Al-Huda School

Compensation

Full Description

About Dar-us-Salaam Dar-us-Salaam is a multi-faceted 501-c(3) nonprofit Islamic organization located in College Park, Maryland. Operating on the basis of the Qur’an and Sunnah, Dar-us-Salaam’s focus is developing a community which puts Islam into practice across every area of life, particularly in education and social service. Starting in 1995 with its foundational education project Al-Huda School, a preK-12 full time Islamic School with over 600 students, over the last three decades Dar-us-Salaam has grown into a visionary, forward thinking community with over 30 departments and projects spanning social services, spiritual and mental wellness counseling, youth work, research and publishing, business ventures and much more. With a budget close to $10 million annually and over 100 full and part time staff, Dar-us-Salaam is one of the most active Islamic communities on the east coast USA. Summary Dar-us-Salaam’s Strategic Communications Department is much more than a “marketing” department. Rather than simply making flashy graphics and catchy headlines, the Strategic Communications Department’s goal is to connect the hearts and minds of Muslims to the Dar-us-Salaam vision using digital, print, and in-person channels. The Director of Strategic Communications is a “creative-type” by nature, and understands the power of language – written, spoken, graphical, and implied. Leading a small team consisting of a copywriter, social media specialist, graphic designer, and video production specialist, the Director of Strategic Communications produces inspiration in hearts and minds, inspiration which translates to confidence, optimism, and involvement from Dar-us-Salaam supporters and community members. The Director of Strategic Communications understands that the best ideas come from humility, pure intentions, and constant collaboration, and that the Director’s job is to create an energetic team environment based on these values. The Director of Strategic Communications will oversee and manage the following: Building and leading a Strategic Communications Department based on best practices for marketing and communication from both the for profit and non-profit sectors; this includes developing human capacity, creating and / or improving processes, and collaborating closely with the rest of Dar-us-Salaam to create inter-organizational synergy to move the organization forward. Developing case for support assets- why should donors continue supporting Dar-us-Salaam or its projects? What impact has Dar-us-Salaam had on the lives of beneficiaries? This includes finding, sourcing, and maintaining data and stories which represent the raw material to develop a case for support assets. Developing and executing a content calendar for Dar-us-Salaam across all marketing and publicity channels Developing printed, video, and online marketing material for all of Dar-us-Salaam’s projects and initiatives Managing Dar-us-Salaam’s digital presence including websites and social media so more and more people are exposed to Dar-us-Salaam’s mission, and more and more of those people are inspired to join that mission Collecting impact stories from Dar-us-Salaam and the general community and organizing them for efficient retrieval and reuse Engaging with the community in order to learn about impacts and to understand what is important to donors and community members - critical insights which inform inspiration strategies Collecting, producing, and organizing Dar-us-Salaam’s media assets including photos, videos, and animations Coordinating with all departments and projects to align inspiration strategies across the organization Training staff, students, and volunteers as needed so they can be effective, inspiring content creators and digital ambassadors for Dar-us-Salaam Developing regular print and online newsletters and email updates to the community Developing presentations and proposals for special audiences as needed Assisting and supporting the marketing and fundraising initiatives of Dar-us-Salaam and its affiliated projects as needed, including physical like group presentations, tabling at strategic locations, and other in-person marketing. Preference will be given to US citizens with management experience who hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a recognized university. Legal residents are welcomed to apply. For immediate consideration, click here to apply for the position. Expectations Apply best practices, and then improve on them You are expected to keep abreast of marketing industry trends and best practices across every functional area in your department, determine which of these best practices are worth implementing, and then to put those best practices into our daily operations. Overtime, you will improve on these best practices, all the while maintaining documentation in a StratComm knowledge base which explains the why and how of these best practices. Make everyone on your team better and more mission oriented. Good leaders don't just inspire people to be better, they create a plan for their team members and they help the team follow the plan, so each team member improves their skills, their understanding, and their commitment to the mission of Dar-us-Salaam. Develop a deep understanding of Dar-us-Salaam’s mission and of community psychology What makes Dar-us-Salaam’s mission and vision unique and different from any other Muslim organization or Muslim community? Where do the different projects and initiatives of Dar-us-Salaam fit into the larger vision? What are the best ways to impart our mission to the community at-large? You are expected to take the initiative to gain the aforementioned understandings through conversations you initiate. We expect you to be able to articulate your deep understanding of Dar-us-Salaam’s mission and vision in “case for support” materials which will be used across the organization. Bring about a storytelling culture across Dar-us-Salaam We expect you to take the initiative to meet with staff, volunteers, students and other stakeholders and hold conversations which draw out impactful stories from our stakeholders. You will also set up StratComm-owned processes which inspire and collect stories across the organization. Build a process and data-driven department which can serve as an example to other Dar-us-Salaam departments Marketing is full of data. You are expected to think about data while thinking about campaigns and marketing products, thinking deeply about what existing data might inform that campaign, and what new, actionable data might be collected through the campaign. Data should not be an afterthought; it should be part of every strategic marketing conversation and meeting. When it comes to processes, you are expected to create, improve, and document StratComm processes, and to leverage tools like Clickup to make StratComm work organized, efficient, reportable, and accountable. Manage and supervise all areas of our multi-channel marketing at Dar-us-Salaam While you already oversee digital marketing and the development of most print marketing material, we want you to supervise and strategize for all marketing channels – including mailers and in-person marketing like tables at events and conference booths. Develop an annual marketing plan for the entire organization which includes a budget We expect that you will develop a detailed marketing plan for Dar-us-Salaam and its major projects. You will take the initiative to understand the function of a marketing plan, and how that marketing plan should be amended as the year progresses, making edits to reflect changing needs and circumstances in the community. You will also track expenses so we know how much Dar-us-Salaam is really spending on marketing all of its projects and services, and those expenses will inform the annual marketing budget you will create. Communicate. A lot. The Strategic Communications Department is among the youngest departments at Dar-us-Salaam, and we are only just beginning to know what marketing best practices are, and how we should implement them. We expect you to communicate a lot. Ask questions. Never assume. Ask to learn. Ask to clarify. Never assume. Do shura with us and with your team on big strategies and major moves. Critique and solicit criticism. Question and offer answers. Propose solutions. Above all else, communicate often and a lot.