Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

ABOUT JFF 

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers toward a shared North Star: In 10 years, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.  

To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff of more than 300 people across the country working remotely and in offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels, forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible.   

We’re on a path of ongoing growth and expanding impact. We have an operating budget of $105 million, and we’re funded by dozens of leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn more about JFF and join us as we build a future that works—for everyone.  

DEIBW AT JFF  

Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and well-being (DEIBW) are core to JFF’s North Star and mission. We employ and build diverse teams across race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, age, and lived experiences and are constantly working toward ensuring these differences are celebrated and included. We aim to cultivate a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads, professional development, and equitable career advancement opportunities. Learn more about what DEIBW looks like in practice at JFF. 

We seek to invest in and learn from those who represent the communities we serve, particularly individuals from populations who have been explicitly or implicitly excluded from the workforce. Knowing its importance to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff members, we aspire to attract and retain a diverse team and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply to our open roles. JFF is a fair chance employer and in alignment to our North Star, we strongly encourage individuals whose highest level of education attained is less than a 4-year degree; People of Color; and people with records to apply.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY 

JFF is looking for an experienced, agile, and creative Chief Marketing & Communications Officer (CMCO) to join us during this exciting moment in the organization’s history. Following a period of rapid growth, this new leader will join and spearhead a transformation of JFF’s Marketing and Communications Team, a critical department for JFF to achieve its North Star.  For the first time, the CMCO role will report directly to the CEO and will play an important role in driving awareness, engagement, and support for our mission and programs. The CMCO will proactively lead the organization forward in innovative and outcomes-driven marketing of JFF’s critical products and services nationwide. This individual will cultivate and oversee a dynamic 40+ member marketing, communications, and events team. 

The CMCO will serve on and work closely with the Executive Team to ensure that JFF’s offerings support the organization’s unique value proposition in a crowded education and workforce ecosystem. They will also lead significant change initiatives to ensure that the Marketing and Communication Team’s capacity, resources, and processes are best aligned to JFF’s strategic priorities, and will support their team through this evolution. This position will drive the elevation of JFF’s brand, storytelling, and thought leadership across a diversity of channels contributing to the organization’s measurable growth and impact. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO  

Lead JFF’s Marketing & Communications Strategy and Impact 

• Lead the development of an innovative marketing function that helps drive the organization’s strategic priorities and creates distinctive brand experiences 
• Oversee excellence and consistency with existing and new marketing and communications projects and initiatives to accentuate JFF’s unique value proposition for competitive advantage  
• Elevate and manage a unified go-to-market approach across JFF, particularly for new products and services  
• Partner with the CEO in articulating JFFs vision and voice in the field 
• Promote and direct the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in all aspects of JFFs Marketing and Communications work; ensure alignment with JFF’s Language Matters Guide, and that our service delivery reflects the diversity of the populations and communities that we support 
• Work closely with the CEO and other executive colleagues to foster connections, synergies, and processes for collaboration and knowledge sharing across JFF and JFFLabs teams 
• Collaborate with teams and colleagues across JFF to ensure the development of comprehensive marketing plans and marketing communication plans for our impact work 
• Lead the Business Partners and ensure they maintain strong strategic thought partnership with the Business Units 
• Partner with IT and Development colleagues to create demand generation that’s scalable 
• Serve as a member of JFF’s Executive Team, contributing to organizational decision making and strategy setting 
• Lead the development and refinement of strong marketing analytics and reporting to determine the advancement of JFF’s successful content marketing campaigns 
• Steward change management in processes while navigating competing priorities and holding others accountable 
• Serve as a thought leader and partner to SMEs throughout the organization to elevate JFF’s work and change behavior and increase impact throughout the field 
• Implement effective and efficient processes and systems for prioritizing and allocating Marketing & Communications resources across a complex and dynamic organization, while balancing hundreds of funded project deliverables with strategic enterprise needs 

Oversee Performance, Talent, and Resources across the Marketing & Communications Team  

