Senior Director Of Communications and Marketing

Position Title: Senior Director of Communications & Marketing

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Classification: Full-time | Exempt

Schedule: Generally Monday through Friday, typically 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Work days and hours may shift depending on scheduling needs. Occasional evening and weekend work is required for press moments, community crises, signature events, and key program activities. The Center currently operates under a hybrid schedule, and this position must be on-site at The Center a minimum of three days per week. On-site days can shift depending on work needs.

About The Center

Since its founding in 1983, The LGBT Community Center (The Center) has been a place of hope and a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community in New York. The Center is today, as it was then, a place of safety, connection, activism, and joy.

The Center is a welcoming and inclusive space that offers a comprehensive array of services, both in-person and online. Each year over 200,000 people come through The Center's doors to participate in a range of programs and activities, with 400 different groups regularly meeting at The Center, as well as numerous special events. It also provides safe, nonjudgmental space for people to gather without programming, in the garden, the cafe, and the Cyber Center. The Center provides family and youth support, advocacy, arts and cultural programming, and recovery and mental health services through its licensed outpatient clinic on-site.

For 40+ years, The Center has served as an anchor institution for the LGBTQ+ community and as a leading nonprofit organization, both in New York City and nationally. The Center provides a place to connect and engage, find camaraderie and support, and celebrate the vibrancy and growth of the LGBTQ+ community.

About the Opportunity

The Senior Director of Communications & Marketing serves as a key strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer, Leadership Team, and Management Team, leading the strategy and execution of The Center's communications, marketing, and audience engagement efforts.

This is an opportunity for a seasoned communications leader and builder to shape the next chapter of the function. The Senior Director will assess and strengthen the department's systems and team, and position communications as a proactive strategic partner to Development, Programs, Operations, and Advocacy & Government Affairs. Working closely with colleagues across The Center, they will help grow The Center's reach, deepen community connection, and mobilize diverse audiences.

The Senior Director joins at a pivotal moment. The Center is completing a Strategic Resiliency Planning process, expected to be finalized in spring, and this leader will help translate its priorities into an integrated communications strategy. They will also help define the structure and resources the function needs to grow over time.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

- Set direction for the function. Develop and lead an organization-wide communications and marketing strategy aligned with The Center's goals. Partner with leadership to set clear priorities for where the team's time and resources go.
- Shape the strategy and the function's future. Serve as a key communications advisor to the CEO and Management Team, including during the Strategic Resiliency Planning process. Translate the final plan into an integrated communications strategy. Evaluate the department's needs and recommend the structure, staffing, and resources to grow the function over time.

Managing the Function

- Assess and strengthen infrastructure. Evaluate the department's existing systems, workflows, and tools. Recommend and implement improvements to planning, editorial and email calendars, roles, and intake and approval processes.
- Balance strategy and service. Design a communications & marketing operating model that balances proactive, priority-driven work with day-to-day requests from across the organization. That includes deciding what the team produces directly, what other departments can do themselves with templates and tools, and what goes to outside vendors.
- Oversee tools and vendors. Oversee the marketing technology stack (mass email, website, social media, analytics) and manage relationships and budget for agencies, designers, PR support, and freelancers.

Cross-Functional Partnership

- Lead with and through others. Work in close partnership with colleagues across The Center, an organization that values collaboration. Build regular planning cadences with Programs, Development, Operations, and Advocacy & Government Affairs so communications is part of planning from the start.
- Be a credible, trusted partner. Bring a service-minded, partnership orientation to work with other teams. Set clear, shared expectations so the marketing and communications team is seen as a valued resource across the organization.
- Drive program engagement. Partner with program leaders to develop campaigns that move community members from passive audiences to active participants, clients, and advocates across key service areas, including behavioral health, community programs, arts & culture, and advocacy.
- Support revenue and mission priorities. Partner with Development on digital fundraising, donor acquisition, campaigns, signature events, and stewardship materials.
- Amplify advocacy. Partner with Advocacy & Government Affairs on rapid-response messaging, public policy and legislative campaigns, and government communications that elevate The Center’s leadership voice.

Audience, Data & Measurement

- Understand The Center’s audience. Take stock of existing audience data across email, web, social, and program channels. Develop and implement an approach to audience segmentation and reach that aligns with The Center's fundraising, program, and engagement goals.
- Expand reach. Evaluate and develop outreach strategies to engage communities The Center has historically under-reached, across New York City’s boroughs and diverse LGBTQ+ communities.
- Measure what matters. In partnership with internal data and systems colleagues, set meaningful KPIs for campaigns and channels. Use the results to refine strategy and focus effort where it has the most impact.

