Manager, Communications

JOB TYPE: Regular Salaried
POSITION TYPE: Full Time
LOCATION: Hybrid CO-based remote/Denver, CO

Our preferred application deadline is March 4, 2024.  Please note that we do not guarantee review of applications received after this date.

Who we are: 

At Lyra, our shared purpose and passion are to incubate and accelerate high impact education initiatives that tackle some of the biggest challenges facing education today, deeply rooted in diverse and inclusive community voices. Named after the constellation, Lyra takes a collaborative approach that builds upon and supports the existing work of others. We operate at every level of an education community. From hands-on capacity building to shaping policy, from convening pivotal conversations to rallying funds – our goal remains: to empower students and educators and set the stage for lasting systemic change. 

Lyra currently has three organizational priorities: 

• Climatarium – Preparing rural youth to build economically and environmentally resilient communities through education pathways. 
• Innovation Zones – Empowering school communities to design and sustain zones of autonomous district schools to meet the needs of their students. 
• Mission Accelerators – Connecting philanthropic funders with local community assets to accelerate their impact in education.

Our current focus and area of growth is around our Climatarium initiative where we aim to establish Colorado as a proofpoint for rural youth climate education for 30,000 students by 2028. 

What we believe:

Our team at Lyra consists of expansive thinkers and doers who bring strategic partnerships, operational support, and social and financial capital to budding solutions within the public education system. Our core values include being rooted in the communities we serve, using innovation to reimagine what is broken, collaboratively solving problems, and modeling a way of working that is supportive and kind. We build trust by showing up and leading with strong personal responsibility and commitment. Together, we create thriving education ecosystems.

At Lyra, we consider advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion an ongoing and iterative process that we remain fully committed to in order to foster an inclusive organizational culture with a wide range of voices represented in and driving our work. We believe that when people are respected, valued, and celebrated we can be more innovative and successful as an organization for those we serve. We are committed to continually learning, evolving, and taking meaningful actions to cultivate an environment where both the organization and all team members can succeed.

The opportunity: 

Lyra is in search of a strong communications professional who will build and shape the communications and marketing foundation for our organization and help to establish Lyra as a thought leader in our field during a phase of critical strategic growth. 

The Communications Manager will be responsible for managing and implementing Lyra’s communications, events, and marketing activities, as well as supporting community engagement and fundraising efforts as needed. This position could be a good fit if you are looking for a role with oversight for a broad set of communications, marketing, and events activities, many that you will get to build from the ground up. This is a multifaceted job with a high degree of responsibility, including managing multiple projects and priorities. You’ll join a small, nimble, collaborative, and creative team as we accelerate high impact solutions in education within Colorado and beyond. 

Position details:

The Communications Manager will report to the COO and work closely with the CEO, the rest of the Lyra team, and our partners – ranging from technical assistance providers, to school districts and community-based education nonprofits – to elevate Lyra’s programmatic, policy, and advocacy efforts, and ultimately grow our impact and thought leadership. 

This position can be performed through a mix of remote and in-person work based in Denver, with flexible scheduling and work-from-home options. The team is currently in office together two days per week. 

Responsibilities:

Content Development and General Communications Leadership:

• Develop written briefs, executive summaries, blogs, and other written materials to share Lyra’s thought leadership and/or impact with a broad set of audiences
• Create and implement targeted communications action plans around impact reports, briefs, events, and/or campaigns
• Support Lyra’s programming teams in the development of high-quality content for printed and digital materials, such as toolkits, fact sheets, reports, and presentations
• Amplify the voices of our key stakeholders and constituents through creative storytelling 
• Build communications campaigns that highlight student, family, and educator voices
• Provide communications, brand, and marketing training and support to staff 
• Ensure alignment of organizational materials with priorities and approaches
• Regularly update staff, leadership, board, and partners on communications efforts and impacts

Multimedia and Digital Communications: 

• Drive ongoing brand integration, ensuring narrative and design consistency and clarity across the organization and with external stakeholders
• Manage, maintain, and improve Lyra’s website content (via Webflow) and work with the contracted web developer on design, functionality and security updates 
• Manage and monitor Lyra’s emerging social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, and X) to build Lyra’s brand footprint
• Establish an editorial calendar and work with the team to publish current content on a consistent basis
• Develop and monitor social media and other communication metrics and analytics to gauge effectiveness; adjust strategies and tactics as needed

Event Management:

• Lead in planning and executing Lyra’s convenings and public events, including partner events, briefings, and annual celebrations 
• Create and manage the timeline, program, and task list for Lyra hosted events 
• Organize and lead collaboration on event concept, graphic design/production/printing, and event marketing
• Negotiate costs and services with vendors; book event space, arrange food and beverage, order all supplies, coordinate audiovisual equipment and operation, make travel arrangements, etc.

Other:

• Build and nurture relationships with journalists, media, opinion leaders, and a broad range of education stakeholders to help advance the mission and efforts of the organization
• Manage media engagement for the organization, including cultivating media opportunities, responding to reporters, writing talking points and writing and pitching op-eds
• Provide copy edit support for grant applications and other fundraising activities
• Additional duties as assigned 

What you will bring to the role:

• Five or more years of experience in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, or a related field
• Exceptional written and verbal communications skills with a strong focus on creating high-quality and concise content such as briefs, executive summaries, press and social media announcements, and other organizational documents  
• Experience with digital communications, including websites, newsletters, and social media account management  
• Advanced knowledge of Webflow and/or other website content management systems and Constant Contact or other similar email marketing tools
• Successful track record organizing and managing events, including the development of marketing materials and event logistics
• Strong project management skills including the ability to meet deadlines and effectively handle a variety of time-sensitive tasks and competing priorities 
• Proactive nature and eagerness to learn with a growth mindset
• Creative problem-solving abilities and can adjust plans to meet changing needs
• Experience developing organization-wide communications strategies and communications plans for short and long-term projects a plus
• The following are valued but not required:
  • Experience using and creating content with tools currently used by organization such as Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro X, MailChimp, Webflow, Microsoft Office, and Google Suite
  • Graphic design skills
  • Proficiency in audio, video, and photography capturing and editing
  • Experience communicating complex policy and research ideas through data storytelling, multimedia projects, and/or other creative strategies

This job may be a great fit for you if:

• You are all-in on the mission of Lyra.
• You are excited about the opportunity to grow with the organization and have a meaningful influence on the continuous improvement of Lyra’s communications and impact storytelling.
• You exemplify a make-it-happen spirit, a strong work ethic, and a sense of personal responsibility. And, you leverage these skills to orchestrate tight project management for projects.
• You thrive in a supportive small team environment—sharing duties, pitching in to help, building trust, engaging in productive conflict, and holding one another and being held accountable.
• You are a creative problem solver, comfortable with ambiguity, and can work in an environment where the answers and project plan isn’t always clearly defined at the outset. 
• You have a keen eye for details, love to craft and manage written content, and build strong relationships with others to implement excellent organizational systems when planning convenings and events.

Salary and benefits:

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated professional looking to build their skills and experience while making an impact with a fast-growing, strategic organization. The starting salary range for this role is $65,000 – $85,000 per year, depending on experience level. 

We are committed to providing a competitive benefits package. Lyra offers medical, dental and vision coverage options including 75% employer coverage, 401k plan including a 3% employer contribution, org-wide holidays, paid time off, paid parental leave, and hybrid remote work. We’re also proud of our values-grounded and engaging work environment, incredible colleagues, and a dedication to our work and each other.