Associate Director – Communications

The Midtown Association (MA) is a non-profit organization that is making Midtown the center for culture, creativity, and vibrancy in Sacramento’s urban core. We were recently selected by our team and the Sacramento Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work in Sacramento.

Organizational Stability

MA was founded in 1985 and has secure funding through a property tax assessment. Many of the members of the board and the Executive Director have served the organization for more than ten years. The organization receives positive independent external audits on an annual basis and has experienced 20% year-over-year growth over the last four years.

Our Values

Integrity:

• Having incredibly high standards for ourselves and our company to perform at the highest level possible in service to our stakeholders.

Responsiveness:

• Always closing out every internal and external request professionally and completely, offering thoughtful and empathetic customer service, and providing proof of high performance to our stakeholders at the end of tasks and projects.

Celebrating Growth:

• Continually investing in the growth of individual employees, the cohesiveness of the team, the company as a whole, and therefore Midtown’s growth, and celebrating each step along the way.

Collaboration:

• Always being willing to step forward and help our colleagues and our stakeholders.

Resiliency & Resourcefulness:

• Acknowledging that the work of the Midtown Association is ever evolving and finding creative solutions to new challenges as they arise.

Efficiency & Transparency Through Technology:

• Creating efficient, transparent, and nearly automated processes that link company goals to all tasks through well-managed technology.

Specific Qualifications and Requirements

• Be a politically astute, strategic thinker with a proven ability to design a successful communications strategy.
• Be familiar with digital tools and tactics, including Facebook Business Manager, Google Ads, geofencing, and keyword advertising.

Our Culture

The MA is a small but mighty office of twenty-five governed by a board of twenty-seven artistic, fast-paced, and innovative property and business owners. We attract high-performing, highly ethical employees who truly care about their community. Our team works well together because we hold ourselves accountable to strong project management and complement one another’s strengths. We really enjoy what we do and find ourselves laughing and joking often. Our office is a beautiful modern storefront with open-air meeting space, natural light, room for bike storage and more than 20 restaurants/coffee shops/bars within two blocks. Our office is business/business casual attire.

Position Summary: Associate Director of Communications

The Associate Director of Communications leads the organization’s communications strategy, including media relations, electronic and digital communications, community committees, and presentations. This position reports to the Executive Director.

Specific Qualifications and Requirements

• Be a politically astute, strategic thinker with a proven ability to design a successful communications strategy.
• Possess an awareness of Sacramento’s economic and political landscape.
• Be experienced in developing both organizational and campaign-specific communications plans.
• Be an effective people manager to guide high-performing staff and consultants.
• Be an excellent written, verbal, and visual storyteller.
• Be a strong public speaker to deliver media interviews and presentations.
• Be experienced in navigating crises as a part of a team.
• Be in a continuous improvement mindset.
• Be experienced with WordPress or similar website management platform.

General Qualifications and Requirements

• Associate Directors act as staff leads to committees of board members and expert community members.
• Associate Directors have a solution- and action-oriented approach.
• Associate Directors drive program budget development and deliver projects on budget.
• Associate Directors operate with high integrity to uphold company policies.
• Associate Directors must possess a commitment to stakeholder satisfaction.
• Associate Directors must possess a strong desire to continually learn and develop their understanding of the company and relevant subject matter.
• Associate Directors plan program performance to generate specific outcomes.
• Associate Directors must be able to adapt to rapidly changing scenarios.
• Associate Directors bring recommendations to their supervisors for greater efficiency and service delivery in the organization.
• Associate Directors work with senior management to create partnerships that generate funds to grow and sustain the organization.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• People Management: Oversee a high-performing team comprised of a Communications Manager, Creative Manager, Public Relations Consultant, and short-term contracts for public affairs, video and web work.
• Campaign Leadership/Strategy: Leading long-range and short-term key campaigns on behalf of the organization.
• Stakeholder and Fund Development Support: Support stakeholders and generate the communications strategy and materials to support the fund development plan.
• Demonstrate district value by working collaboratively across departments to produce and maintain print and digital collateral materials which demonstrate the value of Midtown and its businesses.

Work Environment

The work environment is in the office four days per week with one remote day per week in addition to a bank of work from anywhere time. The office environment is located primarily inside and consists of working in meetings, via email, via phone, independently, or in collaboration with external partners to complete tasks involving communications, public relations, and fundraising. The office is generally an open environment.

Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt position at no less than 40 hours per week. The schedule is generally Monday through Friday, standard working hours. MA has a very generous benefit package after the introductory period.

Candidate Evaluations/Application Process

Candidates for this position will be evaluated on several things, including their ability to apply joyful storytelling to Midtown, their people management skills, their proven ability to be an influential strategic thinker within the field of communications, their bias towards action and driving quality outcomes, and their experience related to communications within a similar industry.

Step 1: The online application process includes providing a resume and cover letter to the application portal. This process also includes writing short answers to a series of questions to give an insight into your experience, work style, and writing style.

Step 2: Selected candidates will receive a phone screening opportunity.

Step 3: Selected candidates will advance to up to three interviews with (a) Executive Director, (b) Communications Manager and Creative Manager, and (c) Associate Directors.

Step 4: The final candidate will receive a job offer conditional upon successfully completing background screening.

Learn more here