Support Center Seeks a Communications Associate

About Support Center

Support Center seeks to advance our mission for social change by empowering nonprofits and social enterprises to transform their leadership and management. Support Center is a nonprofit capacity building organization specializing in organizational development, leadership, and executive transition. Originally created as part of an international network of management support organizations (Support Centers of America) originally established in 1971, Support Center has been a trusted partner to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in the greater New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area for more than 30 years. 

Our vision for social change is tied to the envisioned outcomes of our work. Specifically, we envision a society where:

• Coalitions and organizations have the resources needed to understand and address inequities.

• Boards and their organizations work towards identifying, retaining, and advancing more diverse leadership.

• Communities and the people most directly impacted lead and represent organizations and coalitions.

• Support Center, our partners, and clients hold each other and themselves accountable to understanding the systems that perpetuate inequities across health, wealth, happiness, safety, and security.

• We expect to bring our authentic selves to work, regardless of race, sexual orientation, ability, age, national origin/ethnicity, appearance, and gender.

• We design and adopt new ways of operating that question the practices of a white dominant culture.

Videos on our YouTube channel provide a glimpse into our culture and values. 

About the Position

The Communications Associate will report to the Director for Executive Transition and work with a dynamic core team and 50+ affiliated capacity builders.  This position is full time. Support Center offices are currently located at 32 Old Slip, New York, NY (Lower Manhattan). Our offices operate in a hybrid mode, with most work being done remotely.

The ideal candidate lives in the NYC metro area so they can support in-person programming and events. The salary for this position is $55,000-57,000. Benefits include health insurance (including vision and dental), paid leave, 15 vacation days (20 days after three years), 12 paid holidays, a one-month sabbatical option after five years, a $1,500 professional development stipend, and a retirement account. Employees can also audit Support Center’s numerous workshops as time permits.

Role and Responsibilities 

The Communications Associate will work across our growing portfolio of projects, focusing primarily on supporting the day-to-day work of our executive transition and professional and leadership development practice areas. This role will also contribute to the success of our strategy and management and organizational navigation practice areas, as well as support our communication and marketing about the impact of Support Center’s work. 

Core organization-wide responsibilities will include:

• Responsible for implementing the communications calendar and plan for the year. Additional third-party support is available as needed. 

• Edit, publish, and schedule biweekly newsletters (26 per year) and weekly social media and email posts.

• Reflect Support Center diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments in Support Center communications.

• Support communications for the annual meeting and year end gathering including invitations, RSVPs, communicating key event information.

• Develop and design, infographics, postcards, brochures, flyers, and promotional material for key programs. Support Center uses Canva, Constant Contact, Photoshop, Google Suite, and ChatGPT as communications tools. HTML and CSS knowledge valuable for work on website.

• Provide drafting and copy editing support for proposals, agreements, and slide decks across programs as needed.

• Work with senior leadership to periodically audit deliverables to ensure alignment with Support Center style guide and messaging.

• Work with program leadership, senior leadership and clients to develop project success stories for marketing purposes. Leverage communications and AI technology to produce content. 

• Effectively market key SC offerings including professional and leadership development programs; create crisp and effective visual content. 

• Monitor related communications performance measures along with the Manager of Data and Technology providing updates to the staff and board.

• Gather content from leadership and staff to produce annual report each December. Liaise with designer and senior leadership to confirm the theme, graphics, photos, storyboard, and final content. 

• Oversee social media in conjunction with marketing consultants; create content and implement strategy for posting, including user engagement.

• Organize and update Support Center's digital materials and communication platforms (such as LinkedIn and Basecamp) in coordination with program staff.

• Maintain, optimize, and update website.

Communications Support for Programs

• Edit and publish interim executive director announcements (1-2 per month) via Constant Contact and publish full-time job opportunities arising through Support Center’s full searches (4-6 searches per year at present) via job boards, LinkedIn and listservs.

• Copy edit and finalize assessments for executive search reports in collaboration with the Director for Executive Transition.

• With the Professional Development Program Manager, support marketing and communications support for a portfolio of public workshops, customized trainings, leadership certificate programs,  New Executive Director Institute, Leadership Collaborative, and Interim Executive Director Institute. 

• Create and post registration forms for public trainings on the website and Salesforce. 

• Host and provide technical support to online and in-person trainings along with Program Manager (1-2 per week). 

• Support marketing and communications efforts by helping to connect with clients and develop project success stories for marketing purposes.

• Support projects as needed including preparing presentations, communicating survey results and collecting feedback. 

Additional responsibilities will include: 

• Participate in Support Center initiatives such as partnerships with other organizations and cross-promotional opportunities.

• Assist with ad hoc project management and communications requests as required. 

• Assist with event preparation and management as needed.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent work experience in a field relevant to Support Center’s work (e.g., public or business administration, social work, social sciences, humanities, etc.); graduate degrees welcome. 

• Demonstrated interest in working and learning in a mission-driven social impact organization.

• Proven English writing, speaking, and presentation skills

• Comfort using Canva, Constant Contact (or similar platform), Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Google Suite, and Zoom. Photoshop, HTML, and CSS skills would be desirable.

• Interest in organizational impact and storytelling.

• Ability to work successfully under multiple deadlines and adapt to shifting priorities.

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to relate to and work with a diverse team and group of clients, partners, and stakeholders.

What success will look like:

Due to the Communications Associate’s efforts, Support Center will have consistency in all its materials. Its external presence, through social media, website, and communications, will be dynamic and expressive of the impact the organization has. Internally, communications will be coordinated, timely, and unified and staff will be able to focus on their core work with the CA addressing the aspects related to communication. All communications, internal and external, will be highly professional, defined by our organizational point-of-view, and will include dynamic and incisive graphics.

How to apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@supportcenteronline.org. Please write "Communications Associate" as the subject heading. The cover letter should be addressed to the “Hiring Committee’ and should describe the candidate’s interest in Support Center, professional experience and qualifications, and suitability for this role. Only complete applications

will be reviewed. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. 

Support Center is an equal opportunity employer that values and celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion. Support Center encourages applications from persons of color and individuals who represent historically marginalized groups and populations.