Regional Communications Manager

American Red Cross • Minneapolis, MN

19h • $62,960 - $69,256 • Hybrid

About The Position

Joining The American Red Cross is like nothing else – it’s as much something you feel as something you do. You become a vital part of the world’s largest humanitarian network. Joining a team of welcoming individuals who are exceptional, yet unassuming. Diverse, yet uncompromising in unity. You grow your career within a movement that matters, where success is measured in people helped, communities made whole, and individuals equipped to never stop changing lives and situations for the better. When you choose to be a force for good, you’ll have mentors who empower your growth along a purposeful career path. You align your life’s work with an ongoing mission that’s bigger than all of us. As you care for others, you’re cared for with competitive compensation and benefits. You join a community that respects who you are away from work as much as what you do while at work. Where Your Career is a Force for Good! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Job Overview): The Regional Communications Manager plays a key role in connecting people to the American Red Cross mission and services across the region. Through strategic communications, media relations, digital engagement and storytelling, this position helps advance regional priorities, increase public understanding and engagement, and ensure communities know how to access Red Cross support when it matters most. The role supports all Lines of Service and functional areas through integrated, people-centered communications. Working closely with program and functional leaders across the organization, the Regional Communications Manager provides communications and marketing support while also supporting, developing and guiding volunteers. This role spans both ongoing (“blue sky”) communications and disaster public affairs, requiring sound judgment, collaboration and calm decision-making in fast-moving, emotionally complex environments. All duties are performed in a manner consistent with the Fundamental Principles of the American Red Cross, and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations. This role is not eligible for relocation assistance. This hybrid position is based out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN metro area and requires a willingness to travel throughout the region and as assigned.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field required.
• Experience: Minimum 3 years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Management Experience: N/A
• Skills & Abilities: Good understanding of role and industry, apply specialized knowledge. Analyze possible solutions using standard procedures. Outstanding oral and written communication skills required, with proven knowledge of AP Style. Demonstrate effective critical thinking and strategic planning. Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills. Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite. Familiarity with Cision/TrendKite or other media monitoring software. Demonstrated experience managing professional social media platforms for an organization is required. Must be comfortable using website content management systems and other marketing tools. Willingness to serve as a media spokesperson required; experience as a spokesperson preferred. Strong teamwork and collaboration required. Ability to work on a team
• Travel: May require 10% - 25% travel.
• Combination of candidate’s education and general experience satisfies requirements so long as the total years equate to description’s minimum education and general experience years combined (Management experience cannot be substituted).
• Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 15 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth, perception, and ability to adjust focus. The work environment will consist of moderate noise (i.e. business office with computers, phones and printers, light traffic). The employee must have the ability to work in a small cubicle and have the ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in fast paced, deadline driven environments; experience in nonprofit, disaster response, or volunteer-based organizations is strongly preferred.
• Prior spokesperson or crisis communications experience is preferred.
• Strong preference for candidates who have established relationships with local and regional media outlets.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Media Relations Work with regional communications director, regional executive, executive director and others to execute determined media relations strategy, including maintaining excellent media contact relationships, news release writing and distributions, pitching, etc. Respond to local media inquiries by arranging interviews and providing Red Cross-approved information and mission-related stories with sound judgment and timeliness. Serve as a Red Cross spokesperson, train and prepare staff and volunteer spokespersons, review support requests, and develop and execute an effective communications strategy.
• Public Affairs and Crisis Communications Support regional, divisional, and potentially national disaster public affairs activities. Provide training, development, and coordination of disaster public affairs volunteers. Contribute to crisis communications planning, messaging, and execution during emergencies. May be required to deploy in person or virtually to support disaster response operations outside the home region.
• Social Engagement Implement a regional social media engagement strategy aligned with enterprise-wide strategy and regional priorities. Develop creative, engaging, platform- and audience-specific content that encourages participation, strengthens community partnerships, and furthers the mission. Monitor and respond to social media activity as appropriate, escalating issues when necessary.
• Marketing Support Support integrated marketing and program campaigns across all Lines of Service and functional support departments. Collaborate with Development, Marketing, and Regional Financial Development partners to deliver clear, engaging communications that motivate people to give, get involved, and take meaningful action. Encourage staff to be trained on and use approved brand tools and resources.
• Internal Communications Support development and execution of strategic and change-management communications.
• Volunteer Engagement Support the Regional Communications Director in building, engaging, training and supervising a regional communications and disaster public affairs volunteer team.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental Vision plans
• Health Spending Accounts & Flexible Spending Accounts
• PTO: Starting 15 days a year; based on type of job and tenure
• Holidays: 11 paid holidays comprised of six core holidays and five floating holidays
• 401K with up to 6% match
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance
• Disability and Insurance: Short + Long Term
• Service Awards and recognition

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level