Vice President of Marketing & Communications

Overview: The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) brings a big and bold approach to achieving greater economic competitiveness and prosperity across Montgomery County, MD.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a fresh public/private perspective, entrepreneurial spirit, and proactive approach to economic development, MCEDC is focused on maximizing Montgomery County’s rich diversity of people, talent, and business expertise to keep the county at the leading edge of today’s competitive economic development environment. We are committed to growing the county’s vibrant business community and leveraging current strengths and advantages to build an even stronger, more stable, and diverse future economy that benefits all members of the community.

The Vice President of Marketing & Communications serves as a key member of MCEDC’s executive team. This position reports to the Executive Vice President & COO and is responsible for all activities related to the development and implementation of an integrated marketing and communications strategy that will contribute to the accomplishment of the organization’s strategic goals and metrics. Specific responsibilities include managing the production and dissemination of all marketing and communications material, analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of related strategies and tactics, providing oversight and direction to the marketing and communications team and executing projects that further MCEDC’s mission.

Essential Functions/Duties/Tasks:

• Promote Montgomery County as an ideal location to start, grow or expand a business
• Create strategic communications and marketing strategies which enhance the MCEDC’s brand
• Serve as chief spokesperson for the organization and establish strong relationships with key partners, government officials and the media
• Oversee all creative efforts through print, broadcast, email, direct mail, B2B and social campaigns that contribute to a pipeline of business development leads
• Provide leadership, direction and management of the marketing team, and holds staff accountable for departmental metrics
• Guide the creation and execution of earned media strategies and campaigns
• Prepare presentations to engage and inform targeted audiences about MCEDC's work and results
• Cultivate local, regional and national media contacts
• Develop and implement strategies related to press outreach, interview preparation, and responses to media requests
• Monitor news relevant to the Montgomery County business community on a daily basis and develops and implements a process that allows for quick communication with reporters in order to take advantage of the news cycle
• Collaborate across departments to design, develop and conduct familiarization tours and other events tied to key industry sectors
• Develop annual budget for marketing and communications efforts; monitor progress and adherence to budget
• Oversee management of all marketing-related relations
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement
• Manage the marketing and communications team

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Excellent writing skills; varies writing style to meet needs
• Ability to develop respect and trust from team members and clients
• Ability to understand the viewpoint of business, including minority and underserved business communities
• Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing successful digital marketing and earned media campaigns
• Superb communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen actively and present clearly and effectively in positive or negative situations, and to respond well to questions
• Independent and strategic thinker with the capacity to generate new ideas and act creatively
• Ability to represent MCEDC at community-based events and meetings
• Adaptable to changes in the work environment, managing competing demands, changing approaches or methods to best fit the situation, and dealing with frequent changes or unexpected events.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, to meet tight deadlines within budgetary constraints, and to handle multiple projects simultaneously and autonomously
• Strong team player
• Hold a valid U.S. driver’s license

  Preferred education and experience:

• 10+ years of experience leading and mentoring a creative team including performance management, hiring, coaching and talent development; passion for developing talent
• Strong portfolio representing significant business brands
• Demonstrated superior creative skills across all channels and media
• Very strong conceptual creative with a cross-channel campaign mentality and digital depth
• Clear, concise and engaging verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to present ideas and concepts to audiences of varying sizes internally and externally
• Comfortable with organizational and administrative matters, consultative and client centric attitude; highly respected and valued by clients and values and leverages campaign measurement and research
• Intellectually curious about emerging media and technology
• Experience working in community collaborations or coalitions
• Experience working in an entrepreneurial environment
• Bachelor’s Degree in marketing, communications or related field
• Proficiency in working with the Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office Suite
• Familiarity with standard office equipment
• Foreign language fluency—ideally, applicants will be proficient in one or more languages that are relevant in the local business community

Description of physical demands and work environment:

• Must be able to travel throughout the county to companies, partner organizations, meetings and events
• Must be able to occasionally travel outside of the region to events and trade shows
• Must be able to use office equipment and computers
• Position may require moderate lifting of supplies and materials from time to time
• The working environment is a general office environment with a moderate noise level

Job Type: Full-time, Exempt
Job Location: Hybrid/Montgomery County, MD
Required education: Bachelor’s Degree
Required experience: Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience
Salary: $140,000 - $160,000

EEO Statement

Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.