Communications Manager - Higher Ed

Organization Overview

As America approaches its 250th birthday, growing polarization threatens our national unity, democracy, and security. We can’t afford to wait—we must address this divisiveness now. To chart a peaceful path forward, we need citizens who are well-informed, productively engaged, and committed to democracy. Today’s 14-24-year-olds urgently need the civic knowledge and skills to solve the complex challenges our country faces. Yet, the institutions where they learn, work, and live are not fully equipped to provide them with the tools they need to become effective, collaborative citizens.

The mission of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars (“Citizens & Scholars”) is to cultivate talent, ideas, and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens. Our vision is a strong American democracy and a flourishing civil society where all people can thrive. We collaborate with leaders in higher education, business, and philanthropy to transform colleges, workplaces, and communities into hubs for civic development. In each of these spaces, we develop and implement programs that equip young people with the civic skills needed to address the divisive issues facing our country. Our offerings include co-designed programs, digital products, convenings, trainings, fellowships, and coalition networks – all with clear success metrics to measure real progress.

For the past 80 years, Citizens & Scholars has prepared leaders and engaged networks of people and organizations to meet urgent education challenges, helping to shape an informed, productively engaged, and committed citizenry. Formerly the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, we have forged stronger connections between K–12 and higher education and provided early funding for the work of 16 Nobel Laureates, 21 Pulitzer Prize winners, 27 Presidential and National Medalists, 44 MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipients, and more than 100 college presidents.

Today, under the leadership of its President, Rajiv Vinnakota, Citizens & Scholars is uniting the organization's legacy with a commitment to launch new civic learning ventures in and beyond education, building unlikely alliances to reimagine and recenter citizen development for young people.

Position Overview

Are you a talented storyteller with a passion for shaping narratives that drive positive change? We are seeking a dynamic Communications Manager to join our team at the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. As the Communications Manager, you will play a crucial role in advancing our organization's voice and presence in the civic, democracy, and education fields.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing & Design and collaborating closely with the Chief Communications Officer and the marketing & communications team, you will have the primary responsibility of developing content strategies and crafting compelling messages that promote the civic health of our country.

Essence of the Position & Responsibilities

Content Strategy and Development:

• Create, curate, and produce engaging website content, including program messaging, thought leadership pieces, impact storytelling, marketing and fundraising messages, and organization collateral.
• Serve as the editor and content lead for our print, digital, and social media materials, working alongside our marketing associate to effectively reach target audiences.
• Partner with the communications, development, and program teams to establish and maintain an effective editorial calendar and content strategy that aligns with team and organizational goals.

Narrative Integration:

• Translate our civic research and analysis into accessible narratives, framing, talking points, and key messages for our program officers.

Brand Management and Content Curation:

• Ensure adherence to brand style guidelines and maintain editorial fidelity across all Citizens & Scholars platforms, including our website, social and digital media channels, newsletters, print publications, and other collateral.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive content library, including multimedia assets and resources, while managing web and print production. Develop a content bank of audio, visual, and written assets.

Collaboration and Deployment:

• Collaborate with our marketing associate and other team members to effectively deploy and disseminate marketing, external relations, fundraising, and program communications.
• Performs other duties as assigned in support of C&Sinitiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field (or equivalent work experience). 8+ years of experience in content strategy, editorial management, or strategic communications.
• Demonstrated experience with audience development and recruitment marketing, particularly in a nonprofit, higher education, or mission-driven setting.
• Strong familiarity with higher education systems and trends, particularly around equity, student success, and institutional change.
• Proven experience managing external vendors, freelancers, and consultants, with strong project management and editorial oversight.
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and editing skills tailored to varied audiences—including academics, policy experts, students, and donors.
• Proficiency in content management systems (e.g., WordPress), email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp), and design tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite).
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments, including PR, programs, fundraising, and leadership.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with a commitment to quality and detail.

Attributes

• Mission-oriented and outcomes-driven. You are committed to and hold a strong belief in the mission of Citizens & Scholars. You know that the future of the organization relies on your achieving your goals. This responsibility excites you.
• Strong task management and execution skills. You are strategic, thoughtful, and resourceful. You collaborate with colleagues to advance stakeholder relationships to maximize the benefit to the organization and the individual. You share information, coordinate effectively, and carry out responsibilities effectively and efficiently.
• Highly relationship oriented. You support relationships across all levels of the organization and with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
• Judgment. You can make decisions with the data available; you are also able to understand when it is necessary to have help or insights in advance of making a decision.
• Strong communicator. You possess exceptional written communication skills. You write clearly and succinctly and easily adjust to different communication settings and styles.

Our Core Values

• We are constantly learning and improving. We test and refine new ideas and learn from our mistakes. We dare to question old solutions. We seek opportunities to collaborate with our diverse team; different backgrounds, skill sets, and thinking styles give us valuable new perspectives. We share knowledge and insights with each other to help us grow as individuals and as an organization.
• We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all. We believe that we are stronger for our differences, and we acknowledge, respect, and appreciate them. We actively work with and learn from everyone—across all demographics, backgrounds, ideologies, and geographies. We identify areas where we differ and, for the good of the organization and each other, we explore and engage with differing perspectives.
• We are gracious and grateful in all that we do. We invest in our relationships with warmth and a sense of humor. We express gratitude to all our colleagues and stakeholders. While we strive for excellence, we recognize that no one is perfect. We give others the benefit of the doubt and act with kindness and integrity.

We are attentive and intentional. We are aware of the needs of the world and those around us so that our work has a real impact. Our work is mission-driven and we know the “whys”—both large and small—behind what we do. Recognizing that details matter, we are equally co