Communications Director

The Director of Communications will develop and implement Mount Tamalpais College’s communications strategy, in order to advance the college’s mission and brand as an academically excellent institution with a strong commitment to fostering critical inquiry and dialogue. This strategy will be essential to advancing the visibility and civic engagement of the college’s currently and formerly incarcerated community, and to garnering the critical resources and support required to advance MTC’s work as a small but rapidly growing college with ambitious goals. 

MTC’s communications function currently relies on a small team of in-house support and external consultants. It thus requires a creative hands-on leader with strong strategic thinking skills; deep experience in messaging and design; an exceptional commitment to aesthetic quality; a love of great writing; and strong managerial skills. The position requires working closely with the college’s president and executive team, development and academic program staff, and current students and alumni. The communications director will also work with San Quentin staff and administrators, and interface directly with members of the media, funders, and other key stakeholders.

Essential Functions

• Lead the creation of the organization’s annual communications plan, generating key thematic messages and planning public-facing campaigns, in close collaboration with the president, executive team, and fundraising staff
• Proactively develop opportunities to raise the public profile of the college through earned and owned media, community engagements and partnerships, and other initiatives
• Manage all press inquiries, publicity, and media coverage; provide media training as needed to staff, board, and other MTC spokespeople 
• Oversee the creation of all print, digital, and other collateral materials, including annual reports, brochures, and newsletters, from concept through production and distribution
• Partner with the development and program teams leads to plan, coordinate, and host special events such as site visits, film screenings, symposia, and other activities inside and outside of the prison
• Supervise the communications associate, including facilitating mentorship, training and professional development opportunities
• Supervise independent contractors in design, copyediting, copywriting, film and photography 
• Serve as primary liaison between the college and the Public Information Office at San Quentin, including supporting related logistical planning and paperwork

Other key duties and responsibilities 

• Maintain close contact with Academic and Student Affairs teams, including spending time inside San Quentin, to ensure familiarity with programs and actively generate communications content
• Support the advancement associate’s work to oversee the MTC website to ensure that all content is clear, up-to-date, user-friendly, and on-brand, and that architecture, functionality, and user experience advance the organization’s diverse goals
• Support advancement staff’s work on MTC’s social media presence, ensuring a steady flow of well-written and engaging social media content that advances the organization’s strategic goals 
• Maintain an annual communications calendar that facilitates all of the organization’s communications activities, and ensures smooth and efficient collaboration across teams 
• Facilitate the creation of fact sheets, organizational talking point summaries, presentation materials, and other external-facing documents for MTC staff and partners
• Uphold print and digital publishing protocols, editorial style guide, and the MTC brand and visual identity 
• Track performance of all communications channels, in order to continually improve quality and expand MTC’s audience 
• Ensure the production and maintenance of quality content for  external sites such as GuideStar, GooglePages, and Charity Navigator

Desired Qualifications

• Minimum Associate degree 
• Five to ten years of Communications experience, ideally at a college/university or nonprofit organization
• Five to ten years of management experience
• Responsible, collegial, tenacious, and open-minded
• Energetic and self-motivated
• Exceptional attention to detail, in both visual and written materials
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including ability to draft quality materials on a wide range of topics in a timely manner
• Strong interpersonal skills, including attunement and sensitivity to the experiences of incarcerated people 
• Ability to listen, reflect, and communicate effectively, without judgment and in a nuanced manner, about a broad range of topics, including related to incarceration and higher education
• Ability to manage simultaneously complex, time-sensitive tasks and projects, from inception through completion 
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach, including the capacity to independently take initiative, while juggling multiple responsibilities 

Compensation and Benefits

Mount Tamalpais College offers competitive compensation, flexible work policies, and a collaborative work environment. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, and the full cost of each plan is covered by Mount Tamalpais College. We also offer vacation and holiday pay, as well as opportunities for professional development.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Mount Tamalpais College provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.