Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

On-site preferred – Charlotte, NC

Starting Salary: $125,000/year + benefits

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications leads the strategy and execution of integrated marketing, communications, and storytelling efforts that strengthen The Independence Fund’s brand, advance its mission, and drive engagement, fundraising, and advocacy on behalf of the Warfighter community.

This role is a senior leader and organizational connector, responsible for ensuring clear, consistent, and compelling messaging across departments and platforms. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, collaborative leader, and exceptional storyteller who can translate complex Veteran experiences into authentic narratives that build trust and move audiences to action.

The Independence Fund is a self-starting, lead-from-the-front organization . This role requires a hands-on leader who can set strategy, build and mentor high-performing teams, and execute with excellence. We value leaders who see problems, propose solutions, and own outcomes without needing constant direction.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, data-informed marketing and communications strategy aligned with organizational goals.
• Use audience research, analytics, and CRM data to inform messaging, channel strategy, and resource allocation.
• Lead primary and secondary research efforts, including surveys, focus groups, and message testing.
• Translate strategic objectives into actionable plans with clear KPIs and measurable outcomes.
• Oversee departmental planning, budgeting, staffing, and performance management.
• Build, mentor, and manage a multidisciplinary team with a culture of accountability, learning, and results.
• Proficiently draft and edit at a high level when required but primarily architect the system that produces consistent excellence.

Brand, Storytelling & Media

• Own brand positioning and messaging to ensure consistency, clarity, and mission alignment.
• Lead development of high-quality content across digital, print, video, email, and paid media.
• Ensure ethical, inclusive, and Veteran-centered storytelling practices.
• Guide media relations, including proactive outreach, press releases, and thought leadership.
• Monitor performance and continuously optimize campaigns to increase engagement, conversion, and long-term support.
• Own final quality control for external-facing brand presence from grammar and tone to audience fit, message relevance, and overall brand positioning.

Collaboration & Internal Communications

• Serve as the marketing and communications liaison across departments to ensure alignment, transparency, and consistent messaging.
• Partner closely and seamlessly with Development, Programs, Advocacy, and Executive Leadership to support fundraising, partnerships, and impact. Drive communications effectiveness in partnership with peer functional area leads and senior management.
• Develop internal communications strategies that strengthen organizational alignment, culture, and engagement.

AI Enabled Communications

• Build an AI-enabled content and workflow engine (ideation, drafting support, personalization, analytics, and testing) while maintaining rigorous human review, brand voice consistency, and data/privacy safeguards.
• Comfortable leading responsible adoption of AI tools across marketing and communications (prompting, QA, governance, and training), with a bias toward efficiency and measurable performance improvement.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of marketing and communications experience, including 5+ years in senior leadership.
• Proven success leading integrated marketing and communications strategies, preferably in mission-driven or nonprofit organizations.
• Strong experience managing agencies, consultants, and vendors.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong project management, analytical, and leadership skills.
• Experience strategically building a team/department.
• Deep passion for serving Veterans and alignment with The Independence Fund’s mission and values.