Future Plans

Compensation

Full Description

The Executive Vice President (EVP) of Communications & Marketing is a key member of Future Plans’ executive leadership team and the principal architect of how Future Plans communicates, markets, and positions itself across mission, markets, and revenue. This role is responsible for shaping and executing a unified communications and marketing strategy that supports both Future Plans’ nonprofit core work and its growing portfolio of social enterprise initiatives. As the lead steward of the organization’s public narrative, the EVP will drive visibility, influence, fundraising support, audience growth, and stakeholder engagement—while building the internal systems and capacity required to scale. This role requires both strategic vision and hands-on execution, balancing high-level leadership with the ability to deliver polished, high-impact communications across platforms and audiences. The EVP oversees a small internal team and external consultants and works in close collaboration with the CEO, Executive Vice President team, Vice President of Development, and Vice President of Community and Government Relations to ensure that Future Plans’ voice is clear, credible, and consistent—from grassroots community materials to national funder, government, and market-facing communications. Key Responsibilities Organizational Brand & Narrative Leadership • Serve as the primary steward of the Future Plans brand across all platforms, messaging, divisions, and initiatives. • Evolve and unify the organization’s voice, tone, and visual identity to reflect growth, innovation, and impact. • Build and protect brand equity among partners, funders, media, policymakers, and public audiences. • Ensure consistency in how Future Plans presents itself across nonprofit and social enterprise efforts while allowing for appropriate audience-specific tailoring. Strategic Communications & Multi-Audience Messaging • Design and lead a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy aligned to and amplifies organizational priorities. • Develop and manage a multi-audience messaging framework that allows Future Plans to communicate effectively with schools, government agencies, philanthropy, employers, businesses, and community stakeholders—without fragmenting the core narrative. • Frame and promote the mission, programs, outcomes, and innovations of Future Plans across diverse platforms and contexts. • Serve as lead editor and content strategist for major announcements, reports, campaigns, and initiatives. Digital Presence, Media, & Social Strategy • Oversee strategy, content, and optimization of Future Plans’ website and digital platforms. • Lead social media strategy across channels, expanding reach, relevance, and credibility across priority audiences. • Direct earned media and public relations efforts, cultivating relationships with local, regional, and national media. • Identify opportunities for visibility that strengthen credibility with funders, partners, policymakers, and market-based audiences. Executive, Internal & Thought Leadership Communications • Position the CEO and executive team as credible voices in workforce innovation, economic mobility, and community-centered development. • Oversee the development of keynote presentations, executive decks, op-eds, and external communications. • Support internal narrative alignment by ensuring leadership, staff, and partners are equipped with clear, consistent messaging. • Represent Future Plans at select conferences, convenings, and strategic engagements as appropriate. Social Enterprise Marketing & Go-to-Market Collaboration Future Plans is expanding its social enterprise initiatives to increase impact, generate sustainable revenue, and bring scalable solutions to communities nationwide. The EVP plays a critical role in translating innovation into clear, compelling, and market-ready communications. Responsibilities include: • Partnering with the Executive Vice President of Social Enterprise & Strategy to craft messaging that articulates the value, impact, and differentiation of Future Plans’ earned-income offerings. • Supporting go-to-market strategies for new services, tools, and workforce-related products. • Leading brand positioning and marketing campaigns for social enterprise initiatives targeting schools, workforce boards, training providers, employers, and other buyers. • Ensuring all social enterprise communications align with the broader Future Plans mission, values, and voice. • Helping identify new audiences and communication approaches that contribute to financial sustainability while reinforcing social impact. Marketing Systems, Capacity Building & Infrastructure • Build and maintain scalable marketing and communications systems that support organizational growth. • Develop templates, toolkits, and processes that enable teams to access high-quality, on-brand materials efficiently. • Establish workflows for content development, approvals, and prioritization across divisions. • Align marketing and communications efforts with internal systems (e.g., CRM, development workflows, reporting tools) where appropriate. • Ensure marketing operations support consistency, efficiency, and long-term capacity—not just one-off outputs. Development & Fundraising Communications • Partner closely with the Vice President of Development and development team to strengthen storytelling for funders and donors. • Lead creation of high-quality collateral for grant proposals, donor outreach, investor decks, and impact reporting. • Oversee annual reports, supporter communications, and materials for major gifts and institutional funders. • Ensure messaging resonates with both philanthropic and earned-revenue audiences. Measurement, Reputation & Risk Awareness • Define and monitor key communications and marketing metrics related to reach, engagement, and effectiveness. • Use data and insight to inform strategy and refine messaging over time. • Support reputation management and ensure readiness for sensitive or high-visibility communications. • Bring sound judgment to messaging in complex environments involving public funding, policy, or community impact. Team Leadership & Collaboration • Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing communications and marketing team, including staff and consultants. • Manage budgets and resources to support strategic priorities. • Foster a collaborative, accountable culture that balances creativity with execution. • Work fluidly across departments, respecting programmatic, development, and social enterprise needs while maintaining narrative cohesion. Qualifications Required • 10+ years of senior-level experience in communications, marketing, or brand strategy. • Demonstrated success leading strategic communications in complex, mission-driven organizations (nonprofit, public sector, social enterprise, or adjacent fields). • Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills, with strong executive presence. • Experience overseeing digital platforms, social media, media relations, and integrated campaigns. Preferred • Familiarity with workforce development, economic development, education, or rural/community-based initiatives. • Experience working with national funders, government agencies, or policy-adjacent environments. • Passion and commitment to mission-driven work. • Comfortable operating in fast-paced, entrepreneurial, matrixed organizations and navigating complexity across teams and initiatives. • Experience building communications systems and capacity during periods of growth. Compensation & Work Environment • Competitive executive-level salary commensurate with experience • Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, and retirement match • Flexible/remote work environment with travel as needed