Senior Director - Mass Market Engagement - Portland/Washington, DC, US - Mercy Corps
Washington, DC
About the Job
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long-term impact.
Department Summary
The Marketing & Communications department’s purpose is to amplify and support Mercy Corps’ mission and strategic goals by raising flexible funds, strengthening supporter partnerships and raising our global profile and influence, and fostering team collaboration and connectivity.
We boldly share Mercy Corps’ global impact with our audiences, with a focus on building trust, engagement, and long-term relationships among our global team members and with our supporters. We inspire and motivate financial support and partnership through transparency, inclusivity, creativity, and best-in-class storytelling. We engage prospects and supporters through a multi-channel, user-driven approach, communicating information that represents Mercy Corps’ best work and global culture, on key issues that donors care about. We work across teams to protect Mercy Corps’ reputation and safeguard our ability to operate.
The role of the Marketing team is to guide the direction of Mercy Corps global brand and develop and implement strategies to promote brand awareness and drive a sustainable base of unrestricted financial support, particularly among mass-market supporter audiences.
Position Summary
The Senior Director, Mass Market Engagement leads the advancement of Mercy Corps’ mass marketing channels online and offline, with an eye toward delivering value for our audiences and creating exceptional experiences that are consistent with Mercy Corps’ purposes and principles. A proven leader, they are skilled at building collaborative and matrixed teams to drive audience engagement in ways that advance strategic, marketing, and fundraising goals.
Heading an integrated channel effort, the Senior Director of Marketing oversees prospect and donor communications/marketing for an audience of individuals who give up to $10,000 annually. They will combine cutting-edge marketing and fundraising techniques with audience insights and Mercy Corps’ mission to deliver powerful campaigns that reflect our belief in possibility, equity, and personal dignity. A bold and action-driven leader, they are ready to take Mercy Corps’ brand strategy and direct marketing efforts in new directions, expanding our reach, and creating meaningful and exciting opportunities for audiences to engage with Mercy Corps.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND VISION
Oversee Mercy Corps’ integrated mass market fundraising strategy, which includes offline and online acquisition and renewal, monthly giving, and collaborative mid-level donor cultivation, toward a current gross annual goal of over $21 million, in the process growing the mass market donor file in demographics, size, and revenue.
Lead development of new, creative ways and approaches that motivate donors and supporters to engage with Mercy Corps, through strategies that are ahead of the traditional fundraising curve.
In collaboration with other Marketing and Communications leaders, deliver creative excellence, messaging consistency, and brand coherence across offline and online channels and platforms.
Work with other Marketing and Communications leaders, including the VP of Marketing, Senior Director of Creative, Director of Marketing Strategy, and Senior Director of Marketing Operations to define marketing goals and develop brand and performance strategy, oversee content strategy, asset planning, and execution of paid and organic channel programs across channels that include but are not limited to direct mail, email, website, and social media.
Coordinate with other Resource Development team leaders on fundraising opportunities and ensure consistency of branding and messaging in line with the vision, voice, visual style, tools, and templates of the global agency.
Oversee partnerships with Policy and Advocacy, global colleagues, and programmatic teams to ensure marketing advances Mercy Corps’ global advocacy agenda.
Oversee annual budgets and planning for the Mass Market Engagement teams, advocating for inputs and desired outcomes at the broader organizational level.
Manage the annual planning process for Mass Market Engagement to ensure short- and long-term departmental goals and objectives are defined, communicated, and met.
Partner with senior leadership in Development Operations and outside consultants as needed to provide consistent analysis and communication of trends in Mercy Corps’ donor base and the fundraising industry, and to recommend strategies based on that analysis.
Oversee and ensure the success of mass market fundraising response during global emergencies, coordinating channels and tactics with urgency and clarity, and communicating results to senior stakeholders.
Serve as part of the MarComms leadership team.
TEAM MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP
Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance, expand capacities, and reach objectives.
Supervise two Director-level reports and wider team of 7+ professionals.
Create a trusting, collegial, and collaborative team environment: Share information proactively and appropriately, clearly state expectations, hold self and others accountable to high standards, and work to maintain a shared vision of creative excellence and successful outcomes.
Help build a stronger bridge between Mercy Corps Global, Mercy Corps in Europe, and the countries where we work, to build relationships that result in a cohesive brand and marketing experience globally, grounded in the stories of our teams and participants.
Supervisory Responsibility
Director of Direct Marketing, Director of Digital Marketing.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: VP of Marketing
Works Directly With: Senior Director of Development Operations, Senior Director of Creative, Senior Director of Marketing Operations, Director of Digital Development, Senior Director of Communications, Development leadership.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
Track record of direct marketing success and brand marketing management at a large organization or company, working with matrixed teams, preferably with a purpose-driven organization.
8+ years of progressive experience within marketing, development, and/or fundraising.
6+ years demonstrated understanding of and functioning in a complex competitive marketing landscape, effective stewardship of a brand while raising the organization’s global profile, and leading the advancement of marketing/fundraising goals.
Demonstrated supervisory experience leading, coaching, mentoring and developing team members.
Excellent communications skills: verbal and written.
Experience managing full P&L and development of budgets.
Success building and leading high-performing teams.
Successful and proven negotiation and organization skills.
Track record of building creative, productive partnerships internally and externally.
Experience working in the international relief and development sector preferred.
Experience with MS Office and other relevant software.
Success Factors
A successful candidate will be a skilled connector and collaborative leader with an ability to think and act quickly on many different levels. With a strong background across online and offline channels, they will be able to take the long view strategically while overseeing extensive production and performance analysis. A solution-oriented team player who inspires excellence in their teams, they will be ready to innovate even while maintaining and growing existing products and processes. They will have the ability to evaluate complex data and information, and translate these findings to teammates and leadership. Moving quickly in times of global emergency, they will be able to intuitively judge moments of opportunity and activate into them. Experience in matrixed teams, an entrepreneurial spirit, and creative problem solving will be key to their success
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position requires very limited travel. Some evenings/weekends required during emergency responses.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.
Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.
Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees
Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.
This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.
For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.