Nonprofit Remote Digest - Issue #362
Founded 25 years ago, Peace First is an international nonprofit organization that exists to create the next generation of peacemakers. We believe passionately that young people are natural problem solvers and that by unleashing their moral imaginations we can create a youth-led movement to counter the culture of violence that affects us all.
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Director of Communications
ROLE SUMMARY
Peace First is a global NGO igniting and supporting a youth-led movement of global innovators tackling everything from racial justice to climate change. We are looking for a Director of Communications to lead all of our communications efforts to tell a consistent brand story of impact and inspiration to multiple audiences, grow our network of fans, and change the narratives around young people’s power. As our senior storyteller, the ideal candidate needs to be both a strong strategist and effective implementer, comfortable working in a highly iterative environment and collaborating closely with senior leaders, young people, and a network of partners. Our CEO is based in Boston, the team of 20 is scattered around the globe, and we are open to strong candidates anywhere.
ABOUT PEACE FIRST
Peace First was founded on a simple idea: if we are going to solve the world’s greatest injustices, we must support this generation of young people with the skills and commitments to solve problems by connecting across lines of difference with compassion, standing up for ideals and others with courage, and creating collaborative change. This is what we call peacemaking.
Currently, there are 1.6 billion young people, ages 13-25, around the world. They care deeply about what’s going on, they have boundless ideas on how to solve injustices and are ready to act yet seldom are they asked by adults what they think or, better yet, supported in bringing their ideas to life. Few have access to tools, mentors, and resources to turn their insights into reality. This is the divide we bridge.
Peace First provides a digital design platform where young people can imagine and create powerful innovations to solve real problems in the world. In addition to digital design tools, we provide mentors, connections with young people from over 140 countries, and small start-up grants that start at $250 and scale up to $25,000 as youth scale their work. All of this takes place on the Peace First platform — the world’s largest marketplace for youth-led social change initiatives.
In order for us to achieve our long-term goal of supporting a movement of 2.5 million engaged, compassionate, and creative youth, Peace First has launched a $10 million Global Youth Investment Fund to provide the financial spark to support efforts for social change. It is the single largest investment in youth social action...ever.
A key element of our strategic plan is to build out our team of talented professionals. We actively recruit, retain, and develop a multicultural and dynamic workforce that effectively and efficiently meets the wide spectrum of young people's needs across the globe. We believe that an inclusive and open environment fosters creativity, contributes to the quality of our work, and provides growth opportunities for all employees.
To that end, we are seeking individuals who are excited about fostering this inclusive culture and working in an entrepreneurial environment where there is an immediate opportunity to have a tangible impact on organizational direction and achievement. We are a team-based around the world who thrive in an environment that embodies and celebrates the following:
Possession of a deep belief in the ability of young people to create change and an interest in fundraising in partnership with young leaders
Ability to adapt and apply skills to new and changing scopes of work
Eagerness for more responsibility and exposure to new challenges
Motivation to solve problems by taking initiative and trying new ways of doing things
Enthusiasm for connecting others to our mission and providing them with powerful experiences
Openness to working with others across diverse perspectives and backgrounds
POSITION OVERVIEW
This is a new position created in response to a commitment to improve our ability to consistently and compellingly share the story of young people’s power to lead social change. For Peace First, communications is both a function (making sure everyone has the right tools to tell our story) as well as an impact program (changing the narrative of how the world sees young people) and we are looking for a leader who enjoys bridging the strategic and tactical. We are midway through a rebranding and renaming process, and the Director will have a unique opportunity to shape a new identity for Peace First and create a strategy for how our brand will live in the world.
Over the next two years, the Director will lead three areas of work:
Build the identity of our brand and community by building a brand name and identity that captures our spirit, values, and vision; telling a consistent and compelling story – across all of our communication channels – of who we are as a community, what we do, and the change we seek in ways that inspire people to become involved; creating symbols and signifiers of membership to show off affiliation and support; building the tools and resources to turn our fans into spokespeople and ambassadors to bring new fans (donors, partners, supporters, young people) to our work.
