Director of Communications

Silver Spring, MD

$100K/yr – $110K/yr

Posted 3 days ago

Job Description

About Manna Food Center

Manna Food Center is one of Maryland's leading anti-hunger organizations, serving more than 10,000 families each month through innovative food access, nutrition, advocacy, and community partnership programs. As Manna continues to expand its regional impact, deepen its advocacy efforts, and strengthen partnerships across Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, strategic communications has become an essential organizational function.

Position Purpose

The Director of Communications serves as Manna Food Center's chief communications strategist and is responsible for protecting, advancing, and elevating the organization's reputation, voice, and influence. As a member of the Leadership Team, this individual develops and executes an enterprise-wide communications strategy that strengthens stakeholder trust, advances advocacy priorities, supports fundraising, enhances employee engagement, and positions Manna as a recognized leader in hunger relief and food security.

Why This Role Matters

Communications at Manna is more than marketing. It is a strategic function that aligns staff, informs the community, inspires philanthropy, strengthens partnerships, supports government relations, advances public policy, protects the organization's reputation, and tells the stories that demonstrate Manna's impact. The Director ensures every communication reinforces the organization's mission, values, and strategic priorities.

Leadership Philosophy

Lead with collaboration, transparency, innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, servant leadership, and a commitment to cross-functional partnership. Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership while building organizational trust through clear, timely, and authentic communications.

Strategic Areas of Responsibility

1. Enterprise Communications Leadership

Develop and implement Manna's enterprise communications strategy aligned with the strategic plan.
Collaborate across the organization to ensure internal and external messaging is coordinated, consistent, timely, and aligned with Manna’s mission and strategic priorities, while telling compelling stories of participants, volunteers, donors, employees, and Manna’s broader community impact.
Partner with departments on campaigns, stewardship, annual reports, grants, and major gifts communications.
Develop communications standards, editorial calendars, messaging frameworks, and measurement dashboards.

2. Executive Communications & Thought Leadership

Prepare CEO speeches as needed, testimony, board communications, presentations, op-eds, and executive messaging.
Position executive leadership as trusted voices on hunger, food security, nonprofit leadership, and public policy.
Coordinate speaking engagements, conferences, podcasts, and media interviews.

3. Organizational Communications

Strengthen interdepartmental communication and organizational alignment.
Lead change management communications and executive updates.
Support employee engagement and culture through strategic internal communications.

4. Brand & Reputation Management

Protect and strengthen Manna's brand identity.
Maintain visual and messaging standards across all communications.
Monitor and proactively manage organizational reputation.

5. Government & Public Affairs

Support advocacy initiatives and legislative priorities.
Develop messaging for government partnerships and regional expansion.
Partner with the Vice President of Programs to support and amplify public education campaigns related to hunger, nutrition, and Manna’s broader community impact.

6. Media Relations

Build relationships with local, regional, and national media.
Develop proactive earned-media strategies.
Serve as lead communications contact during media opportunities and crises.

7. Digital Communications & Innovation

Oversee website, email, social media, digital campaigns, and analytics.
Recommend AI tools to improve content creation, workflow efficiency, analytics, and audience engagement.
Evaluate emerging communications technologies.

8. Crisis & Issues Management

Develop crisis communications plans and rapid response protocols.
Advise executive leadership during sensitive communications situations.
Monitor reputational risks and recommend mitigation strategies.

Leadership Expectations

Serve as a collaborative member of the Leadership Team.
Coach leaders on effective communications.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement.
Use data to guide communications decisions.
Represent Manna with professionalism and executive presence.

Decision-Making Authority

Enterprise communications strategy
Brand standards
Editorial calendar
Media strategy
Communications budget recommendations
Agency and vendor management

Performance Expectations

Implement an enterprise communications strategy in Year One.
Create processes that improve internal communications across departments.
Increase earned media, digital engagement, and thought leadership.
Establish crisis communications protocols.
Implement communications dashboards and workflows.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.
7+ years of progressively responsible communications leadership.
Exceptional writing and presentation skills.
Experience with nonprofit communications, advocacy, media relations, executive communications, and digital strategy preferred.
Experience using analytics and AI-enabled communications tools preferred.

Leadership Competencies

Strategic Vision
Executive Presence
Communication Excellence
Innovation
Emotional Intelligence
Collaboration
Influence
Results Orientation
Adaptability
Accountability
Mission Leadership
Developing Others

Why Join Manna

This is an opportunity to shape the public voice of one of the region's fastest-growing and most innovative anti-hunger organizations. The Director of Communications will help tell stories that inspire action, influence policy, strengthen philanthropy, engage employees, and help build a future where every person has access to nutritious food with dignity.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Manna Food Center is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Manna Food Center

Our community can be a place where all people, at all times, have access to good food in welcoming spaces. Through food rescue, collection and distribution, education, and advocacy we work with our community to reach approximately 35,000 hungry people each year--about half of those experiencing food insecurity in Montgomery County, MD. An active participant in the MoCo Food Council and coordinator of the Community Food Rescue network, we embrace cooperation and collaboration in efforts. In addition to sharing food with approximately 3,600 families each month, Manna's innovative Smart Sacks program pairs community partners with elementary schools. The partnerships provide a bag of family-friendly food to 2,800 elementary school children each Friday during the school year at almost 60 elementary schools. Our work would not be possible without the contributions of volunteers, donors, peer agencies, and devoted staff. The service of our two dozen staff is supplemented by the equivalent of 35 full time volunteers, donating thousands of hours in a variety of activities. We seek food, funds, and friends to achieve our vision of a community where everyone is well fed and able to contribute.

Founded in 1983

Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA

85 employees (4 in marketing)

mannafood.org