Senior Vice President, Communications

Application Instructions

Click Apply to submit your online application. Please attach a resume and thoughtful cover letter on the "My Experience" page in the "Resume/CV" field.

Active City Year Staff members must login to Workday to apply internally.

Number of Positions: 1

Work Location: Hybrid On-Site/Remote

Position Overview

City Year is at an inflection point. As we scale our Student Success Coach model and build stronger pathways for young adults into leadership and career, we need communications that match the ambition of the work: sharp storytelling, disciplined positioning, and a media presence that earns credibility with the investors, funders, and partners who will help us achieve our vision.

The SVP, Communications role is a builder’s role. The SVP, Communications will architect City Year’s message platform, drive proactive media placement in national and education press, and turn impact data and field stories into content that moves donors and policymakers to act. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, you’ll work closely with the CDO, CEO, and senior leaders across the organization to ensure the investor-facing narrative and public narrative move as one.

This role is based in Boston and requires on-site work three days per week.

Job Description

This role will lead City Year’s advancement and development communications strategy, including related marketing and brand work, national and education media relations, crisis communications, and the core message platform that connects City Year’s impact to funder, policymaker, and public audiences. The SVP will also co-own executive communications and thought leadership in close partnership with the CEO, CDO, and other senior leaders. In addition, the SVP will work closely with Digital Marketing leadership and team members to support consistent communication across channels, while collaborating with partners who lead regional press, program and field communications, cityyear.org, brand social channels, broad organizational emails, public affairs, advocacy, and internal communications.

Investor & Funder Narrative

• Lead City Year’s advancement and development communications strategy, including the message platform, marketing, brand, and storytelling that support fundraising priorities and strengthen the case for investment
• Translate impact data, research, and field stories into a compelling case for investment
• Arm the CEO, CDO, and development team with talking points, briefings, and content for high-stakes donor conversations
• Ensure advancement touchpoints, including annual reports, proposals, campaign materials, and relevant website content, reinforce the impact and importance of partnering with and investing in City Year’s work

National Media Relations & Thought Leadership

• Build and run a proactive media strategy targeting national and education press, in partnership with regional teams on local and site-specific media opportunities
• Co-lead op-eds, interviews, speaking placements, executive communications, and thought leadership for the CEO and senior leaders in partnership with the CEO, CDO, and relevant senior team members
• Cultivate direct relationships with the reporters and editors who shape the field's narrative

Advancement Content & Storytelling

• Lead planning and production of flagship advancement content, including annual reports, thought leadership, campaign collateral, and development-centered digital communications, in partnership with digital marketing and the teams that manage cityyear.org, brand social channels, and broader organizational emails
• Translate AmeriCorps member, student, and alumni stories into development-centered content that meets goals across channels, in collaboration with program, field, and site communications partners
• Keep content aligned to funding priorities and major moments in a focused calendar

Message Platform & Team

• Own City Year’s core narrative and partner with internal communications leaders to keep priority messages consistent from the national office to sites
• Lead crisis communications and protect the organization's reputation
• Build and manage a high-performing communications and creative team

What You Bring

• 10+ years in communications, with deep experience in media relations
• A track record landing coverage in national or education-focused outlets
• Experience translating complex, data-heavy priorities into narratives that move funders
• Team leadership experience
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Compensation

$175,000–$180,000 annually, commensurate with experience and location

Benefits

City Year offers a comprehensive benefits package that helps our employees live their best lives and grow personally and professionally.

Employment at City Year is at-will.

City Year does not sponsor work authorization visas.

As an equal opportunity employer, City Year is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Fair Labor Standards Act

Family and Medical Leave Act

Navigate to our City Year career page: https://cityyear.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CityYear/jobs

Submit your application by 10/16/2026.

Click Apply to submit your online application. Please attach a resume and thoughtful cover letter on the "My Experience" page in the "Resume/CV" field.

Active City Year staff members must log in to Workday to apply internally.

Benefits

Why City Year?

City Year’s dual mission is to expand educational opportunity for all students and develop the next generation of leaders through national service. Trained teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on academic, cognitive and interpersonal skills— skills that help students thrive in school, college and career.

City Year’s 900 staff and 2,000+ AmeriCorps members work and serve in 29 communities across the U.S., including Boston (where City Year was founded in 1988 and is headquartered), Baton Rouge, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Providence, Sacramento, San Antonio, San José/Silicon Valley, Seattle/King County, Tulsa and Washington, D.C. City Year also has international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa.

A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year has been designated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator since 2003, putting City Year in the top 1% of non-profits nationwide for accountability, transparency and responsible fiscal management, and among the most trustworthy nonprofits in America.

Building a welcoming, supportive, human-centered culture

At City Year, we sometimes say we work not only “at” City Year, but also “on” City Year, recognizing that the organization, like our world, is constantly evolving and changing.

Two things that have never changed: our steadfast belief in the power of young people to change our world for the better; and our aspiration to create positive school and work environments where everyone feels a sense of connection, is supported to do their best work, and is able to learn, contribute, lead and create to their fullest potential.

As an equal opportunity employer, City Year is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Fair Labor Standards Act

Family and Medical Leave Act

Learn More About Us

Learn more at www.cityyear.org, City Year’s Facebook page, on X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.