Storytelling, Brand & External Voice

- Build a unified narrative. Develop a clear, compelling story of who The Center is today, across its programs, its history, and its role in the LGBTQ+ movement. Equip leaders and staff to tell it consistently.
- Communicate impact. Translate program work and data into compelling impact stories, including client and community voices, for use across fundraising, programs, and public channels. Lead creation of institutional publications such as the annual report, brochures, membership materials, and press kits.
- Lead executive communications. Serve as lead writer and strategist for the CEO's speeches, remarks, and public messaging so her voice comes through clearly and consistently.
- Build shared ownership of the brand. Work with colleagues across the organization to build a shared understanding of The Center's brand: what it is, why consistency matters, and how the team can help others bring it to life. Maintain practical brand standards across digital, print, and on-site channels.
- Lead media and crisis communications. Build proactive press relationships, lead media outreach, and oversee crisis communications planning and response.

Team Leadership & Development

- Lead and grow the team. Manage, coach, and develop staff with clear goals, performance expectations, and growth paths. Build a collaborative, inclusive team culture where people feel supported and do their best work.

Qualifications

- Nonprofit Communications & Marketing Expertise. Significant progressive experience and deep expertise across the full range of nonprofit communications and marketing, including integrated campaign planning, digital and email marketing, content strategy, and brand. Current knowledge of how audiences find, engage with, and act on nonprofit messaging. Brings an informed point of view on what effective communications looks like and the confidence to guide colleagues outside the field, while valuing their knowledge of programs and communities.
- Strategic Leadership. Senior-level leadership of a multi-person communications or marketing function, ideally within a multi-service nonprofit, advocacy, or community-based organization. Proven ability to set strategic direction, advise executive leadership, and guide prioritization across competing needs.
- Managing the Function. A track record of assessing and strengthening a communications function, including the systems, processes, and planning structures that help a team thrive. A working leader who is comfortable writing, editing, and guiding execution while building for the longer term. Experience managing budgets, vendors, and a marketing technology stack.
- Cross-Functional Partnership. A genuine collaborator who sees engagement and input as a strength. Demonstrated success working across fundraising, programs, operations, and policy teams. Able to influence without formal authority, build trust, and navigate competing priorities with transparency and care. Brings a service-minded orientation to internal partnerships.
- Audience, Data & Measurement. Experience assessing audience data, developing segmentation and reach strategies, and setting marketing KPIs. Working fluency with marketing automation/CRM (Pardot/Salesforce or similar), web (WordPress), social media, and analytics tools, enough to diagnose problems and direct the work.
- Storytelling, Brand & External Voice. Exceptional writer and editor who can turn complex program, impact, and policy work into clear messaging for diverse audiences. Executive speechwriting experience. Experience with media relations and crisis communications.
- Team Leadership & Development. A proven people leader with strong hiring skills and a track record of recruiting, coaching, and developing talented staff, and leading teams through growth and change.
- Mission & Values Alignment. Deep personal and professional alignment with LGBTQ+ communities, with an equity lens grounded in an understanding of structural racism and intersectionality.
- Preferred: Experience at an LGBTQ+ organization or community center; established NYC media relationships; experience supporting policy or advocacy campaigns.

Compensation, Benefits, and Location

This is a hybrid position based out of The Center in New York City. The salary range for this role is $150,000 to $165,000. The Center offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with an employer contribution, voluntary life and LTD, employer-paid STD insurance, and paid parental, family care, and gender-affirming healthcare leave. The Center also offers a generous paid time off policy.

The Center's Commitment to Equity & Inclusivity

The Center was born of community activism in response to the AIDS epidemic, ensuring LGBTQ people had access to information, care, and support that they were not receiving elsewhere. We opened in 1983 to help people who had doors constantly closed in their faces, ostracized by family, friends, and shunned by the general society. Since that time, we have continually provided a wide array of services and programs to serve our community, with an intentional focus on providing support to those who are most vulnerable.

We believe that fostering an inclusive workplace and developing strong cultural competency strengthen our ability to serve our diverse LGBTQ communities effectively. We value respect for diverse backgrounds and experiences, inclusive collaboration, and a commitment to ensuring that our colleagues and the people we serve are treated with dignity.

The Center is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on job-related qualifications, experience, competencies, and organizational needs.