Marketing and Communications Manager

Job Title:

Marketing and Communications Manager

Reports To:

Executive Director

Type:
Full-time

Status:
Exempt

The Marketing & Communications Manager leads the National Willa Cather Center’s day-to-day marketing and communications efforts. The Manager will help grow audiences, strengthen the organization’s public profile, and support earned revenue through museum visits, events, retail, lodging, and dining. Working closely with leadership and external marketing partners, this position executes integrated marketing campaigns, manages digital media, cultivates media relationships, and oversees rollout and implementation of the Center’s rebrand.

Because the National Willa Cather Center also owns and operates Hotel Garber, this position collaborates with the hotel’s external marketing agency to coordinate digital marketing initiatives and maximize cross-promotional opportunities between the Center’s cultural attractions and Hotel Garber’s lodging and dining operations.

About the Willa Cather Foundation:
The National Willa Cather Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that works to advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather through education, preservation, and the arts. Since its founding in 1955, the NWCC has been located in Red Cloud—a small and vibrant community in south-central Nebraska where Cather spent her formative years.

• Support implementation of the Center’s rebranding initiative by working with an external marketing agency and internal stakeholders to ensure successful rollout across all channels
• Serve as steward of the organization’s brand standards to ensure consistent application of messaging, visual identity, and tone across all print and digital communications
• Write and edit a wide range of content, including press releases, advertising copy, content for the museum website and e-newsletter, feature stories, annual reports, and other projects

• Manage the Cather Center’s online presence, including social media channels, website, email marketing, e-commerce, and digital advertising
• Develop and execute paid and organic digital marketing campaigns in coordination with leadership and external marketing partners
• Create or coordinate production of digital content, including graphics, photography, and short-form video
• Maintain news, event, and product listings on the Center’s website, as well as directory listings on sites such as Google Business, Trip Advisor, Visit Nebraska, etc.

• Draft and distribute press releases, media kits, and ads to local and national press
• Pitch stories to journalists, editors, and freelance writers, and coordinate media tours and interviews
• Design and distribute promotional materials, including ads, posters, and other forms of marketing
• Foster cross-promotional partnerships with tour companies, organizations, businesses, and area attractions

• Coordinate marketing calendars and campaign schedules
• Manage relationships with outside vendors, designers, photographers, printers, and marketing agencies
• Research visitor analytics to help evaluate the effectiveness of marketing and communications strategies
• Assist in the development of an annual budget for marketing initiatives
• Track return on investment (ROI) on paid advertising initiatives
• Compile metrics reports for leadership to evaluate key performance indicators such as digital traffic, engagement, email open and click rates, online sales, etc.

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, graphic design, or a related field
• 3-5 years’ experience in marketing and communications

• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Experience with Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite, Mail Chimp, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva,, etc.
• Experience with photography, video production, and editing tools preferred
• Creativity and innovation in evolving marketing and PR approaches
• An appreciation…