Marketing & Communications Manager

Are you a storyteller and strategist who wants your marketing skills to save lives?

We're looking for a communicator who sees a story everywhere - in a senior dog finally going home, the veterinary outreach team helping a family stay together, a volunteer who shows up every Tuesday - and knows how to turn that story into action: a donation, an adoption, a share, a lifelong supporter.

You're a planner who doesn't panic when the plan changes. You can build a quarterly campaign calendar and still drop everything (gracefully) when an emergency intake media release needs to go public by noon. You're curious about what the data says, calm under pressure, and happiest when you're building something rather than just maintaining what already exists.

And you're just as comfortable in front of people as behind a keyboard. Whether it's an interview, a presentation to a service club, a donor at an event, or a family who just adopted their new best friend, you speak warmly, clearly, and credibly on behalf of the mission.

The Marketing & Communications Manager leads HSCO's marketing and communications work so that Central Oregon understands the need, feels connected to the animals and people we serve, and is inspired to act. You'll translate organization priorities into communications plans, find our most compelling stories, and deliver clear, consistent, mission-driven messaging across digital, print, media, fundraising, and community channels.

Success in this role strengthens HSCO's visibility, deepens audience engagement, supports donor retention and acquisition, and builds trust across Central Oregon.

• Develop and implement integrated communications plans that support fundraising campaigns, events, adoptions, programs, advocacy, community engagement, and organizational priorities.

• Partner with the Director of Philanthropy & Communications to align messaging with fundraising strategy, donor journeys, revenue goals, and stewardship needs.

• Build simple systems for content intake, prioritization, approvals, and reporting so the team moves quickly without chaos.

• Maintain message clarity, brand consistency, and audience focus across all external communications.

• Lead the development of content for email, website, social media, print, signage, media, presentations, and campaigns.

• Identify, gather, and elevate impact stories that highlight animal care, adoptions, veterinary outreach, foster, volunteerism, emergency response, and the human-animal bond.

• Write and edit clear, compelling copy that motivates action while honoring the dignity of animals, clients, donors, volunteers, and staff.

• Maintain a content calendar balancing planned campaigns with timely shelter needs, reflecting HSCO's socially conscious sheltering approach.

• Own HSCO's website content strategy, email marketing, and social media strategy - hands-on at first, then in partnership with the Digital Media Specialist you hire.

• Use analytics, testing, segmentation, and audience insight to improve engagement and conversion.

• In partnership with Director of Philanthropy & Communications and Development Coordinator, strengthen digital fundraising through effective landing pages, email journeys, donation forms, and campaign messaging.

• Help scope, hire, and onboard a Digital Media Specialist.

• Clarify roles, priorities, deadlines, and ownership of communications deliverables.

• Foster a collaborative, responsive, solutions-oriented team environment.

• Turn competing cross-department requests into clear priorities and share information proactively.

• Model good judgment, calm problem-solving, curiosity, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

• Collaborate with the Philanthropy team members to plan and execute donor communications, digital fundraising, direct mail support, event promotion, sponsorship recognition, and stewardship messaging.

• Develop campaign messaging that connects urgent needs with donor impact and clear next steps.

• Create reports, stories, and updates that show donors the difference their gifts make.

• Coordinate communications for major events, including timelines, collateral, email, web, social, signage, scripts, and post-event follow-up.

• Serve as a spokesperson for HSCO (one of a team): give on-camera and radio interviews, and speak confidently and compassionately with reporters, donors, partners, and community members.

• Represent HSCO in person at community events, presentations, service clubs, shelter tours, and tabling opportunities, and prepare other staff to do the same with talking points and coaching.

• Manage local media relationships; draft press releases, pitches, talking points, public statements, and crisis communications as needed.

• Coordinate with leadership so public messaging is accurate,…