Brand Creative Content Writer

Second Harvest Heartland is the second-largest food bank in the United States, sourcing and delivering food to nearly 1,000 food shelves and food distribution partners throughout 59 counties across central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Our work begins with a bold vision: a community where no one goes hungry. We help fill plates, shelves, and fridges while shining a light on food insecurity and its root causes, inspiring action at home and across the country.

About the role

Join Second Harvest Heartland as a Brand Creative Content Writer. This position leads the development of brand-aligned storytelling and writing copy to support the organization’s strategic priorities, creating compelling stories that elevate hunger awareness and inspire audiences to take action. As part of the Creative team within the External Relations department, you will work closely alongside the Marketing and Communications teams.

The Brand Creative Content Writer serves as a strategic writing partner and subject matter expert, translating complex organizational goals, campaign priorities, program work, and community stories into clear, compelling content across channels. This role involves leading creative ideation, identifying storytelling opportunities, conducting interviews, writing and editing brand-aligned stories, and providing strategic writing guidance for special projects.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic steward of the organization’s voice, sharing ownership of the Editorial & Storytelling Style Guide and ensuring consistent adherence.
• Lead the identification of storytelling opportunities, support content capture and production, and conduct interviews with a broad range of individuals and communities.
• Develop, produce, and refine compelling stories for digital, email, and print to support organizational strategy and program work.
• Translate broad strategic goals, campaign objectives, and messaging priorities into strong, brand-aligned writing tailored to audience, purpose, and channel.
• Oversee the digital asset management (DAM) system, recommend improvements, and maintain content integrity for internal teams.
• Conduct regular content audits and recommend improvements to increase consistency, accessibility, reuse, and strategic alignment.
• Mine for stories across the organization and partner network to support annual plans and timely opportunities.
• Foster a culture of story scouting by guiding internal partners on ethical, audience-centered storytelling practices.
• Prepare and present content strategy recommendations and advise on content best practices.

Requirements

• 6-10 years of progressive experience, with experience leading content strategy or brand storytelling preferred.
• Demonstrated exceptional writing skills and ability to synthesize information from various sources into clear, persuasive content.
• Strong interviewing and listening skills, with the ability to connect with diverse audiences and capture content sensitively.
• Self-directed with sound judgment in balancing timelines, stakeholder needs, brand standards, and organizational priorities.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, able to organize plans, align stakeholders, and implement solutions.
• Effective communication skills, including presenting content and translating data into understandable insights.
• Experience working within the creative process, managing content development from concept to final implementation.
• Alignment with organizational values and a deep interest in mission-driven work.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Office365, with the ability to learn other software programs.
• Ability to work flexibly, efficiently, and enthusiastically in a fast-paced, high-demand environment.
• Strong editing skills and familiarity with AP stylebook.
• Experience in plain-language and accessible writing is a plus.
• Fluency in English and another language commonly spoken in Minnesota is a plus.

Values

• We Deliver: We use our head and heart to make decisions, maximize donor dollars, and achieve results safely and reliably.
• We Lead with Our Hearts: We keep our neighbors, partners, and teams at the center of our work, seeking to understand and anticipate their needs.
• We Are All in This Together: We collaborate internally and externally, communicate openly, and share knowledge.
• We Innovate: We seek bold new ideas, embrace change, and commit to continuous improvement.
• We Believe Our Differences Make Us Stronger: We value inclusion and embrace diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.