Action Against Hunger is on a mission to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good. We are searching for a passionate and strategic Director of Public Engagement who will lead a dynamic team of marketing, communications, and special event professionals. This position will play a vital role in amplifying programmatic impact and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organization through fundraising activities. The ideal candidate will embrace their role as a professional storyteller and help accelerate audience growth, internal communications, as well as be comfortable representing the organization in public forums. 

Action Against Hunger invested in the growth of the teams responsible for developing and implementing strategic communications and marketing campaigns with the goal of raising brand awareness, driving engagement, solidifying our differentiation in the marketplace, and securing funding for our mission to end hunger globally.

This is a new position and will report to the head of the External Relations department, which is the group responsible for public engagement as well as private donor philanthropy, strategic partnerships, and fundraising systems. The role will be based in New York City and oversee staff responsible for all forms of marketing, brand, communications, and special events, with an eye toward advancing donor-related goals focused on acquisition, engagement, conversion and revenue. 

• Purpose: The Director of Public Engagement will deliver against ambitious targets and KPIs; create a cohesive and impactful strategy for communications, marketing, and special events; as well as manage and develop staff. 
• Engagement: The Director of Public Engagement will report to the head of the External Relations department, supervise three staff and their teams. This role will work closely with Action Against Hunger’s country offices and global network. This role will also collaborate with the CEO, Board of Directors, and Advisory Council. 
• Delivery:  The Director of Public Engagement will utilize all functions to achieve a range of monetary and non-monetary goals, manage change for a growing department, and increase brand cohesion and awareness. This role will have the opportunity to further align core functions to deliver even greater impact. 

Public Engagement Strategy 

• Create, adjust, and implement a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy that aligns with organizational goals and objectives to ultimately drive fundraising efforts. 
• Track, report, and analyze the effectiveness of all communications and marketing efforts and prioritize data-driven decision making. 

• Set, track, and deliver on key performance indicators and team goals. 

• Represent the organization at various public events, meetings, and in the media. 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key external stakeholders, including media outlets, donors, partners, influencers, and volunteer leadership. 

• Create and execute effective campaigns and initiatives across various channels, including digital, social media, print, and events for an audience of donors. 

• Develop and manage the organization's brand identity and messaging alongside key members of the international Action Against Hunger Network and county-level or regional staff.  

• Work with country office staff to develop content gathering strategies and workflows for the field that will lead to impactful, timely, evergreen, and ethically sourced assets.  

• Collaborate with advocacy, technical staff, and operational teams to better integrate our advocacy priorities, emergency response, and the long-term resilience of our communities of operation into our overall approaches to storytelling.   

• Work alongside colleagues to elevate and deepen corporate partner activations, campaigns, and employee engagement opportunities.  

• Manage the budget for the Communications, Marketing, and Events teams. 

Internal Communications Strategy 

• Collaborate with senior leadership when the organization needs to comment on things that are happening in the world and the organization’s stance on it.   

• Develop a regular cadence of communications touch points for US-based and international staff to enhance brand awareness and promote general organizational knowledge.  

• Collaborate with senior leadership on strategy and execution for crisis communication, as needed. 

• Engage in scenario planning, including risk evaluation, communication plans, response trees, etc.  

• Develop original content and work with vendors on template messaging. 

• Engage and train stakeholders with different roles in humanitarian communications and emergency response. 

• Work with Director of Human Resources to review standard staff communications.  

 Staff Management 

• Lead and manage a team of talented professionals, including donor marketing specialists, communications experts, and special events managers. 

• Engage in effective change management for a team that is in the process of doubling in size. 

• Empower and enable staff to be effective and high performing, identifying barriers to their work and opportunities for better outcomes. 

• Intentionally and holistically develop staff professionally. 

• Cultivate a kind, positive and collaborative team culture. 

Other duties as required  

Required Qualifications  

• Master’s degree in communications, marketing, or a related field. 

• Minimum of 12 years of experience in communications, marketing, or a related field. 

• Extensive experience in managing and leading teams. 

• Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed KPIs in communications, marketing and fundraising. 

 Required Skills & Experience  

• Ability to set a strong, compelling, and effective vision of an organization’s brand and strategy. 

• Proven success in developing and implementing successful communications and marketing campaigns. 

• Proven success in overseeing fundraising through direct donor marketing efforts or relevant content marketing experience. 

• Experience with crisis or risk communications 

• Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills. 

• Strong understanding of digital marketing, social media platforms, direct donor marketing, and paid media. 

• Familiarity with marketing and/or fundraising events  

• Strategic thinking and ability to innovate and adapt.  

• Expertise in change management and staff development. 

• Strong data analysis skills. 

• Dedicated and compelling public speaking abilities towards internal and external stakeholders. 

• Passion for Action Against Hunger's mission and values. 

• Experience with international organizations is a plus. 

• Fluency in a language in addition to English is a plus. 

• Experience with Salesforce ecosystem a big plus