VP Marketing and Communications

About the role

Self-Help is seeking a Vice President of Marketing & Communication to join our team in Durham, NC or Chicago, IL. This role serves as Team Leader and oversees the planning, coordination, and implementation of strategic communications and marketing programs to increase awareness and support for Self-Help’s work among internal and external audiences. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, the VP supervises three directors and provides vision, leadership, and strategic direction for Self-Help’s communications and marketing staff and operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision, leadership, and strategic direction for Self-Help’s communications and marketing staff and operations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, business teams, and key stakeholders, providing strategic counsel to senior leadership to determine marketing and communications goals.
• Oversee the creation and execution of public relations, marketing, and communications strategies to build and protect Self-Help’s brand.
• Influence positive behaviors, drive change, and promote a strong sense of membership/community through coordinated, consistent messaging strategies.
• Lead organization-wide and line-of-service-specific online and offline channel campaigns to support business goals (e.g., membership growth, consumer lending, deposit growth, commercial lending, real estate development, mortgage lending).
• Develop a positive working relationship with key internal stakeholders and a deep understanding of business goals.
• Deliver campaigns that drive results, measure and report outcomes, and manage campaign budgets, spend, and effectiveness.
• Develop public relations strategies focused on key business priorities and build public awareness campaigns that reflect Self-Help’s brand.
• Oversee proactive communications, marketing, and media relations strategies to increase owned, earned, and paid media coverage.
• Leverage traditional media and digital/emerging technologies for influencer outreach.
• Establish and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, creating strong partnerships with multiple internal teams and leaders.
• Work closely with external-facing teams (e.g., member services, development, policy, Human Resources, sustainability, real estate development) to ensure seamless alignment of brand and tone in all external messaging.
• Enhance Self-Help’s public websites to drive traffic, generate leads, and increase repeat visitors.
• Evaluate online marketing performance and lead the marketing team in creating an excellent web and social media presence.
• Support or lead efforts to measure credit union quality of service, member attitudes, and feedback through Net Promoter Score (NPS) or other tools.
• Remain current on laws and regulations affecting marketing to ensure compliance in marketing pieces, disclosures, and websites.
• Stay at the forefront of trends and market forces in credit unions and financial services.
• Establish and monitor the annual marketing budget to maximize cost-effective operations and manage vendor contracts for preferable pricing and service levels.
• Provide thought leadership for marketing automation and third-party vendor use.
• Lead the continuous development of Self-Help’s brand and voice to build awareness, uniqueness, relevance, and reputation among target consumers.
• Develop, maintain, and ensure adherence to brand guidelines across all activities and marketing channels.
• Expand Self-Help’s social media dialogue with key influencers and audiences, monitor trends, and analyze results to drive continuous improvement.
• Oversee internal communications efforts to build trust and connection with employees through innovative approaches and high-quality storytelling.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Economics, Business, or a related area.
• 8+ years of experience in marketing, public relations, and program leadership with a proven track record in managing functions such as brand management, customer marketing, digital marketing, creative services, public relations, and external communications.
• 5+ years of successful experience leading high-performance, cross-functional teams, with responsibility for direct reports in the last three years.
• Hands-on experience with CRM and SEO tools like Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc.
• Experience with remote reporting relationships.
• Public relations accreditation (APR) preferred.
• Excellent face-to-face, written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Strong communicator and motivator with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse group of people.
• Thorough understanding of research and communications messaging.
• Ability to effectively run a multi-faceted, dynamic marketing department of a mid- to large-size financial institution.
• Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate the achievement of goals, objectives, and work plans.
• Clear understanding of systemic inequality and how it relates to Self-Help’s work.
• Strong understanding of the marketing continuum and experience in digital, retail, and traditional marketing, including data and social media best practices.
• Excellent leadership skills with a proven ability to lead, motivate, and supervise employees, as well as a hands-on approach as a working manager.
• Good judgment with the ability to navigate complexity, change, and nuance.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, with strong public relations knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their audiences.
• Ability to develop and manage budgets, balance multiple priorities, meet tight timelines, and work effectively.
• Experience managing third-party vendor and agency relationships.
• Leadership style that reflects and reinforces Self-Help's core values:
  • Mission Before Self
  • Service With Excellence
  • Embracing & Promoting Change
  • Results Not Credit
  • Diversity as a Strength
  • Financial Sustainability for Mission Impact

Physical Requirements

• Close vision is required.
• Regularly required to sit; talk and hear; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• Frequently required to type and use a keyboard.
• Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 20 to 40 pounds.