Communications and Engagement Coordinator
Reports to: Executive Director
Full-time, Contract-to-permanent hire position
The Houston Center for Photography is looking for an eloquent Communications and Engagement Coordinator to actively generate and manage our online/offline communications and engagement with our audiences. Communications and Engagement Coordinator will engage our existing constituents and new individuals and communities within Houston and beyond in our exhibitions, public programs, and events, as well as in our membership program and our educational and community offerings. By enhancing the online/offline communications and engagement strategy, they will increase awareness of HCP’s multifaceted endeavors.
Ultimately, the Communications and Engagement Coordinator will have the Houston Center for Photography recognized as an innovative leader in the photography world, a promoter of local, national, and international artists, and a regional hub where the lens-based media are advanced through exhibitions, programs, publications, education, and fellowships for artists.
The successful Communications and Engagement Coordinator is an expert visual and discursive story-teller, who is passionate about sharing the work of Houston Center for Photography and illuminating HCP’s accomplishments. They will implement creative story-telling and informational campaigns online and in print, and collaborate with all departments to generate substantial and compelling content about HCP’s work and its impact. They will be adept at assembling and analyzing program and support data, preparing story-telling and advertising strategies (when and as needed), and writing engaging creative copy, including press releases and HCP newsletters, of various lengths and styles. Strong candidates will display impressive self-motivation and autonomous organization, an eagerness to collaborate and learn with others, a creative engagement with both writing and visual media, including photography, videography, and graphic design.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Create and maintain an organization-wide calendar for communications and engagement to promote HCP’s exhibitions, public programs and events, publications, educational offerings, membership, and calls for entry.
- Produce photographic and video content in collaboration with the Exhibition team to document and promote our exhibitions, public programs and events, publications, educational offerings, membership, and calls for entry. Responsible for contracting photographers and videographers as required.
- Develop creative messaging strategies to communicate, engage and grow HCP’s audience around exhibitions, public programs and events, publications, educational offerings, membership and calls for entry. Demonstrate our programs’ impact on different communities via HCP’s online/offline communications platforms (e.g. website, e-newsletters, social media platforms, press releases/media relations, and other creative methods).
- Generate new ideas for HCP’s e-newsletters to keep our constituents engaged and attract new ones. Use HCP’s subscriber base of ~14,000 to get people excited and engaged in HCP’s work through e-newsletter campaign development, writing, and image selection and production. With Development Coordinator and other team members, create and produce an every-other-month Members’ Newsletter, and share information about members’ work and accomplishments through HCP channels.
- Social Media: Creatively maintain and use HCP’s social media platforms as vital story-telling platforms to promote HCP’s work and programs, and to engage with other organizations and conversations about photography.
- Stay current with social media changes and trends.
- Broaden HCP’s reach by promoting it as a platform for artists through strategic conversations and engagement with artists, nonprofits, and other entities.
- Media Relations & Press Releases: With other members of the team, craft compelling press releases and distribute them to HCP’s press contacts to promote HCP’s work and diverse programs. Expand HCP’s press list to include new publications and blogs targeting diverse audiences.
- Target regional, national, and international publications to introduce HCP, solicit reviews of exhibitions, and highlight HCP’s presence within the photography world.
- Develop unique PR opportunities, pitch HCP’s content, special interest stories, and interviews about or with HCP staff, artists, and constituents to regional, national, and international programs and publications.
- Advertising: Manage Marketing & Advertising budget, and research digital and print advertising opportunities to increase participation in HCP’s diverse programs, including on-site and off-site educational offerings (classes, workshops, etc.) and use of HCP’s digital lab.
- Website Maintenance: With Director of Operations, create, update, and maintain cohesive website copy and webpage layouts.
- Maintain, record, analyze, and report data on KPIs for HCP’s advertisements, e-newsletters, social media accounts, spot magazine, and website. Implement actionable steps to improve performance.
- With Development Coordinator, create visual/textual reports and presentations to keep donors and funders aware of HCP’s programs and their impact.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, or Marketing, or related discipline preferred, or comparable work experience
- Bilingual or multilingual preferred, with desired fluency in Spanish
- Passion for and knowledge of the arts, especially when articulated from the non-for-profit spaces, strongly preferred
- Impeccable communication skills, both written, verbal, and visual, with experience writing, editing, and creating creative and compelling content for diverse audiences and platforms, including social media, digital spaces, and newsletters
- Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite applications along with experience and knowledge or practice of graphic design, photography, and videography strongly desired
- High level of experience with social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Well-organized with solid time management skills
- Ability to productively engage with multiple stakeholders and colleagues, and to multitask and handle multiple priorities
- Ability to set and achieve goals
Wages and Schedule:
This is a full-time, salaried position with benefits, including generous time off and flex -work-time policies; health, vision, and dental insurance; and employer’s contribution to a retirement plan. Salary is in the 36K–40K range.
Application Instructions:
To apply for this position, please email search@hcponline.org with the subject line: Communications and Engagement Coordinator Application. Attach a single PDF containing your cover letter, resume, three references, and two writing/visual samples. Writing samples (and visuals if appropriate) should be: 1) a very succinct and compelling “call to action”, approx. 50–60 words; 2) a 500–750-word example of persuasive story-telling. Please note: multiple documents will not be opened. Priority deadline for applications is May 15, 2022. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
About Houston Center for Photography
The mission of Houston Center for Photography is to increase society’s understanding and appreciation of photography and its evolving role in contemporary, emphatically visual, culture. HCP encourages artists, builds audiences, stimulates dialogue, and promotes inquiry about photography and related media through education, exhibitions, publications, fellowship programs, and community collaborations. HCP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as a resource to its members and Houston communities with programs that have regional and national impact.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Houston Center for Photography is committed to enhancing our community and encourages applications from qualified individuals with varied backgrounds, experiences, and ideas, who would increase the diversity of HCP. We are a global-majority team that speaks multiple languages.
