Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

Full-time, Exempt

Reports to Chief Director of Growth and Engagement

Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) is seeking a passionate, driven individual with the desire to learn, grow, and excel in a culture that values every member of the team. DSF was named one of the Denver’s Top Workplaces in 2026 (7 year recipient of Top Workplaces), a testament to our team and to our intentionality in co-creating a positive, inclusive work environment. When you join the DSF team, you will enjoy a supportive, and innovative environment where your work has a profound impact on the lives of students and their families.

As a nonprofit organization, DSF’s mission is to inspire and empower DPS students to enroll in and graduate from postsecondary institutions of higher education, by providing the tools, knowledge, and financial resources essential for success. By embodying the core values of equity, innovation, leadership, learning, relationships, and integrity in everything we do. DSF strives to be a leader within the community, as we constantly seek to improve our services, we build strong relationships with college staff members, partners, students, team members and the broader community. We are committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, believing in the value and ability of all students and team members.

We seek candidates who will model, live, and reinforce DSF’s mission and core values with colleagues, students, families, and the broader community. If you are passionate about the philosophy and mission of DSF, then we invite you to join us and help make college possible for Denver's students.

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, serves as the strategic leader of DSF’s brand, storytelling and communications efforts and is a key member of the Growth and Engagement leadership team. This role oversees and supervises the development and implementation of DSF’s overall marketing, communications, public relations, and media strategies that strengthen DSF’s visibility, deepen engagement with key audiences and directly support the organization ’s programmatic, fundraising, and community impact goals. This position works to ensure that the highest strategic priorities of the organization are realized through branding, messaging and externally facing channels. The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications is a visionary, creative, energetic, and strategic-minded professional who is responsible for stewarding all aspects of communication and marketing while overseeing a multifunctional team to do the same. This role partners closely with other members of the Growth and Engagement leadership team, Programs and Executive Leadership to ensure communications effectively reach and resonate with donors, partners, students, and the broader community. Successful candidates for this role demonstrate strong leadership skills, manage multiple projects simultaneously, thrive in a fast-paced environment, value working collaboratively with colleagues while showing concern for people and community— demonstrate presence, self-confidence, common sense, public speaking, good listening, and bring experience in staff supervision, motivation, media, public relations, and professional development.

Strategic Ownership

• Organizational brand, voice, and messaging strategy
• Communications planning, prioritization, and alignment across departments
• Fundraising communications strategy (campaigns, appeals, donor engagement)
• Program communications strategy supporting students, Scholars, families and partners
• Content and storytelling strategy across all platforms
• Media relations and public positioning
• Audience engagement and channel strategy
• Marketing data analysis and interpretation

Job Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy aligned with DSF’s strategic plan, organizational, and Growth and Engagement Team goals
• Serve as a strategic partner to the Chief Growth & Engagement Officer and Growth and Sr. Director of Individual Philanthropy to ensure communications directly support fundraising outcomes, donor acquisition, and engagement strategies
• Align messaging, storytelling, and campaigns across fundraising, programs, and community engagement
• Participate in Growth and Engagement planning, contributing to revenue strategy, campaign planning, and audience segmentation
• Partner with Executive Leadership to align strategic communications with organizational priorities and external positioning
• Develop strategic, creative marketing, content, and campaigns across diverse media channels to increase target audience participation in and support of key initiatives
• Oversee research and interpretation of customer and audience information

Narrative, Brand & Content Strategy

• Define and steward DSF’s organizational narrative to ensure clarity, consistency, and emotional resonance across all audiences
• Ensure all communications reflect DSF’s mission, values, and impact while supporting both fundraising and programmatic priorities
• Oversee development and approval of high-quality content including campaigns, digital communications, publications, program-facing materials, and leadership communications
• Maintain and evolve DSF’s brand standards, ensuring consistency across all materials and platforms
• Create and share talking points with DSF Board members and staff

Media, Public Relations & External Positioning

• Lead DSF’s media and public relations strategy to increase visibility and strengthen public positioning
• Build and steward relationships with key media outlets and partners
• Serve as spokesperson as needed and prepare organizational leaders for media engagement
• Collaborate and lead joint messaging, media and PR opportunities with partner organizations

Program and Engagement Communications

• Collaborate with Sr. Director of Individual Philanthropy to design and execute messaging and engagement in support of integrated fundraising campaigns, including annual giving, Colorado Gives Day, major gift storytelling, and event-related communications
• Develop messaging strategies that support donor acquisition, retention, and upgrade across giving levels
• Ensure communications effectively support donor stewardship, cultivation, and engagement experiences
• Collaborate with the Events team to align communications with event strategy and outcomes
• Partner with Program teams to ensure clear, accessible, and effective communications for students, Scholars, families, and partners
• Ensure messaging reflects DSF’s impact across the full student journey and community ecosystem
• Work with external partners including college partners, funding, and community partners on joint messaging opportunities

Data, Performance & Audience Insights

• Define and track key performance indicators for communications effectiveness, including engagement, reach, conversion, and fundraising impact
• Use data (digital analytics, campaign performance, audience insights) to inform strategy and decision-making
• Continuously refine audience segmentation and channel strategies to improve engagement and outcomes

Coaching and Workflow Management

• Provide oversight, supervision, and mentorship to the Communications Manager, Digital Marketing and Social Media Coordinator, and Creative Design Manager
• Establish clear systems for prioritizing communications requests across departments, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities
• Create and manage editorial calendars and campaign planning processes that support organizational goals
• Implement workflows that improve efficiency, clarity, and cross-team coordination
• Build and manage an annual budget to achieve marketing and communications goals
• Provide oversight to outside agencies, vendors, and consultants