Director, Marketing and Strategic Communications

Status: Temporary, Full-time (1-year minimum with possibility to extend)

Salary Range: $95,000 to $115,000

Location: Head Office, Vancouver/Hybrid

Job Summary:

This role is responsible for delivering marketing and communications initiatives for Coast Mental Health Foundation (CMHF), the fundraising arm of Coast Mental Health, a non-profit which delivers mental health services across Great Vancouver.

Reporting to the Senior Director, this role is responsible for all brand, marketing and communications efforts for Coast Mental Health Foundation, supporting the fundraising team in raising revenue through new and existing sources.

We’re looking for someone that is able to think strategically and manage consultants, while also being able and willing to do the day to day work of delivering the strategy.

Summary of Responsibilities:

Brand Marketing:

• Manage and protect the Coast Mental Health Foundation brand by ensuring consistent use of assets and messaging.
• Lead on developing a brand campaign, including day to day management of external agency, liaison with stakeholders and roll-out of the final assets, including the development of a new micro-site.
• Lead the development of an early capital campaign brand direction and visual identity framework, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s core brand.

Donor Communications:

• Source and draft impact stories from the organization, ensuring trauma-informed and ethical storytelling practices are followed at all times.
• Oversee the implementation of the Direct Mail program including managing external agencies in creation of assets.
• Oversee any new donor acquisition initiatives.
• Manage CMHF’s email marketing program (via MailChimp) including drafting copy, scheduling and sending emails.
• Develop, implement, and measure social media strategy to advance the Foundation’s audience size, demographics, and engagement.
• Develop and manage event promotions in collaboration with colleagues
• Create assets and manage any paid initiatives including paid social media or print ads.
• Provide communications and messaging support for CMHF’s major fundraising event, the Courage To Come Back Awards.

Capital Campaign Readiness & Strategy:

• Develop foundational communications to support the pre-campaign/quiet phase, including case for support drafts, key messages, and prospect-ready collateral.
• Conduct discovery to inform campaign messaging and materials.
• Build a communications roadmap and coordinate with external consultants supporting campaign development.
• Ensure alignment between campaign storytelling, brand strategy, and fund development priorities.

Additional responsibilities:

• Create and implement an annual marketing and communications plan for CMHF.
• Actively contribute to CMHF’s fund development strategy, recommending an appropriate marketing and communications budget to support activities.
• Act as day-to-day contact for any external agencies overseeing web initiatives, paid social media campaigns, and collateral design.
• Work closely with Coast Mental Health’s communication team to ensure alignment on strategy, messaging and to dovetail on opportunities across the two organizations.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in journalism, communications, marketing, and/or public relations, or equivalent
• Five to seven years’ experience in strategic communications, marketing, and/or digital marketing.
• Experience in the non-profit sector, specifically in fundraising marketing.
• Ministry of Justice Criminal Record Clearance

Competencies

• Superior written and verbal communication skills, with a flair for storytelling in print, online and through social media channels.
• An understanding of trauma-informed and ethical storytelling practices.
• Strong project management skills to lead the development of communications tools/initiatives and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency in the advanced features of the Microsoft Office suite of products.
• Adept at using social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) and scheduling platforms like Hootsuite
• Familiarity with updating content using WordPress.
• Graphic design skills and familiarity with Canva and the Adobe Creative Suite would be considered assets.

If the following describes you, this role might be just what you are looking for:

• Desire to Learn – You are constantly learning. You instinctively find ways to create value, add to team culture, and think ahead.
• Collaborative – While you are comfortable working on your own, you communicate well and relish being part of a team.
• Thrive in Ambiguity – You gather information, communicate with your colleagues, figure out solutions, and find a way to get the job done.
• Accountable – You keep your commitments and can be relied on to deliver high-quality work that generates results.
• Passionate – You believe in making a difference in the lives of our others and are dedicated to going above and beyond to make a positive impact in the community.

About Coast

Coast Mental Health (Coast) is one of the largest mental health non-profit societies in Canada and operates a large array of innovative housing and community-based rehabilitation services for people with a mental illness living in and around Vancouver. Coast operates in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia providing approximately 1000 people with supportive housing and 4000 clients living in the community with a wide variety of programs and services.

Coast fosters a client-driven, recovery-oriented environment that promotes restoring health, personal growth and a return to society for individuals with a mental illness through advocacy and providing direct programs and services. Coast is deeply invested in cultural safety, reconciliation, and anti-racism. Our employees receive training on cultural humility, trauma-informed practice, and inclusive leadership. We strive to reflect the communities we serve and value lived experience alongside professional qualifications.

Why Coast

• We recognize safety as a top priority for the organization.
• We believe in our people and recognize hard work.
• We operate client-centered care under the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation.
• We offer a variety of work placement opportunities within the organization.
• We strive to be the best that we can be.
• We hold Exemplary Standing with Accreditation Canada.
• We have been recognized with numerous awards for our innovative programming.
• We care about our employees, and believe in living our values and culture throughout the organization

Some of the Benefits we Offer

• 100% employer-paid benefits for employees and their families.
• Vision Care, Dental Care, Prescription Drugs, Naturopath, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Group Life, Massage therapy, Physiotherapy, and Unlimited Out-of-Province and Out-of-Country Emergencies.
• General sick-leave accruals.
• Long-term disability programs. Short-term disability programs available to exempt positions only.
• 5 days of paid leave for Indigenous Employees for Ceremonial, Cultural, and Spiritual events per year.
• 8 weeks of paid leave for gender affirming care for medical procedures for transgender and gender diverse employees, cumulative total.
• Employee and Family Assistance Program, which includes personal counselling, Life Coaching, Financial Coaching, Legal Referral and Advisory Services, and Health Coaching. In addition, Coast provides a cognitive behavioural therapy program (CBT abilities program) and Headversity for managing a variety of life issues and includes self-paced therapeutic support.
• Municipal Pension Plan with guaranteed lifetime monthly pension when you retire. More information can be found at: .

***For any unionized positions, current/internal Coast employees must apply within seven (7) days of the posting date with their internal UKG account (using their Coast email address), in order to be considered as an internal applicant. Current/internal Coast employees who apply to a unionized position using an external account (or email), or after the seven (7) day deadline will be considered an external candidate. In this case, seniority will not be considered.***

Coast Mental Health is committed to creating a culture of diversity and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.