Marketing & Communications Lead(Temporary Backfill ~ Potential for Extension)

We are seeking a temporary, full-time Marketing & Communications Lead (approximately 25 hours per week) to support our team from early April through the end of August, as a backfill role with potential for extension. This managerial-level position offers $40–$45/hour and is ideal for someone with experience in marketing, communications, and mission-driven work across family, health, mental health, and senior care. About Center for the Heart Center for the Heart is a mission-driven nonprofit offering end-of-life and grief support and caregiver education. Our work is grounded in dignity, supporting death and grief literacy and equitable access to support. We serve individuals and families nationwide through virtual programming while maintaining a strong local footprint in NJ/NY through events, partnerships, local program offerings and community engagement. Role Summary This role serves as the organization’s lead marketing and communications strategist during a temporary backfill period. You will maintain continuity across Center for the Heart’s marketing strategy, public communications, digital presence, event promotion, fundraising visibility and external and internal marketing- and communications-related stakeholder engagement while executing a high-priority marketing overhaul. This is a systems + conversion + content authority role. You must be able to: Lead strategy while also executing key work hands‑on Keep the organization oriented toward non‑negotiables Delegate effectively to contractors and interns Operate with autonomy, granular detail and high‑level vision Core Responsibilities 1) Strategic Marketing Leadership & Execution Ownership Own and execute the marketing strategy and implementation plan supporting the marketing overhaul Translate organizational priorities into weekly execution plans and deliverables based on your team’s weekly hourly thresholds Maintain clarity across shifting priorities while protecting core deliverables Provide strategic recommendations and reporting to the COO Ensure all marketing aligns to ethical standards, deliverability and operational readiness (no premature promotion but ready to promote once operations and program structures are in place) Website, SEO & Content Own and manage our Squarespace website as primary CMS administrator Implement technical SEO fixes: metadata, images, broken links, and sitemap hygiene Build and optimize key service and educational pillar pages Improve user journeys for services, event registration, free downloads, and donation flows Lead a full overhaul of our SEO resource blog — tagging, metadata, internal linking, and publication cadence Maintain E‑E‑A‑T standards appropriate for grief and end‑of‑life content Email Marketing & Automation Own our email marketing platform (Brevo) end to end Build and optimize welcome sequences, donor flows, newsletter templates, and workshop follow‑ups Lead segmentation and data hygiene across contact types (clients, donors, partners, volunteers) Implement deliverability best practices (DMARC, DKIM, SPF) Monitor open/click performance and iterate Implement and optimize donation pathways through Givebutter and/or PayPal Ensure donation pages, thank‑you flows, and donor communications are functional and on‑brand Build funnels that support consult requests, workshop registrations, and paid downloads Track conversion performance using clear KPIs Event Marketing & Local Visibility Lead marketing and promotion for in‑person and virtual events Create event collateral: flyers, signage, social graphics, and one‑pagers Attend and support select in‑person events in the Summit, NJ area (roughly 1–2x/month) Draft post‑event recaps and follow‑up communications Track event conversions using UTM links and lead tracking Social Media Maintain a consistent posting cadence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube Ensure events and organizational initiatives are properly promoted Support internal subject matter experts in creating short video/reel content Analytics & Reporting Maintain and use GA4, Google Tag Manager, Google Search Console, and Squarespace Analytics Track baseline KPIs and provide monthly reporting to COO Required Qualifications 5+ years in marketing, communications, or digital growth — nonprofit, startup, or mission‑driven org experience is a plus Proven hands‑on experience with CMS management (Squarespace or similar) Strong SEO skills: technical, on‑page, and content architecture Experience managing email marketing platforms and building automations Proven ability to build conversion funnels and track performance Strong writing and editing skills for compassionate, high‑trust communications Comfortable working independently, managing shifting priorities, and communicating proactively Able to attend occasional in‑person events in Summit, NJ and surrounding area Preferred Experience Experience with donation or fundraising platforms (Givebutter, PayPal, or similar) Familiarity with Salesforce or similar CRM Experience building integrations and automations between website, email, and CRM systems Paid ads experience (Meta and/or Google) Experience improving local SEO presence (Google Business Profile, local directories) Comfort using AI tools to accelerate marketing drafting, editing, and workflow Systems & Platforms You should be comfortable working in these tools or close equivalents: Squarespace (CMS) Givebutter and PayPal (donation tools) Meta Business Suite and social platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube) Microsoft 365 and SharePoint GA4, Google Tag Manager, Google Search Console #J-18808-Ljbffr