Director, Marketing & Communications

About Music Will

Music Will runs the largest nonprofit music education program in the U.S. public school system. We transform lives by transforming music education.

 Using genres including rock, pop, Latin, and hip hop, our program empowers teachers to build music programs as diverse as the kids they serve. As a result, students see themselves reflected in their classes, which strengthens their connection to their school, their peers, and their community. Music Will also donates necessary instruments and curriculum, meeting a key need of many school music programs. 

Since 2002, Music Will has served more than 1,800,000 students in more than 6,000 schools in over 1,000 cities and communities across 50 states with highly inclusive and culturally responsive music education. Today, over 1 million kids currently participate in Music Will programs, and we’ve set an ambitious goal to serve 11 million students annually by 2030. Learn more here: www.musicwill.org. 

Summary of the Opportunity 

Our vision is to partner with tens of thousands of teachers to bring the transformational power of music to 11 million students annually. To achieve that growth, we must bring powerful ideas, messages, and stories to our expanding community of educators, funders, and collaborators. The Director, Marketing & Communications plays a critical role in making that possible.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director will lead the Marketing and Communications team and establish a cohesive, organization-wide strategy. This strategy will encompass:

• Email communications
• Content creation
• Social media engagement
• Digital marketing & advertising
• Search Engine Optimization
• Public Relations
• Engagement with artists and music industry leaders
• Exploration of new media (e.g., podcasts)

The primary goal is to effectively reach and engage our key audiences. This leader will ensure marketing efforts are strategically aligned with programmatic and fundraising priorities by partnering closely with other teams to create unified messaging and coordinated tactics that lead to measurable results. Under the Director’s leadership, the Marketing & Communications team will serve as a leader, thought partner, and collaborator across Music Will to ensure that messaging and communications are aligned and impactful across all channels, both those directly overseen by the Director and those led by other teams.

We are seeking a leader who is both a creative storyteller and a strong operator – someone who can translate big ideas into clear strategies, and ensure those strategies are executed with consistency, clarity, and impact. The Director, Marketing & Communications will be responsible for setting priorities, managing competing demands, and ensuring timely follow-through. And of course, we are looking for a candidate who believes in the power of music in their life and in the lives of the students, teachers, and communities we care about and support.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the CEO, MarComm team, and various department leads to develop and implement a marketing and communications strategy that expands and engages our key audiences and elevates Music Will’s brand, leading to program impact, funding, and broader brand awareness.
• Lead the development and alignment of brand voice across all communication channels (those led by the Marketing & Communications team and those led by other departments), ensuring consistent, high-quality storytelling while adapting tone and messaging to platform, audience, and content type
• Own end-to-end execution of marketing and communications initiatives, ensuring projects are delivered on time, aligned to priorities, and meet quality standards.
• Establish clear planning processes, timelines, and communication cadences with cross-functional partners to ensure alignment, minimize last-minute requests, and drive consistent execution.
• Serve as a strategic partner to other departments, providing guidance and guardrails for communications initiatives driven by those departments.
• Provide consistent, engaged management to direct reports, including regular check-ins, clear goal-setting, and ongoing coaching and feedback. Ensure team members have clear priorities, are accountable for deliverables, and are supported in their professional growth.
• Oversee Music Will’s email marketing, social media, digital advertising, and PR. Leverage data analytics to inform strategy, optimize campaign performance, personalize audience engagement, and guide long-term marketing decisions, while driving measurable growth and engagement.
• Partner on a coordinated story gathering and storytelling effort that supports both our program and fundraising goals.
• Integrate our artist relations efforts into the organization’s program, funding, and brand awareness objectives.
• Lead implementation and support sustained utilization of SEO to drive increased website traffic.
• Define, track, and report on KPIs that measure the effectiveness of marketing and communications efforts, and use data to inform strategy, prioritize work, and drive continuous improvement.

Skills, Experiences, and Qualifications

About You 

Strong candidates will bring a diverse set of skills, characteristics, and experiences, both professional and lived. At Music Will, we strive to mitigate inherent biases that influence hiring practices by focusing on a holistic view of potential candidates and understanding that no single candidate will offer every desired skill and characteristic.

