Marketing and Communications Specialist

Job Title: Marketing and Communications Specialist

Organization: Shaping Our Appalachian Region

Project: EKY Runway Project – Management, Equity, and Governance (MEG)

Position Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Eastern Kentucky (Serving Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry, and Pike counties)

Reports To: Director of Marketing and Communications

The Marketing and Communications Coordinator is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing all marketing and communication activities for the Eastern Kentucky Runway Program. This position serves as a forward-facing representative of the program, including acting as a spokesperson with media, presenting at events, and training other forward facing staff on communication best practices, program talking points, and media readiness. Travel within SOAR’s service region and some out of region is expected.

This role will be in office 5 days a week. Satellite offices are located in Pikeville, Whitesburg, and Corbin. 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Public Engagement and Media Relations: 
   • Serve as a forward-facing spokesperson for the program at events, conferences, community meetings, and media opportunities
   • Act as a backup presenter for the Program Director when needed, delivering key presentations and program updates with confidence
   • Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with media outlets, journalists, and influencers to secure earned coverage of the program’s work
   • Represent SOAR and the EKY Runway Program at regional events to showcase impact and strengthen community relationships
2. Strategic Communications and Marketing: 
   • Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy for the EKY Runway Program, including strategic planning, messaging, and hands-on execution in conjunction with SOAR's overall brand and strategy. 
   • Build and maintain a marketing calendar to ensure consistent messaging, campaign alignment, and visibility
   • Manage and optimize digital platforms (website, social media, newsletters, ads) to maximize reach, engagement, and conversions
   • Monitor and analyze communications metrics, adjusting strategy to improve outcomes
3. Storytelling and Content Development: 
   • Create and oversee engaging content, including press releases, talking points, digital campaigns, reports, and success stories
   • Gather stories, data, and testimonials for program staff, participants, and partners to highlight outcomes and impact
   • Align messaging with SOAR’s brand and StoryBrand methodology to inspire trust and action among job seekers, employers, and community stakeholders
   • Support photography and videography efforts for events, participant stories, employer engagement, and promotional campaigns as needed
4. Training and Team Enablement: 
   • Train and coach EKY Runway staff on program talking points, communication best practices, and media readiness
   • Develop resource materials (fact sheets, talking points, presentations) to ensure message consistency across the organization
   • Provide guidance on storytelling and community-facing communication to strengthen SOAR’s collective voice
5. Innovation and Continuous Improvement 
   • Integrate AI tools strategically to enhance content creation and workflow efficiency (without copy-paste reliance)
   • Stay current with communication trends, digital tools, and best practices in marketing and public engagement
     

Expectations: 

• Passion for SOAR’s mission to connect Eastern Kentuckians with meaningful careers
• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling ability tailored to diverse audiences
• Confident public speaker with demonstrated presentation and media communication skills
• Proficiency with tools such as Outlook, Dropbox, Slack, Canva, Asana, HubSpot, and AI-assisted platforms
• Knowledge of marketing and communication strategy, including social media management, paid campaigns, and conversion optimization
• Relationship builder with experience working across teams and with external partners
• Flexibility to adapt to changing needs and manage multiple projects at once
• Regular and reliable attendance required 
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment 
• Must be able to handle prolonged periods of sitting at a desk or standing at an event

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time when necessary 

Culture and Core Values

SOAR’s mission is simple: empower every Eastern Kentuckian to economic self-sufficiency through meaningful employment.

Our team culture is anchored by putting the interests of Eastern Kentucky first in all that we do. We believe treating others the way we want to be treated is always within our control. Our core values include faith, selflessness, grit, integrity, and empathy. We do our best to exemplify these daily in our interactions with each other and with external partners.

Apply Here

SOAR is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.