About Chicago Beyond  

Chicago Beyond is a national philanthropic organization that addresses systemic inequity by backing solutions led by those closest to the issues. Since our inception in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $65 million in catalytic funding in over 250 individuals and community organizations while leading national systems change initiatives. Because there is no single barrier to equity, Chicago Beyond engages in opportunities across philanthropy, justice, health, and beyond.  

We address systemic inequity in three ways:   

• Investments: We make catalytic investments to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues.   
• National Initiatives: We lead national initiatives in partnership with change makers to challenge and reshape the status quo.   
• Insights: We provide insights to disrupt and reimagine “systems as usual” and share learnings on equitable funding, practices, and policies.   

About Chicago Beyond’s Partners  

Through flexible funding, strategic support, and an equitable approach, Chicago Beyond’s partners are strongly positioned to provide high-quality services to their communities and reshape systemic structures to improve lives.  

Our investment partnerships include:  

• Multiyear Investment Partners: Through multimillion-dollar, flexible grants and partnership support, we work to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues.  
• Rapid Response Fund: This fund quickly delivers unrestricted grants to organizations and individuals with solutions for their own communities across the country. Our investments strengthen partners’ wide-ranging work.   
• Leader in Residence: The Leader in Residence program offers funding and support to selected leaders, empowering them to develop innovative, transformative ideas that create meaningful impacts in targeted communities.   

Chicago Beyond was founded by Liz Dozier, a nationally renowned former educator and high school principal. Chicago Beyond’s innovative and impactful work has been featured on both the local and national level from the Chicago Tribune to the Clinton Global Initiative to Aspen Ideas Festival and Stanford Social Innovation Review. For more information on Chicago Beyond, please visit chicagobeyond.org.  

Position Details  

The Director of Marketing & Growth is responsible for building and executing Chicago Beyond’s marketing strategy to expand our national reach, influence, and engagement across key audiences. This leader will architect a unified, data-informed marketing practice while also directly driving execution across key channels. As a small and agile organization, we are looking for a player–coach: someone who can think strategically, operate with excellence, and implement high-quality work themselves.

Reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer and working in close partnership with the Senior Director of Communications, the Director of Marketing & Growth will translate Chicago Beyond’s narratives, insights, and strategy into high-performing campaigns and engagement systems. This role ensures that our stories reach the policymakers, practitioners, funders, and community leaders positioned to advance systems change. 

What Success Looks Like (First 9 Months)

• A clear, national marketing strategy that increases Chicago Beyond’s visibility and influence 
• A measurable expansion of priority audiences which including policymakers, practitioners, funders, and ecosystem leaders 
• A strengthened digital ecosystem (including a refreshed website and channel strategy) that communicates Chicago Beyond’s voice and impact with clarity 
• A functional marketing infrastructure, i.e. analytics, dashboards, segmentation, publishing cadence that guides decisions across teams 
• Consistent, high-quality marketing execution that amplifies insights, investment announcements, and organizational priorities  

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Strategy & Audience Growth 

• Co-develop and own Chicago Beyond’s national marketing strategy aligned with our mission and long-term goals 
• Define, segment, and prioritize target audiences; build tailored engagement plans for policymakers, practitioners, funders, and field leaders 
• Identify and cultivate high-value networks, intermediaries, and platforms to amplify reach, influence, and visibility 
• Build and co-execute a growth roadmap that deepens Chicago Beyond’s presence in key national conversations and spaces 

Player–Coach Execution Across Channels 

• Serve as both strategist and operator, designing the approach and directly executing day-to-day marketing work, ensuring brand consistency and alignment between storytelling, content, and marketing strategy. 
• Manage core channels (social, web, partner amplifications) in partnership with the Senior Director of Communications. 
• Translate content and insights from Communications into cohesive distribution plans with clear KPIs and outcomes 

Digital Ecosystem & Distribution Strategy 

• Lead and manage the redesign and ongoing evolution of Chicago Beyond’s website to ensure it communicates our strategy and impact with clarity and resonance 
• Develop distribution strategies for insights, investment announcements, and organizational initiatives that elevate Chicago Beyond’s national presence 
• Leverage marketing analytics to strengthen planning, segmentation, decision-making, and workflow efficiencies 

Community Building & External Amplification 

• Increase meaningful engagement across social platforms, owned channels, and targeted national networks 
• Develop and execute partner and ally amplification strategies to expand collective visibility and influence  
• Cultivate relationships with collaborators, ecosystem leaders, and field-specific communicators to build Chicago Beyond’s presence in key circles 

Analytics, Measurement & Continuous Learning 

• Build a marketing analytics function, including tools, dashboards, reporting rhythms, and insight loops from the ground up to meet established KPIs for audience growth and engagement 
• Establish KPIs and metrics strategy for audience growth, engagement, reach, and distribution performance. 
• Use data to optimize content, refine audience journeys, and guide digital ecosystem improvements. 

Content Design & Creative Workflows 

• Partner with Communications to ensure content is visually compelling, strategically aligned, and optimized for distribution (Communications leads the development of core narratives, content, and design. Marketing translates those assets into growth strategies, distribution systems, and audience engagement.) 

Qualifications:   

• Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience in marketing (strategy, product marketing, digital marketing), growth, or digital strategy roles. Nonprofit, advocacy, social impact, or mission-driven experience preferred
• Demonstrated success developing and executive marketing strategies that drive audience growth and influence  
• Expertise in defining audiences and architecting multi-channel distribution
• Deep fluency in digital and channel marketing (email, social, SEO, analytics tools)  
• Experience with CRM and social media marketing automation platforms such as Hootsuite  
• Strong planning and project management skills, with the ability to translate strategic initiatives into clear goals and actionable plans that drive results  
• Demonstrated ability to develop KPIs, create dashboards, and analyze data to drive insight, decision making, and accountability  
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve their full potential in a dynamic environment  
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex information to diverse stakeholders   

Working at Chicago Beyond  

We are an agile, ambitious team with diverse experience across various sectors. We thrive on challenging each other and continuously learning, united by our passion for equity and lasting impact. If you are an entrepreneurial individual looking to join a dynamic community with significant opportunities to grow and shape what you do, then this will be a perfect role for you.  Please note that this role currently requires 2 days in our Chicago office.   

Our values guide our work.    

• Always Equitable – People in our communities face unimaginable obstacles to achieving their fullest human potential. So, we must fight for equity, not equality.  
• Incessantly Urgent – The simple fact is that lives are literally at stake right now. The unacceptability of the situation requires our relentless bias to action in order to accelerate our impact.  
• Endlessly Creative – To dramatically impact the lives of our youth and communities, we must employ imagination to augment or replace the usual, typical, and predictable.  
• Stubbornly Audacious – Entrenched challenges require disruptive ideas boldly applied. We must be unafraid to embrace risks.  
• Uncompromising Integrity – How we achieve our mission is equally as important as our mission. We must do right by our youth, our communities, our partners, our teammates and ourselves.  

Benefits  

The salary range for this role is $125,000 - $150,000. Chicago Beyond provides a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive medical, dental, and vision plans, a matching 401(k) program, and generous paid time off.  

Chicago Beyond is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented applicants.