Director of Marketing

YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are seeking a creative, ambitious, data-driven, and highly collaborative Director of Marketing with superb writing skills to help us grow the pro-housing movement. Our ideal candidate is a radical pragmatist who will use every tool at their disposal to bring more local volunteers, activists, and leaders into the movement for housing abundance.

YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are affiliated 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations working together to advance policy change that will increase the supply of housing in high-opportunity cities and towns. We envision an integrated society where every person has access to a safe, affordable home near jobs, services, and opportunity.

What we're looking for

The Director of Marketing will oversee marketing and membership growth workstreams in order to employ effective strategies that grow the YIMBY Action and YIMBY base of activists and small-dollar funders. The Director of Marketing will also work with our Senior Management Team on public relations, thought leadership, and events strategy. This is a revenue-generating position that collaborates across teams to meet ambitious grassroots small-dollar revenue growth goals.

The Director of Marketing will supervise part-time and full-time staff in the Marketing Department. A successful Director will take the initiative to develop and execute strategies and systems, proactively collaborate with key team members, and strategically leverage volunteers to drive membership and chapter growth. Moreover, they will be highly responsive, adaptable, and able to build buy-in for their strategy among Executive Directors and other teams, while also regularly incorporating ideas and requests from colleagues and stakeholders. This position reports to the Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities

Marketing for Membership & Chapter Growth (60%)

• Build and lead the execution of strategies that leverage a variety of channels (e.g. email, social media, paid media, website, podcast, events, SMS, etc.) to drive membership and chapter growth. This position should understand both brand marketing and growth marketing strategies to achieve both short and long term growth.
• Continually iterate and improve automated personalized strategies in response to outcomes, data, and dynamic, ever-changing political opportunities. Be able to respond to and incorporate new ideas from Executive Directors and other members of the team. Be prepared to regularly demonstrate progress to goals and “case make” to build buy-in for strategy among Executive Directors and other teams.
• Manage and overhaul systems to collect and analyze data to maximize list growth (lead generation) and conversion into membership. Continually test and optimize marketing strategies and messaging to improve acquisition, upgrades, engagement, and ROI. Direct team to analyze data and generate qualitative insights to maximize the results of marketing strategies, messaging, and campaigns.
• Manage a budget to achieve organizational goals through advertisements, branded merchandise, and print materials with an emphasis on priority geographies. Assess and oversee paid media campaigns across multiple platforms led by ad agency, direct team, and other internal teams to maximize reach, engagement, email list growth, and small-dollar donations. Maintain operational efficiency of branded merchandise pipeline.
• Identify and manage IT needs for the department, including managing the YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law websites; ensure consistent updates and improvements that streamline the user experience and contribute to the success of related org-wide priorities and OKRs.
• In collaboration with other Department Heads, implement a strategy to diversify and grow the YIMBY membership and volunteer leadership. Collaborate with other teams to increase membership, volunteer Lead, and board member diversity.
• Ensure operational integrity of membership systems. Collaborate with the Organizing Team to ensure the pipeline of “list” to “member” to “highly engaged” to “volunteer leader” is optimized.
• Oversee and coordinate narrative testing strategies, funding, and deliverables, including identifying and refining narratives to attract and retain volunteer activists. Develop compelling reports and data points for funders interested in narrative and messaging.
• Collaborate with the Organizing Team to develop and distribute templates, graphic design materials, and other activation materials for volunteers and Leads in targeted geographies. Track the efficacy of volunteer and chapter-led initiatives to drive membership and chapter growth.
  

Messaging and Media Coverage (20%)

• In collaboration with Department Heads and Executive Directors, create and continually refine YIMBY and YIMBY Action key messages and communications framework, developing and harmonizing various workstreams to drive narrative themes throughout the year.
• In collaboration with Chief of Staff and Executive Directors, supervise outside public relations contractors, ensuring that they effectively manage public relations campaigns, including activating organizational experts, directing teams to build media lists, logging metrics, conducting media landscape reports, and coordinating with reporters and media spokespeople. Ensure public relations work is aligned with overall marketing strategy and is informed by the Marketing Team’s data on effective messages.
• In collaboration with the Executive Directors and other staff leadership, develop strategies and tactics to increase brand visibility and set up Executive Directors for priority media coverage opportunities.
• In collaboration with the Chief of Staff and Executive Directors, coordinate consultant support for press releases.
• Oversee systems to track media mentions and housing narratives for YIMBY, YIMBY Action, and local chapters. Leverage insights and data to identify and execute best-practices marketing strategies with the highest ROI for the organization(s).
• Support the YIMBY Law Associate Director of Implementation in maintaining an effective pipeline of report research, drafting, and publication. Assist with graphic design and distribution, ensuring Marketing Team members are elevating reports with key demographics.

Team Leadership (15%)

• Serve as department head for the Marking Department. Train and manage the Marketing Department staff to high performance in executing strategy and determining tactics to achieve ambitious OKRs.
• Lead and support cross-functional collaboration efforts, including projects, campaigns, and org-wide priorities.
• Collaborate with organizational leadership to conduct yearly strategic planning. Select OKRs and metrics to track based on organizational objectives and set ambitious team goals.
• Serve as an organizational leader, including representing the Marketing Team in organizational decision-making, as well as helping to inform decisions in which the team’s needs may be deprioritized in favor of other considerations. Help set and model a strong and inclusive organizational culture.

Special Projects (5%)

• Occasional initiatives that deliver on program service, donor expectations, chapter growth, professional growth, and/or team culture.

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of experience in marketing leadership, including the proven ability to:
  • Develop and execute strategies that appeal to key audiences and motivate them toward action
  • Develop, expand, and generate long-term sustainability for organizational brand(s) across targeted geographies and demographics
  • Expand total organization reach through various media (email lists, memberships, website traffic, etc.)
  • Collect, analyze, and act upon key data to drive strategic decisionmaking, as well as build necessary data systems where they don’t yet exist
  • Pivot quickly in a rapidly changing, dynamic work environment
  • Lead teams to success by developing and implementing clear, effective OKRs/KPIs
  • Generate org-wide buy-in for key marketing campaigns and initiatives
• A demonstrated commitment to the YIMBY vision; previous work or volunteer experience that is aligned with YIMBY goals. A demonstrated passion for more housing and shelter of every type including subsidized nonprofit affordable housing, market-rate housing, transitional housing, navigation centers, and more.
• Experience building positive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders; demonstrated ability to interact with stakeholders professionally, with poise, and with an orientation towards identifying and building on common ground.
• Superb skills in writing, editing, and developing content, ideally with the ability to serve as a compelling ambassador with media and on panels.

Benefits

• Up to 100% employer funded comprehensive medical coverage
• 401k enrollment opportunities
• 3 weeks of paid vacation plus another 20 paid holidays
• Paid sick time
• Paid family & disability leave
• Significant professional development opportunities, including paid professional development stipend
• Flexible work hours within a 40 hour work week
• Membership in YIMBY Action nationwide activist network and vibrant 3,700+ member Slack community
• Access to YIMBY Action network of elected officials, journalists, and business leaders