COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Status: Part-time (.3-.5 full-time equivalent), salaried position

Location: Remote (US-based required)

Compensation:  $60,000 - $64,000 (full-time equivalent) commensurate with experience, 36 days PTO (20 flexible and 16 federal holidays and adjacent days), contribution to a health reimbursement account and 401k 

Application deadline: The application deadline is 11.59pm PST on April 21, 2023. We will begin screening and interviewing candidates on a rolling basis.

SUMMARY

Cooperatives for a Better World (dba Start.coop) is wholly dedicated to building an economy that shares prosperity among the many, not just the few. We envision a US economy in which cooperative businesses thrive and lead by example across all sectors of the economy, transforming what it means to be a worker and a consumer, redefining who is rewarded for the value they create in our economy, and reducing the racial wealth gap.

Our focus is on cultivating the next generation of transformative cooperative businesses at scale and we do this by:

  1. Growing the entrepreneur pipeline and strengthening the cooperative ecosystem

  2. Equipping cooperative entrepreneurs with the skills and tools for success

  3. Connecting cooperative businesses with the capital they need to thrive

Since our founding, we have accelerated 27 start-ups including The Driver’s Cooperative which recently became the US’s largest worker cooperative and Savvy Cooperative which was the first cooperative to receive VC funding, we have developed and spun out a $2m equity fund for shared ownership, we have raised over $2m in philanthropic funding, and have generated significant national press coverage. And we’re just getting started.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Help us grow from a startup nonprofit to a robust and thriving ecosystem leader. Since launching in 2019, Start.coop has grown from a single staff person and a first cohort of 6 cooperative startups to a 6-person team supporting 27 graduates and 100s of other cooperative entrepreneurs across the U.S and Canada and around the globe. 

As we significantly expand the support and services we offer to our graduates and the larger community, we need to build a sustainable funding pipeline and share the story of cooperative entrepreneurship with a variety of different stakeholders. We are looking for a strategic and effective communicator to join our team and share our story with grantmakers, entrepreneurs, members of the startup community, the press, and the general public. This role offers the opportunity for a early- to mid-career development and communications professional to create and build in a growing organization.

Some of the responsibilities for this position include:

  • Participate in the development of a comprehensive communications strategy that aligns with Start.coop’s organization's mission, values, and goals

  • Implement and monitor the effectiveness of the comms strategy

  • Build and grow an engaged audience using a multi-channel approach, including:

    • Create engaging social media content

    • Manage the organization's website, including content creation, updates, and maintenance

    • Create and execute email campaigns and newsletters to keep supporters and stakeholders informed about our work and impact

    • Develop and manage relationships with media outlets and journalists to secure media coverage for our organization's work and our accelerator graduates

  • Track and analyze media coverage and social media metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of our communications efforts and adjust strategies as needed

YOUR BACKGROUND

  • You have strong writing skills and are able to infuse humor and lightheartedness into communications assets 

  • You are a skilled storyteller and are attuned to the differing ways in which diverse audiences may react to a story 

  • You have experience implementing communications strategies across multiple platforms, including social media, email, website, and traditional media

  • You have experience using social media & web development tools including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Squarespace.

  • You demonstrate independence and initiative in helping grow small, impact-focused organizations

  • You enjoy problem-solving and challenges, able to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available, not afraid to take charge of a situation

  • You are thoughtful and eager to learn new things, adept at designing your learning journey, and take agency in finding the resources, coaches and answers you need to master new subject matters, or new ways of working and collaborating

  • Knowledge and familiarity with racial equity principles and recognition of ways race and other identities intersect in the work; experience advancing policy and process changes to operationalize equity; and self-awareness and emotional intelligence to hear, reflect, act on, and learn from feedback regarding identity and equity

  • You possess cultural competence and have experience collaborating with diverse, international and/or intersectional communities, and have a demonstrated commitment to inclusive, equitable practices

  • You’ve been there, done that in the world of remote work: you have experience and are comfortable working remotely and across different time zones with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders

OUR TEAM

We’re a small, remote and tightly-knit team. This role will involve working with the following people:

  • Start.coop’s Executive Director, Jessica Mason

  • Start.coop’s Co-Director, Greg Brodsky

  • Start.coop’s Accelerator Lead, Katie Michels

  • Start.coop’s Entrepreneurship & Community Lead, Shantae J. Edwards

  • Start.coop’s Project & Operations Manager, Mica FIsher

  • Start.coop’s Innovation & Consulting Lead, Carmen Perkins 

  • Our amazing alumni 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

Ours is a diverse community that values the unique perspectives and experiences each member brings to the table. We endeavor to create a community and space in which everyone, and particularly our BIPOC and LGBTQ community members, can show up as their true selves, and in which we can have brave, tough conversations in addition to the fun ones. Together, we engage in critical dialogue through conscious questioning and active listening, and we work to address systemic racism and the root causes of inequality.  We want our team to reflect the wide diversity of our community and we strongly encourage BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and candidates of different abilities to apply. 

BENEFITS

  • Remote work

  • Flexible hours

  • 20 days PTO per year and PTO for 16 federal holidays and adjacent days

  • Contributions to a Health Reimbursement Account

  • Contributions to a 401k

APPLY

We are excited to receive your application. Please apply through this link and make sure to upload your resume and a writing sample.

Note: We’re committed to finding the best people to expand both development and communications capacity in our growing organization. We recognize that amazing candidates might not have experience in both fields. To increase opportunity for candidates to bring their talent to Start.coop, we have also posted Development & Communications Manager and Development Manager roles.