Director of Marketing and Communications

Chicago, IL

Full Time

Communications

Senior Manager/Supervisor

The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights invites applications for the full time Director of Communications and Marketing position to be based in any of our Young Center Offices. This leadership position plays a vital role in shaping and amplifying the Young Center’s public presence and impact.

Reporting to the Chief Development and External Affairs Officer, the Director will lead the organization’s communications and marketing strategy to elevate our brand, support fundraising and advocacy efforts, and engage key audiences. The role combines strategic vision with hands on execution to deliver clear, consistent, and compelling messaging across all platforms.

The ideal candidate brings exceptional writing skills, a strong background in communications or marketing, and a deep commitment to advancing justice for immigrant children. With a focus on storytelling, media relations, and audience engagement, the Director will ensure the Young Center’s voice resonates with stakeholders, donors, and the broader public.

ABOUT THE YOUNG CENTER

The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights is a national organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights and best interests—safety and well-being—of immigrant children in the United States. The Young Center’s Child Advocate Program (CAP) serves as the federally-appointed bests interests representative for unaccompanied and separated immigrant children in federal custody. Through CAP’s state initiative, we also serve and are appointed by the Superior Courts of New Jersey as independent Child Advocates to children released from federal custody into the New Jersey community. Child Advocates meet with children and learn their stories in order to identify and advocate for their best interests through an interdisciplinary, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive lens. The Young Center’s Policy Program fights for wholesale reform of the immigration system while pursuing immediate changes in policy and practice that center children’s rights and best interests in all decisions. The Technical Assistance Program, the Young Center’s newest program, offers intersectional expertise and critical resources to advocates and service providers working with immigrant children involved in child welfare and other state court systems.

The Young Center has offices in Houston, San Antonio, and Harlingen, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. We also serve children through our programs in New Jersey.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Communication Strategy

Design, execute, and assess a comprehensive annual communications and marketing strategy that aligns with the Young Center’s mission, organizational goals, and strategic priorities.

Strengthen and evolve the Young Center’s brand by ensuring consistent, mission-driven messaging across all communication channels and platforms.

Lead the organization’s storytelling initiatives by serving as editorial lead, producing compelling content that supports fundraising, advances narrative strategy, and communicates impact.

Partner with cross-functional teams to create and implement a proactive content calendar aligned with organizational goals, fundraising initiative, and advocacy priorities.

Digital and Print Marketing

Direct the creation, execution, and performance of print and digital communications, including newsletters, branded materials, and paid or earned media campaigns across key channels.

Ensure consistent application of the Young Center’s brand identity across all materials and channels by developing, maintaining, and enforcing comprehensive brand guidelines, voice and tone standards, and style documentation.

Manage the organization’s website, digital storytelling efforts, and analytics to enhance user engagement and drive conversion.

Lead the Young center’s social media strategy, overseeing ethical storytelling and the creation of advocacy driven content.

Supervise video production and photography to enhance storytelling, support fundraising campaigns, drive media outreach, and amplify digital and policy advocacy efforts.

Public Relations and Media Strategy

Lead media relations by cultivating and managing relationships with local and national outlets to elevate the Young Center’s visibility and thought leadership among funders, donors, community partners, policymakers, constituents, and the public.

Identify and develop opportunities for feature stories, interviews, presentations, and other public relations efforts that showcase the Young Center’s mission, programs, impact, and leadership.

Act as a strategic advisor to program staff and leadership on messaging for public facing initiatives, ensuring alignment with the organization’s voice and goals.

Donor and Advocacy Alignment

Collaborate with teams across development, programs, and leadership to align communications strategy with the Young Center’s fundraising programmatic, and advocacy objectives.

Support fundraising initiatives by crafting tailored storytelling, campaign communications, and donor stewardship messaging that inspire engagement and giving.

Integrate stories of program impact and donor contributions into multichannel communications strategies to deepen engagement and demonstrate mission alignment.

Collaborate with program teams to effectively communicate the Young Center’s legislative agenda and advocacy priorities to key audiences.

Rapid Response Communications

Develop, implement, and maintain the Young Center’s rapid response communications plan to ensure timely, coordinated messaging during urgent or high-impact moments.

Lead rapid response efforts and coordinate messaging during urgent, sensitive, or high-profile situations to ensure clarity, consistency and alignment with organizational values.

Collaborate with senior leadership to develop strategic responses to emerging issues that may affect the Young Center’s service population, stakeholders, reputation, or community presence.

Budget and Team Leadership

In collaboration with the finance team, develop and manage the communications and marketing budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to support strategic initiatives.

Lead and supervise the Communications team, providing guidance, support, and professional development to ensure successful execution of communication strategies.

Foster a collaborative and flexible work environment, offering support to staff as needed to ensure the success of team initiatives.

Organize and lead regular meetings for the Communications Team to ensure alignment, progress tracking, and effective collaboration.

Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS

8+ years of related experience in communications, marketing, public relations or a related field.

Proven experience in creating and executing integrated communication strategies that enhance brand visibility and support organizational objectives.

Expertise in content strategy, digital communications, and media relations.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, Adobe Creative Suite, and ability to quickly learn recent technology and/or platforms.

Strong editorial judgment across formats and audiences.

Exceptional skills in writing, editing, and verbal communications.

Experience developing contracts for and overseeing contractors/vendors’ work (e.g., videographers, web developers, media trainers).

Experience in creating and working with internal teams to implement strategic communication or marketing plans.

Demonstrated problem solving, analysis, information gathering and monitoring skills.

Resourceful and collaborative team player, with the flexibility to respond to changing priorities.

Very strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, with a proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion and tact.

Self-starter who takes ownership of work and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Demonstrated understanding of anti-racism, anti-oppression and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Collaborative, mission-driven communicator who can work across teams to lift participant and community voices.

Detail-oriented project manager with ability to juggle multiple priorities in fast-paced environment.

Strategic thinker who brings fresh perspective and respects organizational culture while identifying opportunities to elevate the Young Center’s voice and visibility.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or other related field preferred.

Understanding of legal systems- through lived, volunteer, or professional experience.

Experience—lived, volunteer, or professional—with immigration matters.

Demonstrated success advancing an organization’s presence on social media and in traditional and/or evolving sources of news (print, radio, web, podcasts).

Comfort with or willingness to speak or present to interested groups and speak with the media or press.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Physical demands include regular attendance, keyboarding, sitting for long periods (at least 5 hours a day), driving. Ability to use computer, telephone, and copy machine. Ability to travel by plane, car and other conveyances within U.S. Occasional lifting for event setup/preparation.

APPLICATION DETAILS

The Young Center is an "at-will" and equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in and affirmatively factors diversity into its hiring practices. Young Center encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, marital or parental status, pregnancy, citizenship, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, genetic information, or veterans’ status. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process; no applicant will be penalized for requesting an accommodation. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Salary:

$138,478 to $169,125 is the standard new hire range for this position ($152,325-$186,038 for those residing in the Los Angeles and DC metropolitan areas; $159,249-$194,494 for those residing in the NYC metropolitan area). Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location and experience. The Young Center does not ask for prior pay history from our candidates and our offer-making process is negotiation-free for salaries and benefits. We offer our best possible salary based on relevant experience. The range listed is just one component of the Young Center’s total compensation package for employees. The Young Center provides excellent benefits, including health/dental/vision insurance (employee & dependents) at no cost to the employee, paid vacation, sick time, and a 401(k) plan with employer match.

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please apply on the Young Center website with a cover letter, resume and three references. Only complete applications will be considered.

To learn more about the Young Center’s work, please visit www.TheYoungCenter.org.

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