VP of Communications

Inclusiv Overview

Inclusiv is the largest network of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) with a mission to promote financial inclusion in low-income communities across the country. Through our network of more than 500 community development credit unions, Inclusiv reaches more than 20 million people with limited incomes and/or who live in historically redlined communities.

Inclusiv has been selected to receive and manage the deployment of capacity building grants through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA), a program of the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Inclusiv intends to deliver capital to credit unions that lend in low-income and disadvantaged communities (as defined by Justice40) to reduce carbon emissions, build healthier communities, create jobs in a greening economy, and improve the financial security of consumers, households, and small businesses.

Vice President of Communications Position

Inclusiv is hiring a Vice President of Communications to lead our Communications team through an exciting period of growth, including developing our communications strategy for CCIA and hiring a team to execute that strategy. In addition, the Vice President of Communications will manage Inclusiv’s overall communications strategy and organizational communications team. This role requires an experienced professional with experience building teams, developing non-profit communications strategies, and engaging and cultivating stakeholders among the media, a diverse practitioner field, and social impact investors. They will have the ability to supervise the management of major projects to successful, on-budget completion and oversee a wide-ranging portfolio of work in a fast-paced environment.

The Vice President of Communications will be a senior member of the Policy and Communications team, reporting to the Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications. While building the team and throughout their tenure, the Vice President of Communications should be prepared to roll up their sleeves and do hands-on work when needed, in addition to managing the team and directing strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive communications strategy for Inclusiv, including web, social media, earned media, publications, and member communications. Engage regularly with colleagues and members (credit unions) to ensure the full scope of Inclusiv’s work and network are represented in our communications strategy.
• Build a new communications team focused on Inclusiv’s forthcoming Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) program and ensure CCIA marketing and outreach staff on other teams follow Communications strategy and branding guidelines when developing campaigns and collateral.
• Identify, recruit, and manage external vendors to support CCIA communications, for example, PR and branding firms, in compliance with Federal contracting requirements.
• Develop and execute communications strategy for Inclusiv’s CCIA program and manage inquiries related to Inclusiv’s part in the very high-profile Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program in collaboration with Inclusiv’s CEO, legal counsel, and other subject matter experts.
• Build relationships with media, our diverse membership, social impact investors, and other partners to raise Inclusiv’s profile and influence the national conversation on financial inclusion, closing the racial wealth gap through homeownership and small business development, and affordable financing that creates access to clean energy and resilience to climate disasters.
• Write, edit, and place thought leadership pieces and communicate our impact.
• Manage organization-wide communications projects, including leading the development of substantive collateral, vendor management, budget management, and project planning.
• Support Inclusiv’s external affairs strategy, which is set by the Senior Management Team. This will include both managing the development of materials and talking points for senior leaders’ external engagements and representing Inclusiv when needed.
• Manage the professional development of Inclusiv’s Communications team, with a focus on building the team’s capacity to use storytelling to communicate our impact and engage our members and the broader credit union movement in our work.
• Ensure all administrative work needed for effective communications is completed to a high standard by the team.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and professional growth, including by developing and tracking analytics and impact metrics as well as giving and receiving thoughtful feedback and coaching staff.

Essential Experience, Skills, and Attributes

• The successful candidate is well-versed in energy, climate, social, and economic justice issues and has demonstrated their commitment to Inclusiv’s mission and the cooperative movement. Inclusiv works in collaborative, matrixed teams and the Vice President of Communications should enjoy cross-team collaboration and be adept at building both internal and external relationships. They must work well in geographically distributed, cross-functional teams and have a strong sense of how to effectively balance entrepreneurial drive with collaborative work. This role has significant potential for growth and offers many opportunities to contribute to the success of our growing, high-impact organization.
• Commitment to Inclusiv’s mission to help low- and moderate-income people and communities achieve financial independence.
• Experience managing communications for high-profile programs under significant public and political scrutiny. Experience in crisis communications is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and coach effective communications teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead major communications campaigns while ensuring day-to-day communications work is both strategically aligned and high quality.
• Strong project management skills and a track record of completing complex projects with multiple stakeholders on time and on budget.
• Write, edit, and place thought leadership pieces and communicate our impact.
• Must have superb writing skills and the ability to edit the writing of others.
• Inclusiv communicates with our members in both English and Spanish, so Spanish fluency and/or experience managing bilingual communications is a major plus.
• Experience with InDesign, MailChimp, major social media platforms/Hootsuite, and Drupal (Drupal training is available for candidates with WordPress experience). Experience with video production or managing external video production teams is a plus.
• A Bachelor’s degree is required; a minimum of fifteen years of professional communications experience is needed, including a minimum of five years in the nonprofit field. Experience working in the CDFI sector and/or with credit unions is a plus.
• Authorized to work in the US.

To Apply

Please send resume, cover letter, and two examples of communications work products, including one writing sample on a substantive issue developed for a non-profit and one multi-strategy campaign example to [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Location and Compensation

Inclusiv has offices in New York City, Atlanta, and San Juan. This role is located in New York City and is a hybrid role with two days per week in the office and three days per week working remotely. Exceptional candidates within commuting distance of Atlanta or San Juan are also encouraged to apply. Occasional travel will be required for conferences, site visits, and all-staff gatherings.

The salary range starts at $130,000 annually, depending on experience.

Inclusiv is an equal opportunity employer that works with member credit unions that serve ethnically, economically, and geographically diverse markets and communities. We value our diverse staff and membership and seek to maintain that tradition of diversity in all of our recruitment efforts. It is the policy of Inclusiv to provide equal opportunity in all aspects of employment to all employees or applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of regard to sex, race, color, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and any additional categories protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.