Senior Director of Communications

About Visit Baltimore:

As Baltimore’s official destination marketing organization, our mission is to promote, sell and encourage visitation to drive economic impact for the city and its residents. We craft and communicate the Baltimore narrative, advance the tourism and hospitality industry and support community.

Values:

Our day-to-day behaviors are the foundation of our workplace culture. Because of this, all our actions must come from a place of respect for ourselves, our colleagues, our customers, our community and our stakeholders. Grounded in a foundation of respect, we embrace the following values as the principal pillars of our culture:

• Practice Mindfulness
• Ensure Collaboration
• Exemplify Adaptability
• Celebrate Diversity
• Ignite Innovation

Summary:

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and serving as an integral member of the Visit Baltimore leadership team, the Senior Director of Communications is proactive, strategic, organized, collaborative and results oriented. It’s critical that the individual in this role provide direction in the development and execution of Visit Baltimore’s PR and communications strategy and initiatives designed to strengthen Baltimore’s reputation as a world-class travel destination; raise awareness of organizational programs and priorities; and tell a cohesive brand story to media outlets and stakeholder audiences that advances Visit Baltimore’s brand, reputation and influence.

The ideal candidate is a thoughtful, strategic leader with the proven ability to successfully manage, inspire and develop a team of creative professionals in achieving company and individual goals in a positive and collaborative team environment. They are experienced across all PR and Comms disciplines with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented work environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the ideation and execution of a comprehensive communications plan for the organization, its leadership, and its programs, expanding the organization’s footprint in local and national media, while also building trust and transparency with partners and stakeholders.
• Work closely with CMO and staff to identify and leverage internal and external communications opportunities while defining and executing appropriate strategies to support organizational and departmental goals.
• Collaborate with the executive team on crafting cohesive corporate messaging that articulates the organization’s value proposition to key audiences, playing the lead role in ensuring amplification and adoption of the resulting deliverables.
• Lead a team of PR and communications specialists tasked with the proactive ideation and implementation of strategies, tactics and tools needed to effectively drive positive news coverage within local, national, international and niche markets.
• Oversee PR agency and/or consultant contracts, ensuring scopes of work are delivered on and key activities such as media targeting, pitch development, event coordination and campaign management maximize available resources. Deliver direct feedback to agency partners and consultants when adjustments are needed and lead new agency identification via a robust RFP process as appropriate.
• Provide strategic direction and support for the team’s crisis and issues management related responses, identifying risks and overseeing communications with employees, customers, stakeholders and the media to minimize reputation damage.
• Identify and share emerging travel trends that can be leveraged via communications and media pitching, continually growing Baltimore’s appeal and relevance with target audiences.
• Design and execute strategies for long-term relationship building and media engagement, working with internal teams and external partners to activate events, host press visits and maximize coverage opportunities.
• Oversee the continued growth of Visit Baltimore’s Warm Welcome program including identifying subject matter experts, developing training modules and generating media attention around the initiative.
• Develop and manage an ambassador program of local Baltimore influencers and creatives to build city pride among residents and community members.
• Assist with writing, editing and proofreading of Annual Reports, board presentations and talking point memos (TPMs), ensuring consistent tone and messaging.
• Build standards, processes, infrastructure and team capacity to scale an effective communications program that delivers high-quality, timely results.
• Ensure monitoring and dissemination of all Baltimore destination mentions, ensuring accurate brand representation and modifying messaging when needed.
• Prepare and deliver stakeholder presentations to amplify Visit Baltimore’s brand storytelling and share departmental results.
• Represent Visit Baltimore positively in public settings including partner meetings and well-organized, fiscally responsible familiarization visits.
• Develop and manage communications and media budgets, align spending with organizational priorities, and report status to the CMO regularly.
• Track and evaluate communications strategies using benchmark criteria; present equivalent ad value annually as required by Baltimore City.
• Mentor and develop staff in alignment with core values, providing consistent support for employee growth.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively across the organization to ensure messaging alignment.
• Serve as a departmental role model by establishing and monitoring performance goals, assigning accountabilities, adhering to policies, and conducting annual reviews.

Requirements:

• Minimum of eight years’ PR/Communications experience in a fast-paced, consumer-driven organization or agency with consumer-facing brands. DMO and/or travel and tourism industry experience preferred.
• Passion for travel and tourism with good knowledge of Baltimore and a commitment to learning and promoting the city.
• Strong relationship-building skills with team members, stakeholders, partners, community members, media and agencies. Agency management experience preferred.
• Strategic and operational leadership experience in communications.
• Familiarity with a broad range of print and online communications practices, including press releases, fact sheets and newsletters.
• Experience planning and managing press visits, including itineraries, logistics and follow-up.
• Proven success in motivating media coverage around strategic themes and messages.
• Knowledge of media effectiveness tracking and reporting tools.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Experience working with diverse audiences.
• Effective public speaking, presenting and storytelling skills.
• Budget creation, management and reconciliation abilities.
• Strong organizational skills, motivation and attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends as needed.

Additional Details:

Full-time, hybrid position. Salary range: $90,000–$120,000 depending on experience. Annual bonuses (variable). Comprehensive benefits package includes family health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays, 20 days paid time off (accrual based), 7 days extended sick time off (accrual based), 16 hours volunteer time off, monthly parking discounts, life, LTD, and ADD insurance and 401(k) plan with employer match.

Salary Description:

$90,000–$120,000 annual

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