Director of Communications and Brand

About the role

The Director of Communications & Brand provides strategic leadership for GEDP’s communications, brand, and content function. As the senior editorial, creative, and communications voice, the Director shapes the organization’s narrative, stewards its visual and editorial identity, and ensures that GEDP’s work and impact are communicated clearly and compellingly to every audience. The role supervises a Lead Designer and a Content & Social Media Manager, providing hands‑on creative direction, editorial oversight, and day‑to‑day management. The Director also serves as the primary liaison to external communications, marketing, brand, and creative agency partners and will guide GEDP through a period of significant growth, an organizational rebrand, a capital campaign, and a destination‑marketing effort with the City of Easton.

Responsibilities

• Brand Strategy & Organizational Narrative: Lead an organization‑wide rebrand in collaboration with the Executive Director, board, and external partners; serve as the primary staff liaison to the destination‑marketing firm; develop and steward brand standards, tone of voice, and messaging architecture across all programs and sub‑brands; champion intentional, human‑centered design and resist generic or AI‑inflated output; articulate GEDP’s and Easton’s identity to residents, visitors, investors, and funders.
• Creative Direction & Team Leadership: Provide active, hands‑on art direction to the Lead Designer throughout the creative process; set editorial direction for the Content & Social Media Manager, approve strategy, and review key content; directly supervise both reports with clear expectations, regular feedback, professional development, and workload management; implement and enforce a marketing intake and triage process; establish and maintain operational systems (project‑management workflows, content calendars, asset libraries, platform administration); manage the marketing and communications budget with transparency and collaborate on vendor and platform decisions.
• Capital Campaign & Advancement Communications: Partner with senior leadership and fundraising counsel to develop the case for support, campaign narrative, and donor‑facing materials; draft and edit grant proposals, reports, and funder communications; support sponsorship outreach and corporate partnership communications; develop communications strategy for major announcements, capital‑project milestones, and institutional moments.
• Editorial & Content Oversight: Set editorial direction and content strategy across website, email, social media, print, and press; oversee GEDP’s full content ecosystem, including program‑specific channels (Easton Public Market, Easton Farmers’ Market, West Ward Community Initiative, Easton Garden Works, etc.); review and edit high‑stakes content such as press releases and grant narratives; develop and maintain a content calendar and production workflow; oversee direct communications platforms (SMS, email marketing) to ensure strategic deployment.
• Paid Media, Campaign Planning & Asset Management: Recommend paid‑media investments (billboards, paid social, print, radio, digital) with audience rationale, budget, and expected return; lead marketing‑strategy conversations with program and event managers and translate them into defined deliverables and budgets; maintain rotation of standing placements and ensure timely creative updates; track marketing spend against budget and report on performance.
• Media Relations & Public Affairs: Cultivate relationships with regional media, journalists, and content creators; proactively pitch stories that elevate GEDP’s profile and Easton’s reputation; serve as organizational spokesperson or prepare the Executive Director for media engagements; support government and civic communications, including presentations and public reports.
• Cross‑Departmental Collaboration: Act as a service partner to program and event managers across all GEDP initiatives; retain and act on information and direction from staff without requiring repetition; steward each program’s established voice when editing or producing content; follow platform‑specific and campaign‑specific direction and raise disagreements directly; surface capacity conflicts and competing priorities early to the Executive Director.
• Events & Organizational Presence: Attend signature GEDP events (PA Bacon Fest, Easton Criterium, Heritage Day, Easton Winter Village, Live at the Falls, Rosé on the River, etc.) as a leader, creative director, and brand steward; ensure brand standards are upheld on the ground and maximize content opportunities; support Easton Public Market programming events (Acoustic Kitchen, Sunday Sounds, Plaza Parties) with communications and content strategy; model flexible, mission‑driven availability for evening and weekend events as required.