Managing Director of Marketing & Communications | Courage Museum (Futures Without Violence)

The Opportunity: Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Futures Without Violence (Founding Director of the Courage Museum), the Managing Director of Marketing and Communications will develop and lead an integrated marketing and communications strategy for the Courage Museum. Joining at a formative moment, the Managing Director will shape the museum’s public identity, institutional voice, audience strategy, and national reputation. They will build on existing brand, messaging, website, social media, risk assessment, and planning work, bringing these efforts together under a clear communications vision. The Managing Director will help the museum build visibility while navigating a complex public and political environment. They will position courage as a universal human theme, develop messages that connect across commonalities, and advise leadership on when and how to pursue public attention. The portfolio includes brand, marketing, audience development, ticket sales, media relations, internal communications, digital strategy, content, crisis communications, and consultant management. The Managing Director will be accountable not only for building awareness, but for converting that awareness into museum attendance and ticket revenue. Because the museum is still being built, the role requires both senior strategic judgment and a willingness to execute directly. The successful candidate will be a creative and pragmatic builder who can establish systems, align stakeholders, present clear options, and move work forward in a thoughtful and collaborative culture.

Key Responsibilities: Strategic Communications and Narrative Leadership Develop an integrated marketing and communications strategy aligned with the museum’s mission, opening timeline, educational goals, audience priorities, and fundraising objectives. Shape a clear, hopeful, and broadly resonant narrative that makes complex issues accessible and positions the Courage Museum for national and global relevance. Launch Marketing and Audience Development Lead integrated campaigns that build awareness, generate demand, and convert priority audiences into ticket buyers and museum visitors ahead of the 2027 opening and beyond. Own audience growth and ticket-sales performance, using data, testing, partnerships, and channel strategy to drive attendance while balancing political, cultural, and reputational considerations. Partner with the Museum’s Director of Visitor Experience to help shape and support the museum’s onsite and online retail strategy, bringing marketing, branding, and audience-development expertise to strengthen product visibility and sales; direct retail experience is welcomed but not required. Content, Digital Engagement, and Internal Communications Oversee content across the website, email, social media, media materials, donor communications, events, and multimedia storytelling, ensuring youth, survivor, and community voices are represented with care. Coordinate closely with FUTURES’ Vice President of Communications to plan strategic communications that are consistent and support FUTURES institutional priorities, targets, and positioning. Strengthen the museum’s digital presence and internal communications, using audience insights and data to improve engagement and keep staff, board members, and partners informed. Media Relations and Thought Leadership Build relationships across print, digital, broadcast, radio, podcast, local, and national media, and develop proactive opportunities that elevate the museum, its leaders, and its educational model. Prepare leaders for interviews, events, and public appearances, while cultivating credible partners and third-party validators who can broaden the museum’s reach. Support leadership in preparing for and responding to sensitive issues through sound judgment, clear protocols, rapid-response materials, and coordinated decision-making. Cross-Functional Leadership and Internal Alignment Serve as a central communications partner across the Courage Museum and in tight coordination with Futures Without Violence, aligning priorities, messages, ownership, review processes, and decision timelines. Build trust across differing perspectives, present clear options and tradeoffs, and help teams move from ideas to coordinated action. Agency, Consultant, and Project Management Manage external agencies, consultants, and vendors, establishing clear roles, briefs, scopes, workflows, budgets, and timelines. Track work across launch planning, media, digital, donor communications, education outreach, and events, while assessing future staffing and resource needs.

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate will be an accomplished marketing and communications leader with experience shaping the visibility and reputation of complex organizations, institutions, brands, campaigns, or causes. They will have operated at the Director, Head of Communications or Marketing, Vice President, senior agency, or comparable level. They will bring the judgment to advise executive leadership and the willingness to write, edit, direct, and execute. The strongest candidates will be energized by building a function and shaping a new institution within an accomplished longstanding organization. They will be comfortable working without a large internal team, managing external partners, and creating systems from the ground up. They will be highly solutions-oriented, able to present multiple pathways, and skilled at helping stakeholders understand risks and tradeoffs. They will remain calm under pressure and have experience aligning competing perspectives during fast-moving situations. Candidates may come from nonprofit, cultural, social impact, foundation, agency, media, education, public interest, or mission-driven brand environments. Museum experience is welcome but not required. The strongest candidates will be confident but not ego-driven, politically savvy but not partisan, strategic but close to execution, and ambitious for the work rather than personal visibility.

Qualifications: The strongest candidates will bring many of the following experiences and qualities: At least 12 years of progressively senior experience in communications, marketing, brand strategy, media relations, public affairs, or a related field. Experience advising executive leadership and leading integrated strategies across paid, earned, owned, and shared channels. Strong audience-development and consumer-marketing experience, with a demonstrated ability to convert awareness and engagement into ticket sales, attendance, participation, or other measurable action. Exceptional writing and storytelling skills, particularly with complex or emotionally sensitive subject matter. Experience communicating with young people, educators, families, donors, board members, civic leaders, media, partners, and the public. Strong media relationships across print, digital, broadcast, radio, podcasts, local, and national outlets. Experience with crisis communications, reputational risk, scenario planning, and rapid response. Experience leading internal communications and major organizational announcements. Success managing agencies, consultants, vendors, and cross-functional teams. Strong digital fluency across websites, social media, email, audience analytics, and testing. Experience building or strengthening a communications function in a new or changing organization. Sound judgment, humility, political awareness, and a deep connection to the mission of Futures Without Violence and the Courage Museum. Location and Work Environment This position is based in San Francisco, California, and will work in a hybrid environment with regular in-person presence at the Courage Museum in the Presidio. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required for donor meetings, public events, media opportunities, launch activities, and museum programming. The role requires flexibility, creativity, and a strong commitment to working collaboratively in a mission-driven setting.

Compensation and Benefits: This is a full-time, exempt position. The salary range is expected to be $180,000 – $230,000. Futures Without Violence offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage; flexible spending arrangements for health care and dependent care; generous sick and vacation benefits; paid holidays; and an employer-contributed retirement plan. Futures Without Violence’s EEO Statement Futures Without Violence maintains a diverse and dynamic workforce and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and promotions. FUTURES is committed to strong child safeguarding principles, policies, and actions in response to any violation of its Child Safeguarding Policy. To Be Considered Please submit your resume and cover letter expressing your interest in the position and fit for the role via the “Become a Candidate” button on GoodCitizen’s website. For additional questions, please reach out to: courage-marcomm@goodcitizen.com Applicants applying by Monday, October 5 will be given priority consideration, with the position open until filled. First round interviews with the GoodCitizen team will take place through late October. Three rounds of interviews with the client team will take place from early November through early December. We hope to make an offer in mid-December.

Job Function: Marketing/ Communications