Senior director of strategic marketing and communication

Role and responsabilities

FEDERATION CJA has been the driving force in a vibrant Montreal Jewish community for over 100 years. In partnership with a network of agencies and organizations, Federation CJA builds and sustains this community by providing leadership and by supporting the delivery of services and programs to care for the vulnerable and those in need, to ensure a bright Jewish future, to represent and defend communal interests and to positively affect issues in the wider society.

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Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Senior Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications is responsible to oversee and direct the strategic and tactical marketing of Federation CJA (the “Federation”). This position will lead the development and implementation of an ongoing branding, communications and marketing strategy for the Federation, its divisions, and its activities that builds financial resources, community engagement and participation.

More specifically, your responsibilities will consist of:

Strategy and Leadership

• In collaboration with the Chief Development Officer, lead the development and implementation of an ongoing branding, communications and marketing strategy for the Federation, its divisions, and its activities that builds financial resources, community engagement and participation;
• Translate the strategy into a plan and tactics that include messaging and segmentation to maximize the Federation’s effectiveness with its various constituencies, and that integrates the urgency of short-term fundraising with long-term community vitality;
• Raise impact awareness of the Federation in the Jewish community consistent with the Federation’s mission and strategic plan;
• Serves as primary media and public relations lead for the Federation, positioning Federation in the media and social media and managing the institutional agenda in a changing media world, and maintains positive on-going relationships with key representatives of the Jewish and local secular media, including print and broadcast. Be part of media management team as relates to advocacy and/or crisis communications;
• Direct the strategic vision for the annual Combined Jewish Appeal campaign marketing and other institutional resource development efforts related to fundraising activities and engagement events;
• Acts as creative director and provides strategic insight on a range of initiatives, from initial concept to final presentation;
• Serve as marketing liaison with affiliated agencies and organizations, UIA Federations Canada, The Jewish Federations of North America, and other Federations;
• Continue to drive the organization forward in the evolving digital communications space, by deploying innovative strategies and integrating best practices into the Federation’s marketing plans including, but not limited to web, CMS, CRM, solicitation, email, social media, etc.;
• Leverage digital analytics, and the intersection where available with the organization’s CRM, in order to optimize communication efforts, track marketing effectiveness over time, and enable data-driven decision making within the organization;
• Manage the considerable production of all communications for the Federation including but not limited to: brochures, logos, invitations, advertising, press releases, videos, newsletters, annual reports, impact reports, websites, emails, social media, and news articles, which are consistent and mutually supportive in terms of positioning, image, and voice;
• Ensure consistent Federation messaging and branding across Federation departmental and agency communications;
• Must have copywriting skills including long copy, corporate communications speeches and other executive office communications, etc. and editing ability in concert with copywriting team;
• Familiarity with media planning and buying practices as part of an extended team.
• Participation and reporting at the Board of Directors level on all matters regarding organizational marketing and communications

Management

• Manages the Strategic Communications and Marketing Department as a coordinated team, overseeing workflow, establishing processes, setting priorities, and ensuring projects and tasks are performed at the highest level, on brief and on time;
• Identifies and develops the human resources essential to strong inter-departmental and intra-departmental teamwork;
• Develops measures of departmental productivity and effectiveness of projects. Establish objectives for staff and formally evaluate staff performance based on established objectives;
• Develops and manages the annual operating plan and budget for marketing and communications;
• Acts as direct liaison to the lay Chair of Marketing and Communications
• Serves as a consultant, for a fee, to other agencies and organizations within the Jewish community on marketing communications needs;
• Be available for additional assignments and unique organizational opportunities as determined by the Chief Development Officer.

Experience and requirements

• Over 10 years’ experience with tactical and strategic marketing;
• Proven expertise in strategic communications and marketing strategy, marketing analytics, brand development, and marketing communications leadership, development, and execution;
• Successful leadership track record in multi-constituency, advocacy and consensus-driven cultures;
• Ability to understand complex issues and to streamline messaging;
• Creative, innovative, inspiring and passionate;
• Strong leadership skills and ability to manage people with diverse personalities;
• Excellent organization and people skills;
• Good under pressure and in crisis management;
• Excellent communicator with strong verbal, writing and editing skills. Articulate in both English and French;
• Impeccable personal and professional integrity, with an ability to inspire confidence and cooperation;
• Passion for strengthening the Jewish community;
• Experience with Jewish communal work and/or familiarity with non-profit, philanthropically-based organizations, fundraising and development, social entrepreneurship, and non-profit a plus.

Academic background

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communication or Management;