Communications and Data Specialist

About the Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an early to mid-career professional to support the communications and fundraising needs of a dynamic statewide nonprofit that expands economic opportunity for Rhode Islanders through registered apprenticeship.

This is a full-time role reporting to the Communications Director and working collaboratively within the External Relations team and across the organization. This position entails opportunities to advance for the right candidate; the starting salary range is $65,000-75,000 with a comprehensive benefits package that includes life insurance, health insurance, 401(k) match, generous vacation, sick, and holiday leave.

About Building Futures

Building Futures was founded in 2007 as a construction industry partnership focused on leveraging the Registered Apprenticeship model of workforce development. For over 100 years, unions and employers have jointly operated quality registered apprenticeships in construction occupations to train individuals as highly skilled tradespeople. Our work spans three distinct but highly aligned areas.

For the benefit of low-income Rhode Islanders, Building Futures developed and operates a comprehensive pre-apprenticeship program to prepare diverse, low-income men and women for success in employment as registered apprentices in the building trades. In addition, we work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure construction projects provide employment opportunities for apprentices at the appropriate level to meet future demand for skilled labor through our Apprentice Utilization Program. Our pre-apprenticeship and apprentice utilization program provide an effective workforce development system in Rhode Island’s construction sector.

From this foundation, we have established Apprenticeship Rhode Island, an initiative to expand the use of Registered Apprenticeship beyond the construction sector. Now, we are helping develop new registered apprenticeship programs in multiple sectors, including healthcare, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and marine trades. Working with employers, industry partnerships, government, and community-based organizations, we are spreading the proven model of Registered Apprenticeship to benefit the state’s workforce and economy.

Position Details

The external relations team is Building Futures’ home for recruitment, data integrity, and creative services, with a focus on programmatic and organizational partnerships, priorities, fundraising, and communications strategies.

Under the direction of the Communications Director, the Communications and Data Specialist helps design, drive, and implement a data-driven narrative about Building Futures’ programmatic work and impact to potential program participants, program graduates, employer partners, stakeholders, funders, donors, and general public audiences. This is a newly created position in the organization with and will impact the breadth and reach of Building Futures’ communications in support of programmatic and fundraising priorities.

The Communications and Data Specialist will provide expertise in implementing Building Futures’ communications strategy, including by coordinating thoughtful, data-driven, curated content across Building Futures’ email, web, and social media channels that promote organizational priorities, boost engagement, and expand targeted audiences and subscribers; regularly updating and maintaining contact databases; supporting training program data maintenance and integrity and reporting on programmatic outcomes; collaborating across teams to offer creative services (online and print); and supporting special events. The Communications and Data Specialist will also support Building Futures’ earned media strategy, coordinating with journalists and prepping staff and program participants for interviews, and will support coordination of creative contractors as needed.

Responsibilities

• Create data- and program-driven content for email program, website, and social media channels, including formatting of content based on each social media platform, and managing visual identities across multiple platforms.
• Develop strategies to build an audience, grow mission and program awareness, expand the reach, and increase engagement across social, email, and website platforms, including evaluating new platforms and launching/managing new accounts.
• Track performance   on email, social media, and website including visits, impressions, reach, followers, click-through rates, shares, open-rates, unsubscribes, and sign-ups.
• Support development of and maintain content calendar for email, website, and social accounts.  
• Maintain fundraising and communications customer relationship management database and support structural integrity to ensure messaging reaches targeted audiences.
• Maintain program alumni mass texting software.
• Effectively collaborate with multiple departments to support communications needs that maintain brand integrity, including developing program collateral (print, social, and web based), presentation materials, supporting internal communications, and coordinating creative contractor services as needed.
• Coordinate program database reporting and maintenance, as a primary tool to contact and engage program alumni and to report on programmatic milestones for online content, organizational communications, and funders.
• Manage the organization’s photo library and other digital assets.
• Support major donor, partner, and individual donor fundraising via content creation and design and providing administrative support as needed.
• Support special events planning and execution as needed.
• Support staff, leaders, and program participants/alumni to prepare for public speaking and media engagements and support earned media strategy as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Alignment and commitment to our organizational mission is essential: our mission is to meet employer need for skilled workers through Registered Apprenticeship, creating equitable paths to family-sustaining careers for Rhode Islanders.

Successful applicants will have:

• 2-5 years’ experience in a similar position in the nonprofit sector, or with a government organization, academic institution, or union preferred.
• Experience with and understanding of issues impacting low-income residents.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, including a demonstrated ability to convey complex ideas in a straightforward and persuasive manner across multiple platforms (email, web, social media, print publications).
• Strong data analytical skills including data management, fundamental statistical analysis, and data interpretation skills.  
• Experience creating compelling and engaging digital content.
• High computer fluency, including:  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, with intermediate to advanced Excel skills.
• Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X experience.
• CRM data management experience.
• Experience working with mass email marketing software and best practices.
• At least basic skills with Adobe Creative Suite programs, especially, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, with a willingness to develop proficiency.
• Basic HTML and website publishing skills (especially WordPress) or a willingness to learn a plus.
• Experience with Microsoft Access and/or Visual Basic for Applications a plus.
• Photography, video creation/editing a plus.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and lead by example.
• Strong willingness to develop new skills via professional development and on the job learning as needed.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple competing tasks and activities.

Additional Information

Building Futures is located in the Valley neighborhood of Providence, RI.

Building Futures is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming candidates, people with disabilities, and people of other diverse backgrounds and experiences are strongly encouraged to apply.

This is a full-time role reporting to the Communications Director and working collaboratively within the External Relations team and across the organization. This position entails opportunities to advance for the right candidate; the starting salary range is $65,000-75,000 with a comprehensive benefits package that includes life insurance, health insurance, 401(k) match, generous vacation, sick, and holiday leave.