Senior Director, External Relations

About Reinvestment Fund:

At Reinvestment Fund, we are dedicated to making a tangible difference in the lives of underserved individuals and communities. Our mission is to create opportunities for underserved people and places through partnerships. We marshal the capital, analytics, and expertise necessary to build strong, healthy, and more equitable communities.

Who We Are Looking For:

We are seeking a strategic leader who is passionate about driving economic justice and creating equitable opportunities for historically underserved communities with a proven track record of building impactful partnerships, driving brand visibility, and advocating for policy reforms.

About the Position:

The Senior Director of External Relations, reporting to the Chief Communications and Mission Officer, will help guide the organization’s community-informed and partner-supported mission to drive economic impact to underserved communities, centered on wealth-building for historically underserved people and places. Additionally, this position’s work will be guided by our new Strategic Plan related to economic justice, Antiracism and Equitable products. Given the external nature of this role, the Community Advisory Board may serve as an occasional sounding board for this work.

Externally, this position will support efforts to drive new, high-impact relationships for increased revenue generation, corporate visibility, and brand power. Internally, responsibility will be divided into three main categories as described further below: external affairs, media relations/publicity, and public policy.

Responsibilities:

External Affairs – 60%

• Build coalitions and lead initiatives to foster education, awareness, and high-impact partnerships through storytelling and organizational collaboration, advancing our mission and strategic plan.

• Stay attuned to evolving market dynamics and competitive landscapes, providing insights to maintain our thought leadership position. Design effective actions and source the necessary resources for implementation.

• Collaborate with the communications and program teams to design community engagement strategies that empower and transform narratives.

• Elevate the visibility of executive leadership and market leaders to strengthen the organization's external presence.

• Contribute to showcasing our data-driven impact and nationwide CDFI leadership through partnerships with policy and communication teams.

• Lead strategic event planning and brand activation initiatives to enhance external engagement and elevate the organization's presence.

Public Relations – 30%

• Develop and maintain relationships with institutional leaders and stakeholders, ensuring value alignment.

• Design and implement Reinvestment Fund's media strategy to enhance brand visibility.

• Foster strategic relationships and identify opportunities for external impact improvement.

• Craft high-quality press releases and drive positive media coverage.

• Strengthen our brand narrative and monitor channels for rapid response readiness to engage with public opinions effectively.

• Manage strategic partnerships with government agencies, investors, and community partners.

• Mitigate reputational risks, while proactively managing the company's image, managing crisis management protocols, and triaging media coverage.

Public Policy – 10%

• Collaborate with the communications team and government affairs consultant to advance policy initiatives aligned with our mission.

• Advocate for policy reforms that drive systemic change and elevate underserved communities' quality of life.

• Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, industry influencers, and elected officials.

• Gather feedback from stakeholders to shape key performance indicators (KPIs) and enhance stakeholder experiences.

• Ensure impact reporting and change methodologies are integrated into external communications.

• Play a key role in packaging research and impact for advocacy goals.

Education and Experience:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below.

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Public Policy, or a related field (Master's preferred).

• 8+ Years experience, with at least 3 years of experience leading strategic communications initiatives.

Required Skills:

• Creative thinker with the ability to align marketing strategy with an impactful external relations strategy.

• Demonstrated ability to successfully engage media outlets locally and nationally.

• Experience navigating federal, state, and local policy environments is highly valued

• Proven experience in partnership development, community engagement, and media relations.

• Strong understanding of economic justice, racial equity, and underserved community challenges.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including press releases and public speaking.

• Track record of successful policy advocacy and engagement with government agencies.

• Proven experience with vendor procurement/management

• Proven experience managing budgets tied to strategic initiatives.

• Collaborative team player with excellent interpersonal skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the Washington, D.C. policy landscape.

• Experience with building brand awareness at (or for) a non-profit organization.

Work Location and Travel:

Reinvestment Fund provides a flexible work arrangement that is a hybrid home/office work arrangement or fully remote. A more flexible work schedule or fully remote will be considered for this role, ideally to be based in the Washington, D.C area or within the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast area. Episodic travel will be required to Reinvestment Fund’s Philadelphia, PA, headquarters as well as potential travel along the East Coast.

Compensation and Benefits:

Reinvestment Fund offers a competitive salary based on experience and skills, as well as an excellent benefits package including employer-paid health, disability and life insurance, 401(k) savings plan with employer match, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent care and transportation), tuition reimbursement, paid time off, and EAP program.

The salary range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $135,200 and $170,000/year, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Reinvestment Fund uses E-Verify to validate all new hires' ability to legally work in the United States and all new hires may be subject to a background check.

Reinvestment Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, national origin, non-job-related disability, or status as a veteran. Reinvestment Fund is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) throughout our organization and in our external investment practices.

Reinvestment Fund, Inc. has an affiliate, RF Impact Advisers, Inc. (“RFIA”) that is a state-registered investment adviser. In order to advance compliance with and prevent violations of federal and state securities laws and to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, RFIA has adopted a Code of Ethics to govern certain conduct of its staff, including certain staff of Reinvestment Fund because Reinvestment Fund is an advisory affiliate of RFIA. As part of this Code of Ethics, there are specific personal reporting and other requirements and disclosures of personal financial and/or securities transactions information for certain individuals, and this reporting may extend to your household members.