Amplify the impact of our work by building a storytelling model that empowers young people to tell their own story; curating the best stories of impact and work with partners to package them in compelling ways, and distributing our best stories to drive awareness of young people’s power to solve our biggest problems and inspire others to apply these solutions in their own communities (we want good solutions to spread).
Deepen trust among our community by creating and executing strategies to deepen the trust within our community (including among our staff team) through sharing stories of impact, offer invitations that grow engagement, position Peace First as an expert and field-leader and our members as powerful examples of youth-led social change, and ensure that all folks in our orbit feel loved, connected, and cared for.
The Director of Communications will report to the CEO. They will supervise a Communications Coordinator who will lead content creation by identifying, packaging, and sharing stories of inspiration. This is a role for someone excited to build upon Peace First’s record of innovation and long-standing relationships with storytellers and young people to help create something new in the world. The successful candidate has an entrepreneurial spirit, is excited about working in a small-shop setting, is passionate about amplifying young people’s stories as agents of change today and wants to help grow a movement of these young leaders.
Responsibilities
Lead all communication strategy and activities for Peace First in partnership with CEO, Board, and other team members;
Build a multi-year communications strategy and plan that combines brand-building fundamentals with a movement-building mindset;
Lead the generation of online content that engages defined key audience segments and leads to measurable action, deciding to whom, where, and when to disseminate;
Create communications vehicles to build momentum and awareness as well as to test the effectiveness of new communications activities (with a focus on social channels);
Manage the development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic collateral including, but not limited to the annual report, e-newsletters and website - ensure that new and consistent information is posted regularly;
Identify, coordinate, and advocate for speaking engagements and storytelling opportunities for our spokespeople;
Work collaboratively with a global team – including a network of young leaders – spanning the regions of North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Key Skills and Experience
We understand that there are many paths to developing skills and acquiring experience and therefore welcome candidates from diverse and nontraditional backgrounds for this role who have demonstrated equivalent transferable skills to carry out the major duties outlined in this job description. However, candidates should have a strong track record in strategic communications, comfort in start-up environments, and a passion for partnering with young people.
Additionally, we are looking for candidates who have:
Significant experience developing and implementing communication strategies in a purpose-based organization;
A passion for working with young people and a deep understanding of the communication platforms that resonates most with young people;
Experience managing communications to different audiences (youth, funders, influencers, staff) in diverse cultural contexts across the globe;
Strong social media marketing skills and experience with the established press, media and distribution networks;
Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills to inspire others to act
A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently;
High energy, equanimity, and leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both the strategic and tactical levels;
A sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including youth, staff & board, volunteers, donors and other supporters;
A talent for leveraging data to drive decisions.
All members of our team, regardless of role, should have these qualities and experience:
Commitment to contributing to an overall organizational culture that is inquisitive, youth-centered, caring, and fun;
Can lead within a start-up/entrepreneurial environment where priorities can quickly and necessarily change;
Belief in and leading with Peace First’s core values of courage, compassion, and collaboration;
Commitment to supporting young people as they change the world for the better through peacemaking;
Capacity to integrate into all functional areas while autonomously leading one’s work;
Proficiency in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets Gmail, etc.; Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Other Requirements
Written and spoken fluency in English, including fluency in colloquial United States English.
Must be able to travel when necessary (our best guess is a day or two a month, but so much of this will be determined by the strategy the Director will create)
Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time position. Salary range is $70,000-$80,000 (USD). Peace First also offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package. For non-US candidates - salary will be equivalent to that of the United States’ salary band; additionally, cost of living, purchasing power, and local tax rate will be considered in determining salary and benefits package.
Start Date / Location
Immediately / Location is flexible, but must be available during the majority of East Coast US working hours.
Peace First is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability.
For more information, please go to www.peacefirst.org.
How to Apply
We are using WorkPop to help manage the search – the hope is this will help us be more accountable to applicants. Click here to be taken to the site. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.