Senior Director, Marketing & Communications

Historic Oakland Foundation (HOF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 1976 as the “friends of” group for Oakland Cemetery. Our mission is to partner with the City of Atlanta to preserve, restore, enhance, and share Oakland Cemetery with the public as an important resource and an island of tranquility in the heart of the city. Oakland Cemetery is a garden oasis, historical repository, cultural resource, and leader in restoration and cemetery interpretation. Learn more at: www.oaklandcemetery.com

HOF is accepting applications for the role of Senior Director of Marketing & Communications. This position leads HOF’s external marketing, sales, and communications strategies in pursuit of the organization’s strategic audience expansion and revenue goals. In addition to overseeing all elements of HOF’s external communications, sales, marketing, public relations, this role will guide the organization, in collaboration with the Executive Director and as part of the senior leadership team (which includes the Sr. Director of Finance & Administration, Sr. Director of Development, Sr. Director of Capital Projects, and Sr. Director of Experiences & Engagement), through an expansive period of growth driven by the near-completion of the Foundation’s Living History capital campaign, that is providing facilities and opportunities for dramatic audience and revenue expansion. In collaboration with the senior team and department heads, this role will be central in expanding and diversifying HOF’s audience.

The successful candidate will be a creative, dynamic, energetic strategic thinker capable of leading multiple, diverse campaigns and projects simultaneously and driving growth in attendance, audience diversity, and revenue activities. While also being a hands-on manager responsible for the organization’s external communications, marketing campaigns, and public relations efforts through diverse media in line with HOF’s strategic plan and other organizational goals and priorities to ensure the visibility and communal vitality of Oakland Cemetery.

This position reports to the Executive Director and leads a growing team that currently includes the full-time Marketing Coordinator, and any temporary marketing contractors/workers/volunteers needed.

Responsibilities & Duties:

• Develops, directs, and implements annual and long-range strategic marketing campaigns to advance HOF’s mission, strategic, audience, and revenue goals and expand the reach and visibility of Historic Oakland Foundation, its work, and its public programs and sales;
• Directs and leads the launch and implementation of a new Brand Identity in conjunction with the opening of the new Oakland Cemetery Visitor Center in early 2025 to re-announce HOF/Oakland Cemetery to the public and continue to change perceptions of what a cemetery can and should be to its city and communities;
• Develops and directs the organization’s diverse external communications including paid and earned media, digital marketing, public relations, advertising and promotion, through the active management of department staff and external contractors/vendors, such as graphic designers, videographers, etc.;
• Oversee the creation, management, and evaluation of the department’s annual budget;
• In partnership with the Sr. Director of Development, design and implement best-in-class donor, member, and sponsor stewardship, cultivation, and solicitation materials;
• In partnership with the Sr. Director of Experiences & Engagement, design and direct effective communications strategies to expand and enhance the Visitor Experience for Oakland’s more than 150,000 annual visitors;
• In partnership, with the Executive Director and Sr. Director of Experiences & Engagement, oversee efforts to expand, diversify, measure, and evaluate HOF’s audience for all programmatic offerings through the development of benchmarks for growth in all programmatic and community experience areas;
• Effectively create, manage, and evaluate the department’s annual budget;
• Responsible for establishing a culture of excellence, professionalism and positivity in the department, and ensuring that employee training, recognition and other performance management programs and tools, including appropriate performance and impact measurement indicators, are in place within areas of responsibility, and, in partnership with the Executive Director and other leaders, that appropriate trainings are developed, implemented, and effective organization-wide;
• Working with the Executive Director, Senior Director of Experiences & Engagement, Senior Director of Capital Projects, Senior Director of Finance & Administration, and Senior Director of Development lead HOF through a period of growth and expansion to expand and diversify HOF’s community presence and audience, programmatic offerings, and revenue streams, and grow the organization’s bases of support;
• Conduct all work through the lens of elevating diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA), and play a central role in guiding the organization through a sustained period of organizational change whereby DEIA becomes the default lens through which all organizational attitudes and actions are conducted;
• Must be available to work evenings and weekends, as needed, to ensure the successful development and implementation of all Historic Oakland Foundation programs.

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of 10 years of related work experience, including strategic marketing and external communications, management experience, and responsibility for driving significant audience and revenue growth;

Desired Competencies:

• Demonstrated strategic thinking with the ability creatively and dynamically expand audience, innovate, and problem-solve and work collaboratively across an organization to drive growth
• Demonstrated evidence of excellent communication skills and communicating to diverse audiences through different media
• Demonstrated experience with driving positive change, leading an organization through growth and transformation, and evaluating and tracking progress and measures of success.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and investing in staff and volunteers.
• High level of proficiency in marketing software and tools, including strong competencies in data analysis and project management

Desired Characteristics:

• A passion for creative and thoughtful storytelling and Oakland’s mission, work, and public programming.
• Integrity, discretion, and credibility in representing Historic Oakland Foundation to diverse public stakeholders.
• Flexible and works well under pressure and deadlines.
• Curious, motivated, and self-directed.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with a diverse group of individuals, including (but not limited to): all levels of staff, board, volunteers, members, the media, influencers, donors, and community stakeholders.

Work from Home:

HOF staff will be working remotely the new Visitors Center construction is complete in early 2025. The person in this role must be able to work from home, as well as be available for on-site meetings, as needed. Employees may occasionally lift boxes and equipment up to 15 pounds.

To Apply:

Interested applicants should email their letter of interest/cover letter and resume to careers@oaklandcemetery.com.

Position Classification:

This position is full-time, exempt. Salary is $80,000-100,000 annualized, commensurate with experience.

HOF offers a range of benefits including Health Care premium contributions, an employer 401k match, access to dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, voluntary life insurance, and employer paid life-insurance. We will gladly share our organizational culture document with candidates selected for in-person interviews.

Additional Information:

The statements contained in this position description are not necessarily all-inclusive; additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned and requirements may vary from time to time. 

Professional business references and a background check will be required for all final applicants selected for a position. In accepting a position, it is understood that continued employment is contingent upon a satisfactory background check. A satisfactory background check is the absence of a criminal record that bears a demonstrable relationship to the applicant/employee’s suitability to perform the required duties and responsibilities of the position. 

Historic Oakland Foundation is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees in full compliance with all state, federal, and local laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.