Communications Professional

Job Description

Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) is a statewide non-profit planning organization located in Baton Rouge, LA. CPEX’s mission is to bring people, culture, and planning together to make great communities happen. We are a team of driven, passionate individuals with diverse educational backgrounds and skill sets. Together, we champion the power of good planning to build livable, resilient communities throughout Louisiana through our work as policy advocates, educators, and planning experts.

We are seeking a full-time employee with excellent communications and marketing skills to provide a range of supports to the CPEX team, helping to elevate CPEX’s brand and expertise, and advance our mission. Our communication goals are driven by our values and the work we do, which includes educational events, staff presentations and appearances, thought leadership, public meetings, workshops, member and partner relations, advocacy, and on-the-ground planning and implementation projects.

For this position, CPEX welcomes candidates with varied educational and professional experience. Locating in Baton Rouge is not required, but the successful candidate will either have experience in Louisiana or a genuine interest in cultivating a strong understanding of Louisiana’s cultural, environmental, and political contexts. We need someone who is able to help increase CPEX’s media presence and membership base, and help produce thoughtful, engaging content for a variety of platforms and audiences. For this work, we rely on:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to draft quality content in a timely manner
• Ability to craft messages that appeal to a variety of target audiences
• Ability to build relationships with traditional media, pitch stories, and secure coverage
• Ability to manage and create content for social media platforms
• Prompt response to communication needs as they arise
• Collaboration with others within and outside CPEX to create and refine content
• Keen attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Creativity and willingness to explore new approaches
• Confidence to use, or learn to use, data and analytics to monitor and improve effectiveness
• Flexibility, independence and ability to prioritize work in a fast-paced, multi-task environment
• Ability to seek out and accept feedback and integrate it into future work
• A positive, can-do attitude and enthusiasm for continual learning about CPEX’s various lines of work and the issues that are relevant to that work
• Genuine care for Louisiana communities and their diverse residents

Responsibilities

• The work of the Communications Associate is overseen by the CEO/President and Vice President. The work includes, but is not limited to:
• Drafting media releases, talking points, speeches, presentations, one-pagers and other external communication material
• Development and distribution of content for social media, newsletter subscribers, and CPEX members
• Creation and management of marketing materials and campaigns
• Building relationships with traditional media and pitching stories
• Working with traditional and non-traditional media to expand the reach of CPEX’s messages and expertise
• Assisting with proposal development
• Brainstorming with program staff to develop communications strategies and tactics that support CPEX’s projects and brand
• Maintaining and updating the CPEX website
• Planning and executing communications to support CPEX events — especially the annual Smart Growth Summit.

CPEX offers its full-time employees a competitive benefits package. Salary and title will be based on experience and skill level. CPEX is an equal opportunity organization that recognizes the value of different work styles and supports work-life balance for its employees.

Application Process

Send resume along with a cover letter and a short writing sample (1-2 pages) to kkeating@cpex.org with the subject line “Communications Professional.” Candidates invited for an interview will be asked to complete a short assignment in advance of the interview. Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2021. To ensure a fair application process, CPEX will not take calls or respond to inquiries about this job opening until May 31, 2021. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.