Description

Location: Winter Park, Florida, US

Status/FLSA: Full-Time/Exempt

Availability: Sunday mornings and occasional on-call hours are required.

Position Summary:

The Strategic Communications Manager drives the church-wide communications strategy that advances the church’s mission, strengthens engagement, and supports ministry goals across a multi-campus environment. This role provides strategic counsel to senior leadership while overseeing branding, messaging, editorial standards, digital communications, and integrated marketing efforts across all channels and is key in Identifying opportunities for process optimization.

This role leads key initiatives including organizational rebranding and communications supporting the launch and ongoing visibility of the church’s Welcome Center, while also managing communications systems, vendor relationships, workflows, and performance measurement practices to ensure effective, timely, and aligned communications. The Strategic Communications Manager is an ambassador for standardizing processes, improving collaboration tools, and fostering cross-functional alignment, process optimizer, ensuring marketing operations are agile, efficient, and aligned with both business goals and market realities.

This is a highly collaborative, hands-on leadership role requiring both strategic thinking and day-to-day execution. The Strategic Communications Manager is expected to continuously evaluate and improve communications processes, systems, and operational practices to increase efficiency, strengthen collaboration, and support organizational effectiveness across ministries and departments. Other duties as assigned.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Communications & Brand Leadership:

• Direct development of high-impact content across platforms (website, email, print, social, advertising, presentations, stories/blogs), ensuring a coordinated approach to engagement, outreach, and marketing.

• Develop and maintain church-wide brand standards, messaging frameworks, and editorial guidelines.

• Establish communications priorities and annual goals aligned with organizational strategy.

• Ensure consistent messaging and coordinated campaign execution across campuses and ministries. Fosters collaboration across diverse groups.

• Oversee the church’s digital presence (web and social) and related tools; evaluate performance and user experience; and implement improvements that strengthen communication effectiveness and member engagement.

• Develop and execute an integrated communications plan for the church’s new Welcome Center, including launch messaging, signage/wayfinding content (as applicable), digital promotion, and ongoing storytelling that drives awareness and connection.

• Evaluate and improve communications workflows, intake processes, approval structures, editorial calendars, and project management practices to support efficient, collaborative, and scalable operations across ministries. Strives to keep all activities and events centralized for streamline access.

Budget, Vendors & Performance Measurement:

• Develop and manage the communications budget; oversee vendor relationships (design, printing, web, advertising, media, photographers/videographers as applicable); and track results using reporting and analytics to inform decisions and improve outcomes.

• Assess communications systems, tools, and operational processes and implement improvements based on organizational needs, performance data, and user feedback.

Leadership, Partnerships & Media Communications:

• Build and maintain trusted partnerships with ministry and operations leaders to translate ministry goals into clear communication plans, campaigns, and deliverables.

• Ability to lead changes and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Ensures continuous process improvement to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and ROI. Consolidate tools and databases used by the organization.

• Provide leadership and direction to communications staff, freelancers, contractors, and ministry communication volunteers as applicable, including goal setting, prioritization, coaching, and performance feedback to ensure high-quality, timely output.

• Lead crisis and sensitive communications planning in coordination with senior leadership, including message development, approvals, and rapid-response execution when needed.

• Serve as primary media liaison when appropriate; draft and coordinate press releases and external statements; and guide spokesperson preparation.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, adaptability, and operational excellence within communications functions and cross-functional partnerships.

• Maintain current knowledge of communications best practices and trends and pursue continuing education through professional groups, organizations, and conferences.

Requirements

• Support FUMCWP’s vision, core values, and commitment to inclusion.

• Familiarity with the United Methodist Church and regular participation in a worship congregation; FUMC Winter Park preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, or related field; equivalent experience accepted.

• Five or more years of progressive communications experience with leadership responsibility; faith-based, nonprofit, education, or public service experience preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to lead communications strategy, manage multiple priorities, improve workflows, and execute high-quality, brand-consistent communications across channels.

• Excellent writing, editing, storytelling, and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

• Experience overseeing digital communications including websites, email, social media, content management, analytics, and communications processes.

• Strong technology proficiency; Ability to effectively utilize Artificial Intelligence and other productivity tools to drive results. Experience with CMS, project management, analytics, and survey tools preferred.

• Skilled in leading sensitive or crisis communications, developing key messages, and supporting leadership communications.

• Strong leadership, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence and build alignment across ministries.

• High level of discretion, emotional intelligence, and confidentiality.

• Experience managing budgets, vendors, contracts, and performance outcomes.

Statement of Faith & Alignment with Mission, Vision, and Values:

Because this role supports the ministries and spiritual mission of the church, the Strategic Communications Manager is expected to:

• Support and uphold the church’s Christian statement of faith while contributing to a culture that is welcoming, inclusive and respectful.

• Demonstrate alignment with the church’s mission, vision and values, recognizing that clear, consistent communication is essential to ministry, hospitality, outreach and community engagement.

• Ability to identify, analyze, and deeply understand target audiences to create compelling, audience-focused messaging.

• Model integrity, humility, discretion and service in interactions with staff, volunteers, congregants, partners and vendors.

• Approach responsibilities with a heart for ministry, understanding that excellent stewardship of messaging and brand supports the church’s ability to serve people well.

Work Environment:

• Frequent operation of computer, telephonic and related office machines and equipment.

• Frequent walking, standing and driving.

• Occasional lifting, climbing, reaching, bending, twisting, pushing, pulling and grasping.

• Occasional travel (up to 15%).

Disclaimers:

• Information outlined is intended to provide a summary of job functions and does not demonstrate a comprehensive listing of all duties and responsibilities.

• The information provided is subject to amendment or other changes at any time, with or without prior notice.

• Employment at FUMCWP is at-will. This job description is not a contract of employment or agreement to provide ongoing employment.

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• FUMCWP is an equal opportunity employer

First United Methodist Church of Winter Park

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