Amara is committed to positive long-term outcomes for children and families. We drive systemic change, promote healing, racial and LGBTQ+ equity, by offering programs and services to families engaged in foster care, and to adoptees and families, post-adoption.

At Amara, we believe that a supportive, equitable and inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued, trusted and nurtured, is key to shaping organizational culture and investing in underrepresented communities. Amara believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

The Communications Manager is responsible for executing Amara’s communications strategy, building awareness of Amara’s mission with multiple constituent groups, and ensuring our messaging aligns to Amara’s mission, vision, and values. The Communications Manager is a gifted storyteller with exemplary writing skills and will lead content development, manage Amara’s communications channels, engage supporters through ethical strengths-based storytelling, and support Amara to influence narrative change and community perception of children and families experiencing foster care and adoption.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Communications Manager is a member of Amara’s Development and Communications team and works closely with staff across the organization. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Co-design, implement, and evaluate the annual communications plan and editorial calendar across Amara’s discreet audiences in collaboration with staff, programs, and constituents.
• Manage messaging framework and consistency of use across various channels to ensure brand coherence.
• Maintain oversight of content plan, and leverage storytelling to change hearts and minds of the engaged public.
• Manage content development (e.g., narrative stories, infographics, blog posts, presentations) for Amara’s website, blog, newsletters, and social media channels that provides engaging information about our work, results, and knowledge. Optimize visibility with key audiences.
• Collaborate with program teams to capture client and program stories and photos across all channels, Ensure Amara’s process to capture, catalogue, and share stories is implemented with fidelity and within Amara’s ethical story-sharing guidelines.
• Create marketing, communications, and fundraising materials in a variety of print and digital formats, such as solicitations, impact reports, stewardship pieces, brochures, press releases, articles, white papers, presentations, briefing documents, and web and social media content.
• Lead fundraising event program design, partnering with fundraising and program staff and members of the community for compelling, ethical, and strengths-based storytelling.
• Oversee contracts and work of external resources (e.g., graphic designers, printers, videographers etc.).
• Support communications efforts with Amara’s Board of Directors.
• Serve as the relationship manager to for media relations.
• Actively participate in Amara’s efforts to advance racial and LGBTQIA+ equity, unlearn biases, and engage in the organization’s broader work in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Amara is seeking an accomplished communicator and writer who is excited to lead content development and engage Amara’s various stakeholder groups. The ideal candidate will have experience in executing communication strategies, collaborating with program teams, and creating donor communications. The ability to take knowledge and transform it into exciting and useful messages, and disseminate it to the right audiences through the most compelling distribution channels is critical.

We list our preferred qualifications and are open to candidates who can demonstrate their experience and/or education that supports their alignment with the skills we are seeking.

• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion, equity and anti-racism:
  • Experience working in racially and ethnically diverse environments;
  • Demonstrated commitment to understanding and dismantling structural racial inequity;
  • Desire to further personal understanding of racial and social justice work.
• 4+ years in nonprofit communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Relationship builder with highly collaborative style; experience developing and implementing communications strategies.
• Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills.
• A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently while remaining flexible; strong project management skills.
• Commitment to ethical, strengths-based communications.
• Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters.
• Self-starter, able to work independently, and enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite.
• Familiar with Adobe Creative Cloud services such as Illustrator + InDesign, social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram), WordPress, Search Engine Optimization, and email marketing software (e.g., MailChimp).

This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with an annual salary of $60,000 – $65,000, depending on experience. Generous personal leave and benefits package, including paid time off, paid sabbatical; health, vision, and dental insurance; 401k with a company match; and life and disability insurance. The successful candidate will have flexibility to work-from-home and will have office space in one of our locations in Pierce or King County. 

Criminal Background Check

Because this position has access to confidential client, employee, and financial information any final candidate hired into this position must successfully pass a criminal background check performed by the State of Washington. Any job offer is contingent on successfully passing this background check.  A list of disqualifying convictions for this position is available at https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/secretaryslist.pdf.

**Worksite information during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Currently, our offices are closed, except for a few key services that we provide, and our staff are largely working from home.  We are dedicated to maintaining a safe work environment with robust pandemic protocols, PPE supplies and ample space for our staff to work safely alone, if their position requires in-office work.