Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement

Evanston, IL (Hybrid)

$130K/yr – $140K/yrDirector/Executive10+ years expFull time

Posted 9 hrs ago

Job Summary

Own and lead The Cradle’s marketing and community engagement efforts, guiding brand strategy, external storytelling, audience lifecycle, and stakeholder partnerships with a focus on growth, trust, and program engagement.

  • Lead day-to-day Marketing and Community Engagement Team and budget management.
  • Shape integrated marketing, communications, and audience lifecycle strategies to support enrollment, fundraising, and participation.
  • Collaborate with Development and Board on strategy, messaging, and reporting.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Marketing (65%)
  • Lead and manage day-to-day operations for the Marketing and Community Engagement Team (2 staff).
  • Design, oversee, and execute integrated marketing and communications strategies that support brand awareness, program enrollment and participation, fundraising, and community engagement.
  • Lead strategic visioning and implementation of external and internal communications plans that support both organizational priorities and programmatic growth initiatives.
  • Oversee audience segmentation and lifecycle engagement strategies across digital, earned, paid, and partnership channels.
  • Guide messaging that resonates across diverse audiences, including families, professionals, donors, partners, and community stakeholders.
  • Position The Cradle as a trusted thought leader and resource for families and professionals through education, storytelling, and relationship-building.
  • Refine and review metrics to measure the effectiveness and success of marketing strategies.
  • Oversee the development of collateral, including event publications, annual reports, and e-newsletters.
  • Oversee how The Cradle’s digital assets are leveraged and managed, including website and social media channels, to optimize brand awareness, raise resources, and engage various target audiences across multiple platforms.

Requirements

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, brand strategy, or related fields, including leadership experience in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization.
  • Experience managing teams and working with boards.
  • Demonstrated success developing and executing an integrated marketing/communications strategy, with preference to candidates with experience leading and/or implementing a significant brand evolution.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including strong persuasive writing capabilities.
  • Experience translating organizational strategy into compelling external messaging.
  • Demonstrated ability to use data and audience insights to guide marketing decisions.
  • Experience navigating organizational change and communicating with diverse stakeholders.
  • Highly organized and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously
  • Demonstrated professionalism, flexibility, good judgment, and commitment to teamwork.
  • Belief that collaboration deepens impact, with record of accomplishment to back it up.

Benefits

  • 403(b)
  • Dental insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Flexible spending account
  • Health insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance
The Cradle logo

The Cradle

3.9 Glassdoor

Since opening in 1923, The Cradle has helped place more than 16,000 children into forever families. Learn more at Cradle.org or call 847-475-5800. Want to speak with a Cradle counselor about an unplanned pregnancy? Call 800-CRADLE4 (800-272-3534).Our holistic approach to lifelong support is unlike any other adoption and child welfare agency in the nation. Our team of social workers, counselors, and outreach staff offer trustworthy, ethical, and lifelong support to tens of thousands of people touched by adoption, including birth parents, adopted persons, and adoptive parents. Services include options counseling for women facing unplanned pregnancies, pre and post adoption education for parents, an adoption-competent clinical therapy program, outreach and education, and placement services. The Cradle is the only adoption agency in the country with an on-site nursery. It is a safe, neutral place for infants to stay while their parents take the time they need to decide if adoption will be the plan for this child. The nursery also enables The Cradle to place infants whose special medical needs may mean that it takes a bit longer to find them a home that is prepared to help them thrive. We also offer training for prospective adoptive parents and adoption professionals through Adoption Learning Partners (ALP).

Founded in 1923
Evanston, Illinois, USA
158 employees (12 in marketing)
1% recommend to a friend

Salaries

Posted range

$130K/yr – $140K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all The Cradle salaries

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
7 (4% of company)
Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
1

Funding

Last Raise
Grant

Funding History

  • Jul 2024
    Grant

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
7.6K
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$546
Traffic Source Mix
Search
27.7%
Direct
48.4%
Referral
6.6%
Social
15.7%
Paid
1.4%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~158
The Cradle logo

Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement

The Cradle · Evanston, IL · Hybrid