Associate, Digital Communications

Summary Job Description The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation’s largest independent foundations. The Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur invests in solving some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., revitalizing local news, expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, and strengthening the well-being of Native communities. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. The Foundation also maintains offices in Nigeria and India. The Communications team collaborates with program teams and other colleagues across the Foundation to create and implement strategic communications plans that enhance the impact of MacArthur’s work and the work of grantees. The team is responsible for the Foundation's strategic efforts to communicate with the press, public, and policymakers, including media relations, web and social media efforts, printed materials, and events. The team also provides communications support and advice to MacArthur’s leadership, staff, and grantees. Team members include the Vice President, Director; three Communications Officers, who lead program communications; Manager, Digital Communications; two Associates, respectively focused social media, and writing/research projects; Content Manager, Associate to the Vice President, Coordinator, and outside consultants/firms as needed. The Associate, Digital Communications ensures accurate, engaging, and impactful representation of the work of the Foundation and its grantees on social media and digital platforms; develops multimedia content; expands the Foundation’s digital footprint; and tracks web and social media analytics. Essential Duties And Responsibilities Builds and strengthens the Foundation’s presence, brand message, and voice on digital platforms by creating and curating content that engages our audiencesServes as a strategic partner to Communications Officers and Senior Communications Associate, by developing and implementing digital and social media content in support of executive communications, Foundation programs and grantee news, research, and reportsReflects program communications strategies, suggests and develops new content for MacArthur’s digital platforms, including copy, video, GIFs, photographs, etc. Cultivates a community of engaged followers on social mediaEngages audiences during virtual and in-person MacArthur and grantee events through the use of live tweeting, live video streaming, or collection of content to be posted at a later dateWrites creative briefs and defines content goals and objectives for initiativesCreates analytics reports to track social media engagement and outcomes for high-profile announcementsResearches new content formats and digital platforms to surface trends and cross-channel opportunities, including audience engagementCollaborates with Foundation teams, provides training, and advises Staff on best practices for sharing content on social mediaDevelops content for time-sensitive current events in collaboration with Communications team and public relations partners as neededCreates and executes paid media strategy, including billing setup, budget spend, media planning, and conversion trackingDevelops guidelines for exploring new platform adoption and existing platform exit or reprioritizationCollaborates with internal teams to update social media policy as neededHandles other responsibilities and projects as assigned Qualifications Four to seven years of professional experience in social media engagement and digital content creationExperience covering and curating live events on multiple platforms is preferredAn understanding of various social and digital media platforms and trends, preferably in the nonprofit sectorEffective writer and consistent proofreaderAdvanced photography and video skillsWell-developed organizational skills and attention to detailAble to juggle many projects simultaneously and under tight deadlinesCreative/entrepreneurial thinkingInterest in the work of the Foundation and its granteesPositive, “can-do” attitude and a willingness to do what is necessary to get the job done The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois. Annual salary for this role will start at $89,500. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and a comprehensive benefits package to support your life, health, and well-being. Work Environment and Reasonable Accommodations The work environment is an office setting. Requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable a person with disabilities to perform the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available during the interview process. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.