JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Department: Marketing & Communications
Reports to: President & CEO
SUMMARY
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, located on historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia, brings to life the more than 360-year history of Jews in America. Tracing the stories of how Jewish immigrants became Jewish Americans, the Museum invites visitors of all heritages to share their own stories and reflect on how their histories and identities shape and are shaped by the American experience. An open door for all, The Weitzman honors the past and contributes to a better future by sharing the power of imagination and ideas, culture and community, leadership and service, in ways that turn inspiration into action.
The Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO) serves as a member of the Museum’s senior leadership team and is responsible for advancing local and national reputation, awareness, engagement, and attendance goals. The CMCO leads the development, implementation, and assessment of integrated public engagement strategies across communications, marketing, public relations and digital platforms driving participation in public programs, group visitation, retail, event rentals, and special events, ensuring that the Museum’s voice and spirit are conveyed effectively to diverse audiences.
The CMCO plays a central role in cross-institutional planning and change leadership, convening stakeholders across departments to align strategy, sequencing, and execution for major initiatives, periods of organizational transformation, and high-profile public-facing projects.
The person in this role serves as a strategic partner to the President & CEO, providing counsel on institutional messaging, external positioning, audience engagement, and reputational considerations.
The CMCO also provides senior leadership for major national initiatives and signature projects that advance the Museum’s national educational mission, including Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM).
This position currently has one direct report—the Director of Marketing and Communications— and manages relationships with key outsourced service providers: a PR consultant and a digital agency.
Like most staff at the Museum, the CMCO operates at both the 30,000-foot level and the “boots-on-the-ground” level: setting strategy while also ensuring effective execution. The role requires comfort moving between big-picture planning and hands-on work, from designing materials and editing digital content to staffing special events and coordinating with vendors.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy, Marketing, Messaging, and Institutional Voice
- Create and oversee integrated communications and marketing plans for the Museum overall and for major exhibitions, initiatives, programs, and institutional milestones; evaluate effectiveness and evolve strategy as needed.
- Maintain a pan-institutional perspective, identifying synergies across departments and platforms to ensure cohesive communications in service of mission, awareness, and revenue goals.
- Serve as senior advisor on reputation management and crisis communications during periods of change, transition, or heightened public visibility, including both celebratory and challenging moments.
- Partner closely with the Chief Development Officer and Development team to design communications plans and messaging for communications-driven campaigns (e.g., end-of-year giving, membership retention and renewal, and fundraising events).
- Oversee organizational messaging and content development for all external communications, including website, social media, email, and print/digital publications; marketing collateral and promotional materials; and executive/institutional communications, including ghostwriting for the President & CEO.
- Ensure consistent branding, voice, and editorial standards across platforms and audiences; maintain and update institutional style guidelines.
- Write, review, and edit high-stakes materials for print and digital use—including talking points and remarks—with close attention to nuance, tone, and stakeholder sensitivity.
- Produce Museum videos for public and donor audiences that reflect institutional voice and identity; develop creative briefs; draft and edit scripts; and manage vendor/agency production workflows.
- Serve as an on-air and on-the-record spokesperson, as appropriate, alongside the President & CEO and project-specific spokespeople.
- Represent the Museum through public speaking at the Museum and externally at conferences and partner events.
Cross-Institutional Planning & Change Leadership
- Participate in cross-departmental planning to coordinate priorities, timelines, and role clarity for major exhibitions, national initiatives, and institutional transitions.
- Take part in translating complex, multi-phase projects into clear sequencing, decision points, and execution plans that align communications, visitor experience, public programming, development, and other relevant departments.
- Identify and elevate potential risks related to reputation, audience experience, revenue, and donor relationships; surface issues requiring senior leadership or board attention.
- Design and lead internal and external communications strategies during executive transitions, re-openings, rebranding, and other periods of institutional change, guiding and aligning peers in senior leadership and transmitting key details to trustees, staff, and volunteers, including timelines and talking points
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National Initiatives & Special Projects
- Take part in national initiatives and special projects that extend the Museum’s reach and advance its educational mission (e.g., communications and constituent engagement related to potential Smithsonian integration).
- Direct and execute Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, national partnerships, and public engagement goals. (Operational execution is defined in the separate JAHM position description.)
Leadership, Management, and Collaboration
- Serve on the senior management team.
- Lead, mentor, and manage department staff and consultants
- Develop or refine internal processes and cross-team structures (including standing cross-departmental meetings) to improve coordination, transparency, and effectiveness.
- Manage departmental budgets responsibly; collaborate with Development on donor stewardship, sponsorships, grants, and partnerships related to public engagement.
- Serve as manager to direct reporting staff; to reporting and all staff, serve as mentor, motivator, and resource; reinforce expectations of teamwork, accountability, and open communication through strong role modeling.
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications or related field and/or 10 years of professional experience in communications, marketing, museums, Jewish communal organizations, cultural programming, or related fields, preferably with senior management experience.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; ability to write quickly, accurately, persuasively, and compellingly, and to engage effectively with a wide range of internal and external constituencies.
- Demonstrated cultural fluency and content knowledge relevant to Jewish American history, heritage, culture, and contemporary issues; ability to translate nuance for broad public audiences.
- Ability to multi-task while prioritizing and managing a heavy workload and delivering high-quality work within designated timelines with close attention to detail.
- Strategic thinker with a demonstrated ability to provide advice and counsel across a complex organization.
- Demonstrated ability to lead with humor, creativity, and empathy and to work collaboratively in a diverse work environment; ability to maintain diplomacy and professionalism in all situations.
- Highly driven, self-motivated, and independent work ethic; demonstrated energy, creativity, and curiosity, with the ability to lead, inspire, and influence teams beyond direct reports.
- Ability to interact positively and professionally with community members, constituents, supporters, and colleagues at all levels.
- Ability to lead and reorient teams in response to new opportunities and changing priorities.
- Prior experience as an effective institutional spokesperson on a variety of issues and in diverse settings is a significant plus.
- Comfort with communications platforms and systems (e.g., email marketing and list management tools, social platform administration, web content workflows) and managing vendor/agency relationships; experience with Adobe Suite and Canva is preferred.
- Established network of relationships in tourism/destination marketing, media, and/or Jewish culture/media/causes; familiarity with the Philadelphia tourism market and destination marketing industry is a plus; demonstrated comfort working with diverse cultural heritage groups.
- Ability to work occasional nights and weekends, with increased evening participation during peak programming periods.
- Minimal domestic travel.
- 4 days required in-office, with occasional full weeks onsite as needed.