Responsibilities

• Develop and own a 12-24 month marketing strategy aligned with Ruff Start Rescue’s mission, strategic plan, fundraising goals, and long-term brand positioning.
• Establish and communicate clear annual marketing priorities that guide organization-wide decision-making.
• Serve as the internal authority on brand voice, messaging standards, and storytelling strategy.
• Lead cross-department collaboration to ensure marketing effectively supports development, programs, operations, and community engagement.
• Define and maintain a cohesive brand identity across all digital, print, media, and campaign communications.
• Ensure messaging is transparent, mission-driven, emotionally compelling, and aligned with long-term trust-building goals.
• Guide the organization in strategic storytelling decisions, including what stories should (and should not) be told and why.
• Oversee and evaluate all marketing materials and initiatives to ensure alignment with mission, audience engagement, and impact.
• Establish performance benchmarks for website, email, social media, and digital campaigns based on peer nonprofit and industry standards.
• Regularly benchmark Ruff Start Rescue against comparable organizations and translate analytics into actionable strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Graphic Design, or related field required.
• 5-8+ years of progressive marketing and communications experience, including demonstrated success leading strategy, not just executing tactics.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and/or Canva Pro; familiarity with website CMS platforms, email marketing systems, CRMs, and Google Analytics required.
• Availability: 40+ hours a week; must have a flexible schedule; weekend and evening hours may be required monthly; on-site Princeton office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Preferred

• Strong experience in nonprofit or mission-driven marketing preferred, with a deep understanding of fundraising communications and trust-based storytelling.
• Advanced understanding of brand governance, messaging strategy, email marketing, website strategy and SEO, social media performance metrics, digital advertising, and campaign integration.
• Experience in nonprofit or mission-driven marketing preferred, with a deep understanding of fundraising communications and trust-based storytelling.

Benefits

• Health insurance will be available to full-time employees on the first of the month following 30 days of employment. RSR will pay 50% of the employee's monthly premium.
• Retirement plans with up to a 3% employee contribution are available after 90 days.
• Additional insurance options are available after 90 days - you pay 100% premium at a discounted group rate.
• ○ Short-term disability
• ○ Life Insurance
• ○ Dental Insurance
• ○ Accident Insurance
• ○ Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• ○ Critical Illness Insurance
• ○ Cancer Insurance
• ○ Vision Insurance