Manager, Marketing & Communications – Early Learning Network

START EARLY•Chicago, IL

just now•$72,500 - $80,000

About The Position

Start Early is a champion for early learning and care from a child’s very first moments, so every child has the opportunity to thrive in school and life. Our desire to close the opportunity gap and create more inclusive experiences for our youngest learners guides everything we do. As a leader in early learning and care, we scale our deep expertise across program, policy, and research through partnerships nationwide. We are recruiting individuals who want to join us in this mission and share a commitment to our core values of appreciation & respect, empowerment, diversity, excellence, learning and communication. Become part of our rewarding, mission-driven culture! We want our employees to feel empowered, motivated, energized, and passionate about the work they do. The Manager of Marketing & Communications for the Early Learning Network (ELN) leads network-wide paid marketing and family communications strategies that support recruitment, enrollment and engagement across Start Early’s subrecipient programs. This role manages digital recruitment funnels, oversees network-level web content and enrollment pathways and builds the communications capacity of subrecipient partners through shared tools, guidance and technical marketing assistance. The Manager collaborates closely with network leadership, subrecipient liaisons, external digital agencies and the Start Early marketing and communications team to strengthen recruitment outcomes, improve the family experience and ensure consistent, family-centered communications practices across the network. This role also elevates network program activity, successes and family impact into organizational internal and external communications channels, supporting Start Early’s editorial calendar and contributing to statewide and organizational storytelling efforts. This position is part of a two-role structure designed to strengthen marketing and communications strategy and execution across Start Early Illinois. Working in close partnership with the Manager of Marketing & Communications for Directly Operated Programs, this role ensures that network-wide paid marketing and subrecipient communications strategies align with program-level storytelling and family engagement efforts. The Manager of Marketing & Communications for the Early Learning Network must reside in Illinois and must be available for in-person meetings in the Chicagoland area. Reporting to the Director of Marketing & Communications, Start Early Illinois, you will:

Requirements

BA/BS in Marketing, Communications, Journalism or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
At least 5 years of professional experience in digital, including website maintenance and content creation
Experience executing paid digital campaigns and developing compelling, audience-centered content
Excellent communication, writing and storytelling skills
Ability to build family-centered content and messaging across channels
Working knowledge of graphic design tools.
Strong ability to plan and prioritize assignments and manage deadlines
A problem solver who shows initiative, works independently and as part of a team, is flexible and adapts
Strong relationship-building and capacity-building approach
Must reside in Illinois and must be available for in-person meetings in the Chicagoland area

Nice To Haves

Experience with vendor management and budget oversight preferred
Experience supporting multiple organizations or partners is a plus
Experience in digital execution and competent in creating, managing, and organizing web content; experience using digital analytics tools and pulling reporting data and finding meaningful insights
Familiarity with the following tools is preferred: WordPress, GA4, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, Adobe Creative Suite

Responsibilities

Lead network-wide paid marketing strategy and digital optimization plan. Execute and continuously optimize paid digital campaigns to drive enrollment and community awareness across the Early Learning Network and Start Early’s directly operated programs (Educare Chicago, Healthy Parents & Babies, Lake County Early Learning Centers), including social advertising, search and exploratory digital channels. Partner with a digital media agency to manage budgets, establish KPIs, monitor performance and adjust strategies based on data and enrollment trends. Support program leaders in using analytics and insights to strengthen recruitment efforts.
Inform and support network communications strategy with subrecipient partners, ensuring timely, clear and consistent information sharing across the network. Responsibilities include: · Developing and managing network-wide communications to subrecipients related to enrollment priorities, marketing campaigns, timelines, policy or system changes and operational updates · Supporting coordinated messaging during time-sensitive situations, including enrollment shifts, program changes or emerging issues requiring rapid communication · Partnering with network leadership and internal teams to align messaging and maintain consistent communications across the network
Manage ELN website content on StartEarly.org and user pathways. Oversee network site pages, landing pages and enrollment-related digital pathways to ensure clarity, accessibility and conversion optimization. Partner with internal and external teams to improve user experience and reduce barriers for families seeking services and for prospective agencies looking to partner with Start Early.
Build strategic marketing and communications capacity for subrecipients, strengthening the ability of subrecipient partners to execute effective local recruitment and family engagement efforts. Responsibilities include: · Developing and maintaining templates, toolkits and messaging guidance to support consistent, high-quality family-facing communications · Providing coaching and limited technical assistance to support subrecipient use of digital platforms, social media and outreach strategies · Supporting local recruitment efforts by advising on content, outreach approaches and use of network-paid marketing assets · Identifying common challenges and opportunities across subrecipients and recommending shared solutions to improve recruitment outcomes
Lead network social media strategy and analytics. Develop and manage network-level social strategies, including platform planning, content frameworks, performance analysis and community engagement guidance. Partner with the manager of marketing and communications, as well as agency partners, to manage and execute across the social content calendar.
Collaborate on organizational storytelling and campaigns. Identify and elevate relevant network program stories, milestones, family voices and enrollment efforts for Start Early’s organizational communications channels, including internal communications, external storytelling and cultivation campaigns. Partner with the central marketing and communications team to support the organizational editorial calendar, ensuring network programs are represented in ongoing content planning and storytelling efforts.