Marketing and Communications Manager/Director
Marketing and Communications Manager
Walk Bike Nashville is looking for a Marketing and Communications Manager
About Walk Bike Nashville
Since 1998, Walk Bike Nashville has advocated for a more walkable, bikeable, and livable city. We want our streets, sidewalks, and bikeways to support multimodal commuting options, active living, and recreational opportunities. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we are working to advance mobility justice, eliminate pedestrian and cyclist crashes, and build a walking and biking culture. We envision a Nashville where all people have the freedom, dignity, and choice to move through a comprehensive and safe network of sidewalks, bikeways, and transit routes. We acknowledge the harm done by car-centric planning and believe transportation investments should remove barriers to mobility and prioritize the needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and low-income people who stand to gain the most from a human-centric city.
Our Values
● Community-driven: We are inclusive and collaborative, prioritizing the interests of the people who have the most at stake over the interests of profit and power. We strive to meet people where they are and seek to empower communities to join the process of co-creation and decision-making.
● Imaginative: We are creative, curious, and adaptable to the constant state of change. We acknowledge that the status quo and “best practices” often perpetuate inequality in mobility. We subscribe to an impact-driven approach that tangibly reflects the diverse perspectives, needs, and ideas that are often dismissed or disputed by a one-size-fits-all approach.
● Accountable: We are committed to racial, economic, and environmental justice. We take time to be reflective of the history of our organization and of Nashville, acknowledging historical and current injustices and repairing harm when possible. As stewards championing multimodal infrastructure, we must critically examine the impact of our projects and work against the displacement and cultural erasure that can accompany shifts in our built environment.
● Kind: We are empathetic and perceptive. We actively listen to your story because we believe lived experience IS expertise. We value local knowledge and fair compensation, recognizing that community voices bring quantitative data to life. We purposefully seek to bring organizations, neighborhoods, and individuals together for the betterment of each other.
● Tenacious: We are bold and diligent in acknowledging social, civic, and infrastructure barriers in Nashville. We reject policing as the sole street safety solution and embrace experimentation and collaboration to advance mobility justice. We seek to build new ways to interact and share power as we work towards a transportation system that is welcoming to all.
Position Summary
The Marketing and Communications Manager oversees branding, marketing, external communications, and fundraising events for Walk Bike Nashville (WBN) to build awareness for our work, shape the local transportation narrative, and support the organization’s fundraising goals.
Reporting to the Executive Director, this manager will play an important role in our organization’s continued effort to ensure that we are speaking to all of Nashville, especially those who have been harmed by car-centric planning.
Salary and Benefits
● Full-time, exempt position
● $50,000 - $60,000 Starting salary (dependent on experience), once-a-month pay schedule
● Health, dental, vision, and life insurance, 401K and Flexible Spending accounts, WeGo pass, BCycle pass, and generous paid time off (all full-time staff start with 15 days paid leave per year and all state holidays, plus our office is closed the week between Christmas and New Years, and the week of July 4th)
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate is confident in:
1. Marketing and Communications:
○ Oversee a strategic, multi-channel marketing effort that upholds WBN’s brand standards and voice.
○ Lead development of thoughtful, timely, and creative content across various mediums, including social media, traditional media, email marketing, website, printed materials, Google ads, etc.
○ Serve as primary media contact and public spokesperson, generating and tracking earned media coverage.
○ Manage graphic design, photography, and videography needs, both in-house and contracted.
○ Maintain the organization’s website content, including blog and monthly newsletter.
○ Manage social media presence and adjust content based on analytics.
2. Event Coordination:
○ Lead the extensive planning process and execution of fundraising events (e.g. Tour de Nash, Member Party, and Sponsor happy hours).
○ Provide logistical support for other WBN and partner events (e.g., Walk to School Day, Bike to School Day, Pedestrian Memorial, World Day of Remembrance, Juneteenth Ride).
○ Cultivate vendor relationships and community partnerships.
○ Utilize and maintain online event tools (e.g., Eventbrite, Nationbuilder).
○ Maintain and oversee the use of event supplies.
3. Fundraising and Membership:
○ Initiate strategies to grow existing fundraising efforts, especially with regard to Tour de Nash and our membership program.
○ Plan and execute the annual membership drive and end-of-year giving campaigns.
○ Lead efforts to convert event attendees into new members.
○ Assist with event sponsorship and fundraising.
4. Collaboration:
○ Refine the Walk Bike Nashville voice with input from all staff.
○ Partner with each department to identify and support their marketing, communications, and events needs.
○ Coordinate with the Member and Volunteer Coordinator for volunteer needs.
○ Support the Executive Director in the development of the annual fundraising strategy and sponsorship program.
○ Actively engage board members and lead portions of Development Committee meetings as required.
5. Administrative:
○ Manage marketing department expenses and budgets.
○ Manage internal processes related to communication needs and event logistics.
○ Track and report metrics related to marketing, communications, and fundraising events.
○ Coordinate our Gear Shifter team to staff tabling opportunities and bike valet requests.
○ Supervise event contractors, volunteers, and/or interns who might assist the marketing department.
6. Other duties as assigned
Personal Attributes
The successful candidate is the following:
○ Champion of safe streets for all and user of multiple modes of transportation.
○ Bold, creative, and strategic in the development of compelling, public-facing content and communications.
○ Passionate and eager storyteller who enjoys interacting with diverse audiences (including those who may disagree with you) to influence perspectives and empower individuals.
