Marketing and Communications Assistant

The Marketing and Communications Assistant provides critical and substantive planning, development, and implementation support to CCLF’s branding which includes marketing, communications, and public relations activities both external and internal. The position supports the External Relations Department and works to generate potential customers for CCLF through its daily tasks.

Marketing/Communications:

• Spearhead design and production of CCLF's Community Blueprint newsletter including layout and copy and distribute news by production deadline. 
• Create newsworthy stories, press releases, op-eds and videos on CCLF activities, customers and social impact by conducting research and interviews, taking photos; writing, editing and proofreading copy; and pitching these stories/videos to various media outlets. 
• Attend borrower events and develop success stories for CCLF funders, investors and key stakeholders including images that convey CCLF’s unique contribution to community development in the region. 
• Provide support to agency staff to ensure CCLF’s brand is consistent in all distributed materials and electronic presentations. 
• Maintain and provide support to CCLF’s websites to ensure content is accurate, relevant and current. 
• Manage CCLF’s social media presence while growing our social media market reach. 
• Promote CCLF customers, workshops and products to the general public and select media outlets.
• Update and proactively maintain CCLF’s marketing packets and media contacts. 
• Support the organization’s mission and achievement of annual goals using marketing and communication tools.

Public Policy:

• Promote CCLF’s public policy issues through op-eds and meetings with key decision makers.
• Promote CCLF’s policy issues through social media and participating in industry-wide campaigns/coalitions. 
• Support CCLF policy issues by providing updates to key staff on new research conducted or breaking news on the subject.

Fundraising:

• Attend various community events and meetings on behalf of CCLF. 
• Support the grant writing function through research, proofreading and drafting text. 
• Maintain CCLF’s databases through data entry and updates.

Nature & Scope of Working Relationships:

• This position reports to the Vice President of External Relations.

Major Challenges/Performance Measures:

• Major challenges of this position include learning the technical aspects and social impact of community development financing and translating that into interesting stories that will be covered by the newspapers, radio and local television stations as well as social media. Performance is measured by the number of times CCLF is recognized by the public in media articles, industry tweets, and more.

The successful candidate will possess the following:

• Experience in marketing/communications; 
• Creative design skills; 
• Excellent writing skills, both creative and technical; 
• Very strong computer skills (MS Office Suite): experience with Word Press, email marketing software, Salesforce, and Adobe Creative Suite (including Photoshop and InDesign) strongly preferred; 
• Adept using social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr); 
• Self-motivated, hard­working, flexible, and detail-oriented; 
• Ability to manage multiple projects while working productively with diverse groups and individuals with minimal supervision; 
• Interest/commitment to values of community development; 
• Bilingual (Spanish / English) preferred but not required.

Minimum educational requirement:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, English, or a related subject.

It is the policy of the Chicago Community Loan Fund not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status.