Communications Program Manager

The Opportunity Trust; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing public education in St. Louis seeks a Communications Program Manager. This role requires managing the operational aspects of the communications function, including overseeing digital content, relationship management, and executing events. Ideal candidates will possess at least 4 years of experience in operations within communications or public engagement, demonstrating the ability to manage multiple projects effectively and build relationships that drive impact. A competitive salary package is offered for successful applicants.

Qualifications

• At least 4 years of operations experience in communications, marketing, or public engagement.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional follow-through on tasks and deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Run the operational infrastructure for communications.
• Manage TOT's digital presence across social platforms and website.
• Ensure timely relationship management data reporting.
• Execute seamless events with vendor management and post-event analysis.
• Support communications for core initiatives and manage participant recruitment.

Skills

Project management

Systems-building

Data analysis

Content creation

Relationship building

Tools

Mailchimp

Salesforce

WordPress

Canva

Adobe

Google Analytics

Job description

Founded in 2018, The Opportunity Trust (TOT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child in St. Louis is prepared to thrive by having access to a quality public school education. Since 2019, The Opportunity Trust has attracted and invested over $125 million to transform public education in Missouri, launching new schools, strengthening educator and leadership pipelines, and expanding access to quality public schools (both traditional district and public charter schools). In 2023, the organization secured Missouri’s first-ever $35 million U.S. Department of Education Charter School Program award, a landmark investment to expand access to high-quality charter schools across the state.

By 2027, TOT is working to ensure that at least 30% of St. Louis’ children attend a quality public school, up from 12% when the organization launched. Through its work, The Opportunity Trust has incubated and launched nine schools and helped to expand six existing public schools in St. Louis. In addition, through policy and advocacy work, TOT has built a coalition locally and statewide and has successfully advocated for education policies to increase support of and accountability for quality public education across Missouri. Their work in St. Louis is becoming a model for the nation through their innovative programs in Pre-K funding, reimagining high school, career-connected learning, and workforce development.

To learn more about The Opportunity Trust, visit their website here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Communications Program Manager is the operational engine of TOT’s communications function — a critical systems thinker who translates strategy into airtight processes, executes with relentless consistency, and then uses the margin that discipline creates to innovate, build relationships, and make the work better. This is not a coordinator role. It is an ownership role.

You will work closely with the Partner and Associate Partner for Communications and Community Coalitions, as well as senior leadership and a wide range of partner organizations — from school districts to parent advocacy groups. You will proactively review every project plan, identify your role without being asked, and drive every task to completion on time and on budget. Your reliability is what makes the team’s creativity and momentum possible.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

This role has five ownership areas. In each one, your job is to make the work happen — completely, accurately, and on time — and to continuously look for ways to do it better

1. Run the operational infrastructure. Clean contact lists, on-time vendor payments, accurate tools and systems, on-schedule performance data reporting, and production of both the internal and external newsletters - from content capture through distribution and post-send reporting. When the infrastructure is clean, and execution is on time, stakeholders stay informed, partners feel valued, and more kids get access to quality schools.
2. Own TOT’s digital presence. The LinkedIn account and the website are yours: consistent content calendar, graphics, posting cadence, WordPress, SEO, analytics. The Associate Partner sets the direction; you execute it consistently, report on it, and bring new ideas to make it sharper. Every post is a chance to move someone closer to aligning with TOT’s mission.
3. Backstop relationship management. You own the data infrastructure behind TOT's relationships and media presence — keeping Salesforce and Meltwater current, reporting media hits and engagement regularly, and surfacing insights and concerns to leadership. Every staff member owns their relationships; you make sure the data is clean, and the reporting is timely, so the team can focus on building relationships, not managing tools.
4. Execute seamless events. You are responsible for invite lists, social graphics, contracts, billing, vendor management, and post-event reporting across TOT’s signature events each year. These events are where the coalition connects, builds trust, and fosters community. That only happens when execution is best-in-class and invisible.
5. Execute across TOT’s core initiatives. TOT fellowships, bootcamps, and other initiatives each carry a communications load that you will own. You will support the team with relationship management, create content, track recruitment targets, manage platforms, support data collection, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks to recruit, retain, and celebrate our impact.

WHAT WE NEED

We are seeking a communications professional with at least 4 years of operations experience in communications, marketing, or public engagement, and ready for a critical, execution-focused role at a social impact organization. The right candidate is a task-oriented critical thinker with exceptional follow-through — someone who proactively identifies what needs to be done, creates and systematizes processes, and drives every initiative to completion with operational excellence.

Specific requirements include:

Core Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of concurrent projects across multiple platforms, driving every task to completion on time and on budget
• Strong systems-building instinct: you create processes, document them, and look for ways to improve them over time
• Tenacious commitment to seeing every deliverable through from start to finish, including tracking details, chasing down inputs from stakeholders, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Proactively reviews project plans to identify their role, asks clarifying questions immediately, and takes ownership without being asked
• Comfortable with data: you track performance, interpret it, and translate it into clear recommendations
• Creative capacity to develop engaging content, graphics, and new engagement approaches once operational rhythms are established
• Genuine relationship-building skills with team members, partner communicators, and external vendors

Professional Requirements

• Passionate commitment to dramatically improving PK-12 education for underserved children in St. Louis
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize across newsletters, social media, website, events, and partner programs simultaneously
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI and digital tools to increase efficiency, creativity, audience reach, and innovation
• Ability to translate data into clear insights that inform strategy and strengthen storytelling
• Proficiency in Mailchimp, Salesforce, WordPress, Canva, Meltwater, Sertifier, Adobe, Zoom hosting, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Google Analytics, and Google Sheets
• Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to produce clear, compelling content across multiple formats
• Visual sensibility and creativity to produce graphics and content that align with brand standards
• Learner stance, humility, and growth mindset
• Availability to attend evening and weekend events as needed

WHAT WE OFFER

• Salary $65,000-$75,000 , commensurate with experience