Associate Director of Strategic Communication

Oregon Food Bank (OFB) believes that no one should be hungry. Our mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. We believe that food and health are basic human rights for all. We know that hunger is not just an individual experience; it is also a community-wide symptom of systemic barriers to employment, education, housing and health care such as systemic racism, sexism, and cissexism. That’s why we work systemically to achieve our mission to end hunger: we foster community connections to help people access nutritious food, and we build community power and strengthen networks of support and the safety net to eliminate the root causes of hunger for good.

Oregon Food Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who can increase the diversity of our organization and strengthen our capacity to eliminate hunger. We believe strongly in the power of lived experience — and we actively seek individuals who have experienced hunger and its root causes to join our team. Our organization is stronger because of the leadership of people who have faced food insecurity in their own lives and/or hail from historically under-represented communities. Learn more about our commitment at oregonfoodbank.org/equity.

Who You Are:

Position Summary:

As the Associate Director of Strategic Communications Creative and Operations, you provide leadership across the department’s creative strategy and operational systems. You guide the vision, structure and execution of storytelling and brand initiatives while strengthening project management and workflow processes.

You directly supervise the Senior Video Producer, Graphic Designer, Multimedia Producer and Operations and Project Manager. You set priorities, support team performance and oversee workflow, budgeting and cross department collaboration to ensure high quality communications work that advances organizational goals.

Supervision

• Lead CROP (Creative and Operations) team within Strategic Communications including staff, interns and vendors

• Supervise Senior Video Producer, Graphic Designer, Multimedia Producer and Operations and Project Manager, setting clear expectations, roles, priorities and goals and ensuring follow through on timelines and quality standards
• Coach and develop staff to strengthen management, communication and problem solving skills and support professional growth

• Ensure alignment of team priorities with organizational strategy and Strategic Communications goals

Creative Leadership

• Lead and oversee written storytelling strategy, ensuring compelling narratives that center community voice and advance equity

• Oversee video production led by the Senior Video Producer from concept through final delivery
• Provide direction and feedback on graphic design, visual identity and creative concepts to ensure clarity, quality and brand alignment
• Review, approve and copy edit all CROP team projects to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with organizational priorities

• Assess creative capacity including staffing, tools and workflow and recommend improvements

Project Management and Operations

• Oversee department operations and project management systems supervising the Operations and Project Manager

• Serve as primary strategic relationship holder with Community Philanthropy, managing communication requests, clarifying scope and ensuring timely, high quality deliverables
• Lead annual work planning and budget development in partnership with the Director of Strategic Communications, the Associate Director of External Communications and Operations and Project manager
• Audit, update and implement department operating strategy, systems and guiding principles
• Participate fully in the org-wide Management Team and Associate Directors group to help develop leadership skills, team capacity and an equity-centered work culture
• Make strategic decisions regarding project prioritization, resource allocation, and workflow optimization across the department

• Identify, share, engage in, and collaboratively adjust and make necessary changes to this description of duties according to the inevitable evolution of the role over time.

  • Other related duties as assigned, consistent with the scope and level of this role

• Organizational-level responsibilities of exempt employees include:
  • To be an ambassador and a leader for OFB’s vision and mission, a cross-departmental collaborator, and an active contributor to building a movement to end hunger for good by addressing the root causes of hunger: systemic oppressions such as racism, xenophobia, sexism, and cisexism.
  • In consultation and coordination with the supervisor, actively contribute to:
    • cross-departmental efforts
    • work culture activities and programming
    • advisory and consultative groups such as the compensation committee, affinity groups, Equity Ambassadors, Equity Think Tank meetings, among others
    • plan and engage in professional development activities that strengthen your capacity for your specific role as well as your capacity to contribute and advance organizational goals, OFB’s vision and mission.

• Bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications, Media Studies, Arts, Business Administration or related field
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience building and leading diverse, mission-driven teams, including direct supervision of at least four staff concurrently. Experience preferred in nonprofit organizations, creative agencies, government entities, community-based organizations, advocacy initiatives, or political campaigns.
• At least (7) years of experience in equity-centered written storytelling, brand stewardship and multimedia production that advance narrative change efforts
• At least (5) years of experience coaching and supporting managers and staff in equity-centered environments
• Deep passion for eliminating hunger and its root causes.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, especially Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Premiere
• Track record of successful cross-department project management and collaboration in diverse, multi-faceted organizations — ideally within communications, marketing, development or advocacy settings
• Strong facilitation, team-building, and verbal and written communication skills
• Affinity for building and maintaining relationships with community members, direct reports, co-workers and fellow leaders — with an ability to deftly navigate complex personalities and organizational structures
• Ability to take initiative to lead in a creative, responsive and fast-paced culture.
• Organizational level skills and experience required for exempt employees include:
• Disposition and willingness to maximize multiple perspectives to innovate, problem solve and seek creative solutions.
• Experience in modeling intercultural competence and demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, collaborate, take initiative, and to maintain confidentiality.
• Project coordination and organization skills; ability to manage multiple projects with attention to detail; ability to handle interruptions, and produce timely, accurate work.
• Ability to both work independently and as part of a team; comfortable working in an office environment and offsite.
• Ability to thrive in a diverse, creative, responsive, mission-driven, and fast-paced work culture.
• Experience of successful multicultural immersion working and/or living within OFB's Equity Constituencies: BIPoC, Immigrants & Refugees, Single Mothers, Trans and Gender-Non-Conforming folx.
  • Multicultural Immersion defined as: Actively integrated in one or more communities, interacting with individuals and groups, and seeking to understand the diversities within and between communities by being there and engaging in daily life activities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Lived experience of food insecurity and/or the systemic inequities and oppression that drive hunger and poverty
• Understanding of and interest in the intersection of social service delivery, grassroots policy advocacy, and racial and economic justice
• Written and/or oral proficiency in any of the following languages: Arabic, Chuukese, Simplified or Traditional Chinese, French, Nepali, Russian, Samoan, S’Gaw Karen, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
• Awareness of current events and news in anti-hunger efforts, federal food assistance programs (SNAP, WIC, etc.) or general social service initiatives
• Familiarity with the political and policy landscape in the Pacific Northwest
• Organizational level preferred qualifications of exempt employees include:
  • Multilingual skills at a minimum professional level of proficiency or greater in English and any additional language/s, defined as being able to speak the languages with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical and professional topics.
  • Multicultural skills of adaptation and integration are strongly preferred.
    • Adaptation is defined as the capacity to communicate and interact with people of multiple cultures, backgrounds, and styles by incorporating and adapting to the world view and perspectives of others.
    • Integration is defined as being able to “code-switch” or move in and out of one's worldview and help others understand different cultures, backgrounds, and styles to promote diversity and inclusion.
  • Commitment to continued professional development to strengthen capacity to work through an equity lens for equity and racial justice.
  • Strong capacity to consider multiple perspectives, to pivot to respond to emerging needs and lead through organizational changes.
  • Years of successful multicultural immersion either working with and/or living within one or more of OFB’s Equity Constituencies at the time of hire. An additional step for at least 10 years above minimum required of successful multicultural immersion working with and/or living within one or more of OFB’s Equity Constituencies at the time of hire.
    • Multicultural Immersion defined as: Actively integrated in one or more communities, interacting with individuals and groups, and seeking to understand the diversities within and between communities by being there and engaging in daily life activities.

The Fine Print: