Communications Program Manager

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TRUST Founded in 2018, The Opportunity Trust (TOT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child in St. Louis is prepared to thrive by having access to a quality public school education. Since 2019, The Opportunity Trust has attracted and invested over $125 million to transform public education in Missouri, launching new schools, strengthening educator and leadership pipelines, and expanding access to quality public schools (both traditional district and public charter schools). In 2023, the organization secured Missouri’s first-ever $35 million U.S. Department of Education Charter School Program award, a landmark investment to expand access to high-quality charter schools across the state. By 2027, TOT is working to ensure that at least 30% of St. Louis’ children attend a quality public school, up from 12% when the organization launched. Through its work, The Opportunity Trust has incubated and launched nine schools and helped to expand six existing public schools in St. Louis. In addition, through policy and advocacy work, TOT has built a coalition locally and statewide and has successfully advocated for education policies to increase support of and accountability for quality public education across Missouri. Their work in St. Louis is becoming a model for the nation through their innovative programs in Pre-K funding, reimagining high school, career-connected learning, and workforce development. To learn more about The Opportunity Trust, visit their website here . ABOUT THE ROLE The Communications Program Manager is the operational engine of TOT’s communications function — a critical systems thinker who translates strategy into airtight processes, executes with relentless consistency, and then uses the margin that discipline creates to innovate, build relationships, and make the work better. This is not a coordinator role. It is an ownership role.
You will work closely with the Partner and Associate Partner for Communications and Community Coalitions, as well as senior leadership and a wide range of partner organizations — from school districts to parent advocacy groups. You will proactively review every project plan, identify your role without being asked, and drive every task to completion on time and on budget. Your reliability is what makes the team’s creativity and momentum possible. WHAT YOU’LL DO This role has five ownership areas. In each one, your job is to make the work happen — completely, accurately, and on time — and to continuously look for ways to do it better 1. Run the operational infrastructure. Clean contact lists, on-time vendor payments, accurate tools and systems, on-schedule performance data reporting, and production of both the internal and external newsletters - from content capture through distribution and post-send reporting. When the infrastructure is clean, and execution is on time, stakeholders stay informed, partners feel valued, and more kids get access to quality schools. 2. Own TOT’s digital presence. The LinkedIn account and the website are yours: consistent content calendar, graphics, posting cadence, WordPress, SEO, analytics. The Associate Partner sets the direction; you execute it consistently, report on it, and bring new ideas to make it sharper. Every post is a chance to move someone closer to aligning with TOT’s mission. 3. Backstop relationship management. You own the data infrastructure behind TOT's relationships and media presence — keeping Salesforce and Meltwater current, reporting media hits and engagement regularly, and surfacing insights and concerns to leadership. Every staff member owns their relationships; you make sure the data is clean, and the reporting is timely, so the team can focus on building relationships, not managing tools. 4. Execute seamless events. You are responsible for invite lists, social graphics, contracts, billing, vendor management, and post-event reporting across TOT’s signature events each year. These events are where the coalition connects, builds trust, and fosters community. That only happens when execution is best-in-class and invisible. 5. Execute across TOT’s core initiatives. TOT fellowships, bootcamps, and other initiatives each carry a communications load that you will own. You will support the team with relationship management, create content, track recruitment targets, manage platforms, support data collection, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks to recruit, retain, and celebrate our impact. WHAT WE NEED We are seeking a communications professional with at least 4 years of operations experience in communications, marketing, or public engagement, and ready for a critical, execution-focused role at a social impact organization. The right candidate is a task-oriented critical thinker with exceptional follow-through — someone who proactively identifies what needs to be done, creates and systematizes processes, and drives every initiative to completion with operational excellence.
Specific requirements include: Core Competencies
Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of concurrent projects across multiple platforms, driving every task to completion on time and on budget
Strong systems-building instinct: you create processes, document them, and look for ways to improve them over time
Tenacious commitment to seeing every deliverable through from start to finish, including tracking details, chasing down inputs from stakeholders, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Proactively reviews project plans to identify their role, asks clarifying questions immediately, and takes ownership without being asked
Comfortable with data: you track performance, interpret it, and translate it into clear recommendations
Creative capacity to develop engaging content, graphics, and new engagement approaches once operational rhythms are established
Genuine relationship-building skills with team members, partner communicators, and external vendors Professional Requirements
Passionate commitment to dramatically improving PK-12 education for underserved children in St. Louis
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize across newsletters, social media, website, events, and partner programs simultaneously
Demonstrated ability to leverage AI and digital tools to increase efficiency, creativity, audience reach, and innovation
Ability to translate data into clear insights that inform strategy and strengthen storytelling
Proficiency in Mailchimp, Salesforce, WordPress, Canva, Meltwater, Sertifier, Adobe, Zoom hosting, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Google Analytics, and Google Sheets
Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to produce clear, compelling content across multiple formats
Visual sensibility and creativity to produce graphics and content that align with brand standards
Learner stance, humility, and growth mindset
Availability to attend evening and weekend events as needed WHAT WE OFFER
Salary $65,000-$75,000 , commensurate with experience
Competitive benefits
Flexible work environment
Passionate, mission-driven colleagues