Strategic Communications Associate

01 FirstDay Foundation; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

01 FirstDay Foundation seeks a Strategic Comms Associate to advance our mission and support clients with strategic communications. You will work daily with Portfolio accounts to drive impactful messaging and timely deliverables in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

The role emphasizes proactive client relations, writing proficiency, and meticulous project management to ensure brand voice consistency across platforms.

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal and customer-centered communication.
• Excellent project management and multitasking abilities.
• Creative and strategic thinking.
• Understanding of current advertising trends and platforms.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Strat Comms team to contribute to strategic planning for clients.
• Develop and implement comprehensive communication plans aligned with affiliate goals.
• Review drafts for quality, tone, and messaging consistency before delivery.
• Support storytelling and messaging strategy across campaigns and initiatives.
• Work with clients to provide market research and campaign strategies.
• Support affiliates with messaging, talking points, and materials.
• Draft press releases and media advisories aligned with affiliates.
• Demonstrate strong project management and cost awareness.
• Prepare weekly status reports and project recaps as needed.
• Translate client goals into actionable direction for internal teams.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Multitasking

Creative thinking

Advertising trends

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, PR, Journalism

Job description

It’s a great feeling to work for a company that does so much good for others around the world!

Academic Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (Preferred)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an ad agency or fast-paced communications environment
• Experience writing client reports, proposals, or strategic documents

Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field
• 5 years of experience in Internal/External Communications position, account management, communications, marketing, and PR
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and familiarity with brand messaging, content strategy, or media relations
• Strong editing and proofreading abilities with high attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Professional client-facing presence and interpersonal skills

Position Summary

The Strategic Comms Associate plays an important role in advancing FirstDay Foundation’s mission and the missions of our clients (affiliate companies). Visionary and forward-thinking staff members who interact daily with their Portfolio accounts to support impactful strategic communications. This role requires a proactive customer relations mindset, exceptional storytelling/writing skills, and a detail-oriented project manager who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Essential Functions and Measurable Deliverables

• Collaboration with Strat Comms team members to contribute to strategic planning efforts for clients, fostering client engagement and feedback across accounts within the assigned Portfolio team.
• Develop and implement comprehensive communication plan(s) aligned with each affiliate’s organizational goals and objectives, ensuring all communications collateral are clear, concise, on-brand, and aligned with client objectives with overall consistent brand voice and messaging across all platforms.
• Review drafts for quality, accuracy, tone, and messaging consistency before client delivery.
• Support storytelling and messaging strategy across campaigns and initiatives.
• Work with clients to provide market research and develop campaign strategies for them to successfully meet their objectives.
• Support affiliates with messaging, talking points, and presentation materials.
• Draft press releases and media advisories that are consistent with each affiliate.
• Possess strong project management skills and working knowledge of costs and timeframes associated with completing jobs.
• Possess strong basic financial management and supervisory skills, and basic understanding of cost management in an advertising agency context.
• Develop and disseminate supporting materials to clients as instructed, including weekly status reports, billing summaries, timelines, meeting agendas, meeting reports, project recaps, project estimates, and other relevant documents as needed in each project lifecycle.
• Translate client goals, feedback, and revisions into actionable direction for internal teams and coordinate with the creative team to produce marketing collateral or other assets as necessary.
• Cultivate community relations awareness by staying informed of current trends and news within our region, engage with chambers of commerce, city officials, and area business councils, and attend relevant community events.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills and Abilities Required

• Strong positive, customer-centered interpersonal, communication skills.
• Excellent project management and multitasking abilities.
• Creative and strategic thinking.
• Understanding of current advertising trends and platforms.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Other Responsibilities

• Provide communications support for events, including collateral, signage, scripts, and social media promotion, as appropriate.
• Capture event content (photo/video coordination, recaps with Junior Creative for assigned Portfolio).

EEO Statement

In accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other applicable federal and state laws (e.g., the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)), it is our policy to provide equal employment opportunity and treat all employees equally regardless of race, religion, national origin, color, sex, or any other classification made unlawful or prohibited by federal, state and/or local laws, such as age, citizenship status, veteran or military status, or disability. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, compensation, training, working conditions, transfer, job assignments, benefits, layoff, and termination.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.