Marketing and Communications Specialist

The Salvation Army is an international Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible; its ministry is motivated by love for God and the needs of humanity.
Mission Statement The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.
Core Values The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda has four core values:
Hope: We give hope through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Service: We reach out to support others without discrimination.
Dignity: We respect and value each other, recognizing everyone’s worth.
Stewardship: We responsibly manage the resources entrusted to us

Under the direct supervision of the Divisional Secretary for Public Relations or the Divisional Manager of Marketing and Communications, the Marketing and Communications Specialist contributes to the creative development of key communications projects and assets for The Salvation Army. These include marketing, social media strategies and communications such as storytelling, web content and creative development for the division. (photography, videography, and design).

Accountabilities:

Marketing:

• Identify, initiate, and enhance divisional marketing efforts to promote and strengthen the image of The Salvation Army
• As part of MC team, meet with external agencies when required to contribute to creative asset creation
• Distribute creative assets to other ministry units accordingly based on approved national and divisional strategies
• Understands role of different media options and their impact on achieving marketing objectives, and contributes to and execute tactical media and creative plans
• Develop and share tools and tactics that can be used both at Divisional Headquarters as well as at local levels to attain the goal of raising awareness of The Salvation Army
• Identify partnership opportunities within organization and in media and build relationships on a divisional level that help to promote The Salvation Army’s mission and vision

Communications

• Develop content for articles, social media, website, advertising campaigns, video scripts, earned media pitches, divisional reports and other promotional materials and communications projects, as assigned
• Publish content to websites and other online platforms
• Conduct keyword research using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices to increase traffic to the divisional website
• Develop an editorial calendar, collaborating with other members of the communications team
• Proofread, edit content and ensure AODA compliance if applicable

Social Media:

• Manage the divisional social media accounts which are targeted towards reaching the general public with the goal of increasing support for its social services and community & family services work and provide the day-to-day operations to promote engagement with the public; responding to queries about TSA’s work
• Assist with the development of a content calendar that outlines important themes and dates (ex. Donut Day, Empress of Ireland, Giving Tuesday) to post to platforms
• Post updates to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn in line with the content calendar
• Ensure that we promote our corporate partners (as per agreements) and our divisional and national campaigns
• Research new processes and technologies as well as develop understanding of targeted demographics to improve efficiency and meet industry best practices
• Monitor and track monthly statistics and changes and provide reports that outline both quantitative and qualitative results to leadership
• Work with social media influencers to ensure access, proper messaging and brand standards are met
• Manage social media engagement with public which includes monitoring on weekends and after office hours
• Participate in communications team planning and project management activities
• Collaborate with other departments (Youth, Corps Ministries, etc.)/ Ministry Units to manage reputation, identify key players and coordinate actions
• Leverage social media to cover live events and increase their audience engagement
• Ensure all legal requirements and identity standards relating to social media are met (closed captioning)

Creative Content Design

• Support full communications team through creation of media resources
• Work with territorial and divisional teams to identify and assess potential communications or story leads as well as provide supportive direction, training, assistance to ministry units in regard to social media production and other communications tasks
• Provide photographic skill and editing to enhance storytelling, provide business needs (headshots) and event coverage required by internal and external departments
• Provide video coverage or filming of leadership messaging such as holidays (Christmas and Easter messaging), General’s visit, other various video storytelling needs
• Support team members on projects through all stages to meet established timelines, ensuring all media resources adhere to the organization’s official brand guidelines
• Participate in divisional events to provide social media coverage and liaise with event coordinators/specialists to understand what audio/visual/recording/webcast will be required and agree on expected outcomes.
• Assist other departments in the preparation of training and/or promotional videos
• Outline necessary equipment (cameras, stands, lighting) for purchase, repair, or replacement
• Ensure equipment is cared for
• Assist with planning, envisioning, and implementing creative productions as required
• Ensure all creative has model release forms and adherence to copyrighting and digitize all project release forms

PR & Ministry Support

• Understand the needs of the Ministry Units across the division as it relates to marketing and communications, social media and media relations and provide proactive support ongoing – this includes developing a good understanding of the service offering in each
• Assist with communicating territorial and divisional campaign assets and provide guidance and recommendations to Ministry Units in order to maximize local impact
• Be the marketing and communications subject matter expert on all social platforms and web site/virtual and respond promptly to Ministry Unit needs across the Maritime division
• Establish effective media and marketing communications relationships across the division in order to respond promptly to the needs of the ministry units in all 3 provinces of the division – writing and sending out local media releases, stories, videos etc.
• Support the DSPR in other PR initiatives as required.

Education, Qualifications and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, Marketing, or other related discipline

Experience and Skilled Knowledge Requirements

• Three to five years related public relations/marketing/writing/communications/web/social media experience in an organizational setting, with previous non-profit experience an asset
• Good understanding of social media KPIs
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud applications preferred (InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere, and ability to learn new applications quickly)
• Exceptional pitching and presentation skills

Skills and Capabilities:

• Excellent knowledge of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Youtube and other social media best practices
• Proven ability to manage multiple social media accounts with creativity and a high level of accuracy
• Demonstrated story-telling ability using a broad range of social media post types and tactics
• Understanding of SEO and web traffic metrics
• Demonstrated excellent organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills
• Ability to use different types of photographic equipment and photography software
• Excellent working knowledge and experience in various software and reporting tools such as Microsoft Office, WordPress, Hootsuite, and an ability to quickly learn new applications
• Superior photographic and video skills
• Outstanding time management skills and attention to detail
• Excellent project coordination skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities. Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities as required
• Excellent use of English language and writing for print and online applications
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment to meet tight deadlines
• Positive, enthusiastic, solution-focused and will take initiative
• Familiarity with The Salvation Army is an asset
• Flexibility to work outside regular business hours and availability on short notice required (i.e. Disaster response). Divisional travel required
• Ability to write and converse in French is an asset
• Ability and willingness to adhere to, support, respect, promote, and further The Salvation Army’s mission, vision, values and strategic goals