• Ensure an internal structure for the Marketing & Communications team that delivers efficiency and excellence 
• Partner with other senior marketing and communications leaders to provide strong, empowering leadership for the department’s team, effectively mentoring and managing staff, supporting them to achieve objectives and required outcomes 
• Ensure that deliverables and initiatives are prioritized, managed and executed in a systematic and enabling way, deploying and leveraging organizational expertise and capabilities to enable growth, maximize impact, meet client expectations, and deliver excellence at scale 
• Steward a team culture that promotes inclusion and enables the professional growth of all team members 
• Work with the Executive Team to drive organizational culture change, leadership development, and colleague engagement across JFF 
• Optimize MarCom operations and act as a change agent to support an effective marketing mindset throughout the organization 

WHO YOU ARE 

The qualifications listed within the job description are intended as a guide and we do not expect candidates to bring all experiences and skills listed. Research supports that self-selecting out of potential professional opportunities is particularly common among individuals with identities that are marginalized in professional spaces. So, if you believe that you can meet the overall expectations of the position, we encourage you to apply so that we have an opportunity to learn more about you and the unique strengths you would bring to the work. 

• You have a track record of success in building, leading, and transforming Marketing & Communications functions and delivering impactful approaches that captivate a diversity of audiences, ideally within a mission-driven and/or professional services organization (New hires at the Chief level at JFF typically bring 20+ years of prior professional experience) 
• You demonstrate proven results in product, personalized, acquisition, event, digital, and content marketing 
• You are proficient in working with marketing technology systems and tools including CRM, content management systems, SEO/SEM, among others. You are able to leverage these systems and tools for efficiency and greater impact, while holding others accountable to their use 
• You are well-versed in how people consume information and have a proven ability to create and convey a compelling vision through storytelling  
• You have prior experience with change management, including success in helping teams, functions, and organizations navigate transformative and rapid change and growth 
• You possess an outstanding relationship-building ability and keen understanding of the power of partnerships with the ability to build bridges and influence within and beyond the boundaries of our organization 
• You have demonstrated success in managing significant financial resources with the ability to devise strategies for revenue and funding generation and deploying resources for sustainable initiatives, products, and services. You are skilled at connecting people, projects, and resources in alignment to the mission and strategies of your organization, and bring a background in working with complex organizations, and establishing processes and systems to improve work and deliver services  
• You are an authentic, inclusive and values-led leader who knows how to engage, inspire, develop and manage others to achieve objectives; you bring experience leading large teams and managing effectively through layers of leadership 
• You have championed and executed strategies for innovation, creativity, and continuous learning for a department or practice area  
• You have experience with modeling and coaching others on open dialogue, receiving and giving feedback, and having difficult conversations that strengthen relationships  
• You are a curious, creative, and growth-oriented leader, eager to learn, adapt, and innovate in response to the ever-changing labor economy and social-political landscape  
• You have high energy and passion for JFF’s mission and North Star, and the ability to apply JFF’s core values to all areas of your work     
• You are energized by stewarding JFF’s DEIBW values and practices within your day-to-day work, including embracing the differences and celebrating the diversity that each individual brings to JFF  

WHAT WE OFFER

The hiring range for this role is $290,000 - $335,000 annually, in alignment to JFF’s Chief salary band and our compensation philosophy. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.   

At JFF, we’re fueled by the desire to create a world where everyone has equal opportunity for economic advancement. Our team works hard to push the boundaries of what is possible, and in return, we provide a gratifying work experience, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits program that includes flexibility and choice as core values to support people wherever they are in their lives and careers.    

JFF has offices in Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC; employees are welcome to use JFF office space to work in-person or hybrid, or completely remote. To improve the employee experience and promote productivity while working remotely, JFF offers an annual home office stipend to all regular full-time and part-time employees. In addition, new employees receive office equipment as needed.    

TO APPLY 

JFF is partnering with Korn Ferry to manage this search. As part of your application, please include your resume and a thoughtful cover letter addressed to the Korn Ferry team, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position. Please apply directly to the posting on JFF's job board and also email your materials to the Korn Ferry team (divina.gamble@kornferry.com, amanda.hunter@kornferry.com, and traci.robinson@kornferry.com) for consideration. Any questions should also be sent to Divina, Amanda, and Traci. 

At JFF, we are committed to accessibility and want to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can fully access and engage with our application and hiring process. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability and/or have specific access/accommodation needs in order to fully participate in our hiring process, please contact us at hiringaccommodations@jff.org. 

Positions at JFF are not eligible for employer-visa sponsorship or open to F-1 student visa holders.