ET, staff will maintain a full-time work schedule, but will focus on being available for collaboration during these hours.
• Occasional travel (3-4 weeks annually) for staff retreats, developmental training opportunities, or projects.

Who We Are

FosterClub’s mission is big: lead the efforts of young people in and from foster care to become connected, educated, inspired and represented so they can realize their personal potential and contribute to a better life for their peers.

Our approach is to engage and empower those who have the most at stake in transforming the foster care system: young people themselves. FosterClub creates and connects young people from foster care with unique tools and programs, and engages young people to transform life for themselves, their peers, and to ultimately improve the child welfare system.

FosterClub understands that good youth engagement integrates Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI), and that the entire child welfare system is improved by prioritizing the well-being of young people who experience significant bias and discrimination in the child welfare system due to their race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and who are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system.

Equitable Employment Opportunity Statement

FosterClub is committed to building a more just, diverse, inclusive and accessible work environment. We strive to be a workplace where youth who have experienced care, folks with traditionally marginalized identities, and those with non-traditional career paths can thrive. As an Equitable Opportunity Employer we are also committed to upholding applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination in employment on the basis of age, ancestry, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, political ideology, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or the presence of a physical, cognitive, or sensory disability.

Learn more here