The ideal candidate would be described as a:

• Mission-aligned relationship builder, possessing high emotional intelligence
• Clear, proactive communicator with strong listening skills
• Accomplished storyteller, able to bring an idea, message, or story to large, diverse audiences in ways that connect and engage.
• Effective project manager, able to coordinate the efforts and involvement of multiple stakeholders
• Team-oriented leader with experience navigating cross-functional collaboration

Required Skills and Experiences 

• At least 7-10 years of experience in marketing and communications, especially in a mission-driven environment
• 3-5 years of management and/or leadership experience
• Experience developing and implementing strategic marketing plans
• Previous lead or strategic oversight role for the creation of content (e.g. blogs, podcasts), including content production and art direction, and managing social media dissemination
• Experience managing new and ongoing website development and enhancements; incorporating SEO into tech assets
• Demonstrated ability to use digital marketing as a key driver of brand awareness, audience growth, and audience engagement
• Work with celebrities, artists, or influencers to collaborate in ways that amplify messages
• Proven superior communication skills (written and oral); able to adapt personal style to capture the voice of Music Will and share our story
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment while creating clarity, structure, and direction for team members and cross-functional partners.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing teams with a track record of setting clear expectations, providing consistent feedback loop, and driving accountability for results.
• ​​​​​​Proficiency with Wordpress and Social Media Channels (functionality and best practices)
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel)

Preferred Skills and Experiences 

• Certifications and/or degrees in Marketing, Digital Marketing, or related areas
• Experience working with educators, or as an educator
• Music industry and/or artist relations experience
• Experience working with Salesforce, or similar CRM
• Music maker, a plus!

Compensation

Starting salary range for this position is $114,506-$121,241 per year. Music Will is committed to offering a competitive and equitable compensation package that reflects our values, supports our team, and aligns with our organizational compensation philosophy. 

Salary ranges are established based on market benchmarking and internal equity across roles at similar levels. To support internal equity and consistency, compensation decisions are made within this framework and are not negotiated outside of the defined salary range.

New hires are typically placed between 85% and 90% of the salary range, depending on relevant skills, qualifications, and directly applicable experience. While starting salaries are determined within this framework, employees have the opportunity to grow within their range over time through performance-based increases and organizational adjustments, and into new salary bands through promotions.

Benefits

• Benefit package (medical, dental, vision), up to 100% paid for employee coverage
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account Options    
• Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance 
• 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan with 3% match after 90 days of service
• Eligibility for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program 
• Discretionary Time Off policy, 10 paid holidays, and company-wide office closure from December 24th through January 1st
• Flexible work arrangements
• Monthly remote work stipend
• Employee Music Enjoyment stipend

Additionally, we provide employees with a laptop, monitor, docking station, and peripherals for business use.

Location and Travel

This is a full-time position, based remotely. Occasional travel will be required, including being on site for MW’s annual Benefit event each spring, the annual Modern Band Summit each summer, staff retreat, as well as attending select corporate activations, funder site visits, and other events as needed, approximately 5-8 times per year.

You must reside and be authorized to work in the United States to be considered for this position.

Working at Music Will – Our Workplace Values

Our organizational values are our fundamental beliefs and guiding principles that shape our culture, influence our decision-making, and define how our team interacts, works, and leads. Our values are:

• Belonging: We create welcoming spaces of acceptance and forge authentic relationships.
• Integrity: We act with transparency, consistency, and accountability, upholding our commitment to youth thriving.
• Growth: We embrace curiosity, reflection, and creativity to promote personal and collective development.
• Joy: Together, we build a culture that inspires and promotes well-being and fun.

Music Will is committed to recruiting and maintaining a diverse staff; individuals from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We promote a healthy and safe workspace as we work together to foster success for generations to come. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parenthood, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

This employer participates in E-Verify.

Applications will be accepted until April 13, 2026.
 

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications. These tools assist our team but do not replace human judgment – final hiring decisions are always made by people. For more information about how your data is processed, please contact us at hr@musicwill.org.