Excelencia in Education is leading a national movement to significantly increase the number of Latino students earning college degrees by 2030. To date, 46 institutions have earned the Seal of Excelencia—a commitment to intentionally SERVE (not just enroll) Latino students through evidence-based practices that drive equity, create systemic change, and improve outcomes for all students. As Vice President of Communications, you will develop a strategic messaging and public relations approach to inspire more mission-aligned colleges and universities to attain Seal certification, engage influential funders to invest in transformative change in higher education, and raise the visibility of Excelencia’s growing impact.
Reporting to the President and CEO, you will lead a high-performing team of two and develop a communications strategy that strengthens Excelencia’s position as the leading authority on Latino student success and a trusted intermediary between institutions, funders, and stakeholders. A key part of your role will be strategically targeting institutional leaders, policymakers, funders, and key influencers through traditional and digital media, public relations, and thought leadership platforms. By crafting mission-focused narratives and driving visibility, you will help double the number of Seal-certified institutions by 2026 and secure funding to expand Excelencia’s impact.
As an essential part of our team, you’ll bring a reflective and strategic mindset to the role, learning from Excelencia’s two decades of impact before building on those foundations to further our strategic goals.
How You’ll Make an Impact
The colleges and universities serving the majority of Latino students in the U.S often have the least resources. Your work will create a lasting ripple effect of equity and opportunity by expanding the number of institutional partners Excelencia can support with financial and technical assistance through the transformative Seal of Excelencia framework. In your first 1-2 years, you will:
- Drive Visibility and Growth. Build momentum by growing digital media engagement, brand recognition, and overall visibility. Increase Excelencia’s presence in national, regional, and trade media outlets, securing coverage that advances the movement toward Latino student success.
- Support Partnerships and Funding. Craft strategic messaging that resonates with current and prospective institutions and partners. Leverage existing relationships with high-profile partners to attract new investment while fostering deeper connections with institutional partners.
- Foster a Consistent Brand Voice. Collaborate across teams to align internal and external communications, equipping VPs and staff with tools and training to use a unified voice that strengthens Excelencia’s brand, builds trust with stakeholders, and increases our influence nationally.
Work Environment, Salary, and Benefits
- Employees must live in one of the following states: MD, VA, TX, AZ, CA, IN, NM, FL, or DC. Team members within commuting distance of Washington, DC, enjoy a hybrid schedule, working in the office two days a week and remotely three days. Those outside the DC area work from their home office with occasional travel to DC for team collaboration.
- The budgeted salary range for this role is $120,000 – $140,000 annually for DC-based candidates, with adjustments for other regions. Excelencia in Education offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, and dental insurance; paid annual leave, sick leave, and federal holidays; time off between Christmas and New Year’s; a retirement plan with employer contribution; and support for professional development.
- You will join a high-performing team passionate about accelerating Latino student success in higher education. Your colleagues are eager to offer help, figure things out together, celebrate our wins, and reflect on our processes.
Responsibilities
Communications Strategy, Vision, and Leadership
- Develop and implement a cutting-edge communications strategy to inform organizational messaging on our work. This includes fostering awareness, understanding, and belief in each of our areas of focus.
- Expand, manage, and evaluate an effective media strategy, including press and social media. Work with the leadership team and staff to identify and implement appropriate strategies to support internal and external communications opportunities.
- Provide direction in the team’s creation of digital media products, such as videos and infographics, to advance our work.
- Oversee the management and evaluation of Excelencia’s website.
- In partnership with other team leads, spearhead special events, campaigns, and initiatives to achieve organizational goals.
- Serve as communications advisor to Excelencia leadership and represent Excelencia at key events as requested by leadership.
- Advance Excelencia’s brand identity, broaden awareness of our programs and priorities and increase the visibility of our efforts across key stakeholder audiences.
Public Relations and Social Impact Marketing
- Lead the development, launch, ongoing management, and evaluation of a brand messaging/public relations strategy that enables our internal and external constituents to connect to the values, vision, and mission of the organization.
- Create measurable brand visibility through the development and ongoing content strategy and management of our website, materials, videos, events, and collateral.
- Support Excelencia leadership in cultivating and enhancing meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external audiences, including the media and key influencers.
- Train and develop full staff’s consistent and accurate use of the brand.
Team Development
- Supervise and support the communications team in effectively executing the strategy.
- Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
- Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach on a consistent basis. Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign accountabilities, set objectives, establish priorities, conduct annual performance appraisals, and recommend salary adjustments.
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, or a related field is required; a master’s degree is preferred.
- 8+ years of experience in strategic communications or public relations, including developing and implementing impactful strategies to enhance brand visibility, including at least 5 years of experience leading teams, managing performance, and driving organizational goals.
- Demonstrated success building strong relationships with media, philanthropic organizations, institutional leaders, and other key stakeholders to raise visibility and drive impact.
- Extensive experience creating content and crafting clear, engaging messaging that translates complex issues for diverse audiences.
About Excelencia
Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia in Education leads a national network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to tap the talents of the Latino community and address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. With this network, Excelencia accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, informing educational policies with a Latino lens, and advancing evidence-based practices. For more information, visit: EdExcelencia.org
Staffing Advisors is committed to reducing bias in every aspect of the hiring process. We have long recommended a competency-driven approach to hiring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position description; we will consider people from a variety of backgrounds and career experiences.
