Position Title: Communications Associate
Position Level: Associate
Reports to: Director of Communications
FLSA Status: Salary, Full-Time (40 hours per week), Non-Exempt
Hiring Range: $38,000 - $41,000
Prepared Date: March 2025
About WMCAT
The West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT) provides a culture of opportunity for people to make social and economic progress in their lives and community. We fulfill our mission through visual arts and tech engagement, workforce development, and social enterprise.
Position Summary
The Communications Associate is an integral member of the communications team, leveraging WMCAT's digital channels, communications assets, key messaging, and student stories to highlight and elevate WMCAT's mission-based programming and community-facing work. Through long and short-form storytelling and social media content creation and management, the Communications Associate advances and implements WMCAT's annual communications plan while working across teams in a collaborative environment.
The ideal candidate is adept at writing with journalistic integrity and eager to build engagement with internal and external stakeholders through meaningful storytelling. The candidate should be committed to our organizational voice and asset-framing language.
Essential Duties + Responsibilities
Writing
- Write and share content for WMCAT's print newsletter, sent three times each year, working in collaboration with the Director of Communications to tell WMCAT stories that follow the overall communications strategy and advance the work of WMCAT.
- Create WMCAT's monthly e-newsletter and update all email contacts and lists as needed.
- Adhere to WMCAT's brand standards and organizational voice, with a commitment to asset-framing language and student-centered storytelling; support internal and external stakeholders in brand and messaging application.
- Support the Director of Communications in advancing and implementing WMCAT's annual communications plan through additional efforts including but not limited to award nominations, op-eds for various publications and platforms, and fund development communications.
- Collaborate with the Director of Communications to implement new messaging or communications strategies when needed.
Social Media
- Develop and implement engaging social media campaigns for a variety of WMCAT programs and events.
- Manage WMCAT's websites and social media platforms, ensuring accurate, timely, and data-driven engagement with a focus on audience growth.
- Implement social media strategies and produce content to advance and grow engagement around programming, events, fundraising, and messaging goals.
- Track monthly reach and engagement data and work with the Director of Communications to adapt approach for continued growth.
- Keep up to date on growing social media trends and what is appropriate for WMCAT to explore and use.
- Engage with various programs, students, and stakeholders to advance program messaging and student stories.
Asset Management
- Coordinate with the Director of Communications for photography and videography (stock, project, social media, program, event coverage, etc.) and make plans for capturing with internal colleagues.
- Coordinate with the Director of Communications when there is a need for external vendors; serve as one of three WMCAT internal photographers.
- Organize WMCAT's print and digital assets (i.e. newsletters, photography, video) and connect colleagues to needed resources.
- Collaborate with the Director of Communications for in-house design needs, creating presentations, flyers and postcards, event collateral, graphics, etc., and supporting colleagues with brand application and logo use.
WMCAT Mission + Organizational Expectations
- Advance WMCAT's mission (see above) and vision to provide equitable access to opportunity.
- Demonstrate a willingness and desire to grow professionally, learn, and contribute to a culture of equity, inclusion, and innovation.
- Recognize your responsibility and contribution to the culture of WMCAT.
- Represent WMCAT at occasional designated events throughout the year, which may occur outside of standard scheduled hours.
- Foster positive relationships with staff and students.
- Desire to align with WMCAT's values (listed below).
Requirements
Preferred Experiences + Skills
- Demonstrated experience could include:
- Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, marketing, or a related field.
- Two or more years of experience in communications, public relations, or marketing.
- Record of impactful written and digital communications focused on engagement and audience growth.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills to connect with a diverse group of people.
- Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and desire to maximize efficiency in the role.
- High proficiency in computer skills, and experience with Microsoft Office 365, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, and project management software.
- Proficiency with various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
- Cultural competency and emotional intelligence to work with individuals from varied backgrounds and foster open communication among diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently and with initiative while regularly collaborating with and across teams.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to handle, or feel, and is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee regularly is required to sit, walk, stand, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, climb or crouch. The employee must frequently lift and/or move from 15-45 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.
Additional Details: Recognizing there is leadership in every community, WMCAT is seeking candidates with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We are dedicated to hiring employees that reflect the communities we serve across race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic status. No person shall be excluded from WMCAT services, employment or volunteer participation because of ethnicity, race, national origin, age, height, weight, genetic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, economic circumstance, veteran status, physical and/or mental abilities/characteristics, philosophy/religion, or any other status that is protected by State of Michigan or federal law or by local ordinance for those jurisdictions where WMCAT operates.
WMCAT's Values
- Design for Equity
- Creating a world that works for all of us.
- Rooted in an understanding that systemic oppression is perpetuated by design, we center marginalized voices, consciously co-create solutions, and challenge unjust systems to provide equitable access to opportunity.
- Pursue Learning
- Engaging the experiences and expertise around us.
- Acknowledging that we never "arrive" in our understanding, we engage each other, ourselves, and our community with curiosity and appreciation for diverse lived experiences, seeking out new ideas, more robust context, and opportunities for growth.
- Build Community
- Curating belonging for collective good.
- Grounded in the belief that our humanity, prosperity and futures are interconnected, we intentionally create space for belonging, build authentic relationships, seek partnership in our collective work, and respect our shared context.
- Center People
- Leading with empathy.
- Guided by the mindsets of equitable human-centered design, we seek the perspectives of and create solutions with those most affected, embracing the inherent value of each individual and prioritizing whole-person thriving.
In-person, full-time at WMCAT: This position is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The candidate should be comfortable working in person with some flexibility for remote work. WMCAT's regular office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: All WMCAT employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Benefits
Pay: Compensation within the listed hiring range is based on experience and nonprofit industry standards. Competitive benefits package provided, including:
- 15 days of PTO
- 15 paid holidays
- Birthday day off
- Half-day Fridays during the summer
- Simple IRA with employer match of up to 3%
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental, and Vision), premium 65% (average) paid by employer
- HSA plan option
- Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary, and AD&D)
- Paid Family Leave
- Professional development and opportunities for personal growth
Resumes will be reviewed on April 21, 2025.