○ Impact-driven systems thinker who excels at devising detail-oriented plans to manage many moving parts and proactively solve problems.
○ Dependable, self-motivator who thrives in a less structured, dynamic environment that requires both independent work and collaboration across departments.
○ Adaptable and at ease as priorities may shift when change occurs within the organization, within our focus communities, and throughout Nashville at large.
○ Intellectually curious and inspired by the opportunity to play an active role in setting the strategic direction of this evolving organization.
○ Personable, accommodating, and skilled at active listening and cultivating genuine relationships.
○ Empathetic and perceptive with an understanding of equity and inclusion.
○ Willing to challenge yourself, teammates, and partners when appropriate with grace and humor.
○ Comfortable working occasional evenings and weekends.
○ Committed to safety and organizational mission and values.
○ Eager to join a dynamic and fun-loving team; current interests include: live music, soccer, books of various types, dogs (cat people are welcome too), vegetarianism, obscure films, speaking Dutch…
Required Experience and Knowledge
The successful candidate ideally possesses all of the following experiences and skills:
○ Bachelor’s degree (business, marketing, or communications concentration preferred).
○ Minimum 3 years experience in the management of integrated marketing and communications plans (both traditional and social media) required. Fundraising and/or event planning experience preferred.
○ Strong verbal and written communication skills, including confidence in public speaking and excellent copywriting ability.
○ Ability to handle multiple projects, anticipate needs, and prioritize tasks effectively to meet critical deadlines.
○ Knowledge of the role that marketing plays in fundraising.
○ Financial responsibility to help draft and follow a budget.
○ Meaningful data collection, analysis, reporting, and presentation.
○ Proficiency in Google Suite, Adobe Creative Cloud, and project management tools.
○ Familiarity or willingness to learn software tools such as Asana, Nationbuilder, Tockify, Eventbrite, etc.
Preferred Experience and Knowledge
The successful candidate possesses some of the following ideal experiences and skills:
● Knowledge of local transportation issues; Nashville’s walking, biking, and transit communities; and how mobility intersects with other issues
● Familiar with Nashville’s political landscape and its communities and neighborhoods
● Fluent in Spanish or other languages and dialects spoken in Nashville (such as Kurdish, Arabic, American Sign Language, or African American Vernacular English).
● Experience with SEO (search engine optimization), Google Analytics, audience segmentation and other forms of marketing metrics.
Work Culture
Walkability, bikeability, and livability are multifaceted issues, and the nature of Walk Bike Nashville’s work is complex. Therefore, we believe it is imperative that our workplace culture fosters creativity, inquiry, inclusivity, risk-taking, collaboration, and accountability. We strive to cultivate a sense of belonging within our organization so we are better equipped to tackle the big mission-driven work that is necessary to achieve our vision.
● Individual and team development: In addition to encouraging individual professional development opportunities, we invest in staff-wide training that fosters a strengths-based teaming environment while developing skills such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking skills, communication, conflict resolution, and trust and community building. We prioritize our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. At least bi-monthly, we meet to dive deep into this aspect of our work. Quarterly we gather for 1- to 2-day collaborative reflection and planning sessions, and a week-long end-of-year planning retreat is held during work hours each December. “Meeting-free weeks” are scheduled throughout the year, one-on-one check-ins with supervisors for guidance and support occur at least twice a month, and staff lunches are provided at least monthly.
● Work/Life balance: Our hybrid work environment allows for a very flexible work schedule and we make time for celebrating and enjoying each other’s company on this small but mighty team. When events and community commitments require us to work more than our standard work hours in a week, staff members are encouraged to schedule comp time to maintain a sense of work-life balance.
● Context: Our evolving organization will launch a strategic planning effort this fall, to guide the high-impact execution of our mission. All staff will play an influential role in this process, and our dynamic company culture will continue developing along the way.
Work Environment
Walk Bike Nashville supports a flexible work environment to prioritize work-life balance. Full-time staff are expected to work about 40 hours a week for 8 months of the year, switching to a 32-hour work week during slower months. All staff are responsible for managing their own schedules during the week and are expected to spend reasonable time with the team at our East Nashville office and with partners in the community. Occasional evening and weekend event attendance is required. Day-to-day work is conducted inside. Events often take place outside and can include inclement weather, hot temperatures, or cold temperatures, and may be loud at times due to large crowds, generators, live music, and/or traffic noise.
This position is regularly required to communicate clearly by phone, email, and verbal presentation; remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods; operate a computer and other office equipment; move, lift, and load/unload event supplies and equipment up to 25 pounds. During events the employee is required to observe and assess event spaces and attendees; and move constantly throughout an event footprint, which can be up to a mile long. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.
Equal Opportunity
WBN is an equal opportunity employer and fully committed to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (includes pregnancy or related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristics as required by state and federal law. Walk Bike Nashville is committed to providing a work environment that is free of discrimination and welcomes applicants from a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and ideas.
Disclaimer
This job description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, requirements, or conditions. While intended to be accurate, it is not meant to exclude that other, different tasks may be required when circumstances change, especially during emergencies, personnel changes, workload alterations, rush jobs, or technological developments or advancements.
How to Apply
Please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@walkbikenashville.org. In your cover letter, indicate how you found out about this opening, why you are interested in this position, your most relevant experience and qualifications, and what you think you can bring to the Walk Bike team. Supporting materials and examples of past work can be included as well. We will accept applications on a rolling basis, but will not consider applications received after August 9, 2024. Target start date is September 3, 2024.
