Position Title:  Director of Community Engagement

Reports to:  Executive Vice President

United Way works to advance the common good in our region by creating opportunities for a better life for all.  Our focus is education, income, and health – the building blocks for a good quality of life.  United Way recruits people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done.

The Director of Community Engagement will have responsibility for the organization’s community engagement functions, including marketing and communications, volunteer engagement, and community mobilization that lead to helping the organization achieve its fundraising goals.  The position will be responsible for developing the strategic plan around how to accomplish broader community awareness and engagement, as well as execution on those strategies.  This position requires previous leadership in community engagement, marketing and communications, strong public speaking and writing skills, and the ability to manage staff and volunteers.

The ideal candidate will have the self-assurance and confidence to purposely drive toward results while problem-solving and engaging the commitment of others.  The job environment is flexible and provides growth opportunity, recognition and reward for the achievement of results.  The position offers significant opportunities for creativity, entrepreneurism, and social interaction.

Primary responsibilities:

• Manages the creation of an overall strategic plan for community engagement, including raising awareness about the organization and development of engagement pathways for donors and volunteers
• Manages the execution of all community engagement and marketing/communications strategies
• Supervises UWGNH staff tasked with the execution of the strategic plan, responsible for staff training, support and effectiveness in this area
• Monitors the success of community engagement and marketing strategies and makes course corrections in order to meet the established goals in each area
• Brings new and exciting ideas to the organization, and is capable of listening to insight from team members and testing new initiatives
• Provides creative direction to all marketing and communications strategies, with an emphasis on cutting-edge, entrepreneurial approaches including social media
• Works cross-functionally across the organization to create accessible, evocative content for use in a variety of communications vehicles
• Plans and supervises the development of collateral materials to support the organization’s ability to raise unrestricted funds
• Cultivates and maintains favorable media relations
• Represents United Way in community initiatives and events that support our brand goals/strategies and engage key constituents
• Directs all event planning activities and works with all departments to ensure branding of and education about organization’s work is incorporated into every opportunity
• Personally manages individual and corporate donor relationships as assigned
• Manages external vendors related to community engagement, marketing, and communications
• Integrates United Way Worldwide strategies and materials into United Way of Greater New Haven’s community engagement and marketing and communications efforts
• Monitors the financial aspects of the department to ensure that expenses are in line with the budget

A Successful Candidate Will Have:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7+ years related experience
• Experience in community engagement and mobilization
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects with tight deadlines concurrently
• Exceptional strategy development, project management and communication skills
• Solid knowledge of best practices around donor engagement, communications, and volunteer programs
• Proven experience in managing and motivating staff and volunteers
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills

**United Way of Greater New Haven is an equal opportunity employer.**

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume by February 15, 2012 to employment {at} uwgnh(.)org.  No phone calls, please.