Our Mission
Increase sailing participation and excellence through education, competition, and equal opportunity, while upholding the principles of fair play, sportsmanship, and safety.
Our Vision for the Future of Sailing
Sailing has become a rapidly growing sport in the US, driven by innovations in access and education, and inspired by American success in international competition. The diverse sailing community is aligned around common goals for the sport. Sailing has been embraced by the public as being inspiring, inclusive and accessible.
- Respect
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Collective Success
- Clarity and Transparency
- Sustainability
US Sailing is seeking a Communications and Marketing Director at US Sailing. This position will take a leadership role across the organization in the development and implementation of communication and marketing content strategies to promote the organization’s membership, programs, services, products and events to our members and the public.
Roles and Responsibilities:
While not meant to be all inclusive, the Communications and Marketing Director will lead four distinct organizational efforts.
These include:
- Content strategy, development and distribution for both our commercial and organizational needs
- Engagement across our owned, operated and partnered channels
- Brand development tied to the US Sailing mission
- Public relations and communications efforts for our various organizational initiatives.
Responsibilities across these four areas include the following:
- Manage the in-house content team and contractors (written, web, video, graphic, social, design)
- Lead the process of creating the editorial calendar for all communication and marketing activity of the organization.
- Lead and participate in content development activities to support programs, services events, competitions, promoting sailing broadly and other general needs across the organization
- Lead the written and editorial efforts to include news announcements, press releases, feature stories, letters, corporate communications, publication content, website copy, and more
- Manage creative production timeline of online and offline marketing assets, graphic design, video production, and web development, from the initial concept to finished product and execution
- Work with executive leadership on the development of a concise brand strategy tied to the mission of US Sailing addressing the wide spectrum of our organizational stakeholders
- Manage and provide coverage for US Sailing Events and Competitions (inclusive of the US Sailing Team) through all appropriate communication channels
- Execute an effective evaluation of online and offline communications initiatives, integrating online and new media, email, print, direct mail, social media, company websites, SEM/SEO strategy development, and brand storytelling
- Work with the Membership & Partnership teams to implement strategies in support of membership communications
- Develop and implement crisis communications plans
- Provide direction and coordination for external photography, videography, design, company websites and writing freelance contractors and vendors
- Ensure website functionality and lead strategic enhancements to improve user experience overall look and feel, and performance.
- Identify short-term and long-term scheduling, budget, and resource needs, including developing and managing an annual communications and content budget
- Conduct media training as required
- Hire and train interns
- Deliver public relations presentations and status reports on initiatives
- Draft messaging and talking points for US Sailing leadership and spokespersons
Position Qualifications and Requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Communications or related field, Graduate degree a plus
- Communications and content experience in Sports Marketing, an Athletic Department, National Governing Body, or governmental organization a plus
- 5-7 years of communications and marketing, public relations, advertising, content development and management and/or professional writing experience.
- Superior written and verbal skills, public relations, marketing, and management skills
- Intuitive, proactive, collaborative, leader, driver, creative problem solver, analytical, versatile professional
- A team leader with strong management skills in running a communications and content team, with a willingness to share your knowledge to support the team and nurture more junior team members
- Ability to manage multiple projects with varying priority at one time
- Strong copywriting and proofreading skills
- Attention to detail and upholding brand standards and consistency
- Willingness to travel and have flexible working hours to accommodate events, competitions and other communications and content development needs across the organization
- Knowledge of the sport of sailing
