Purpose of the role
The Director of Communications and Funding is responsible for overseeing and delivering Soar’s communications strategy and fundraising goals that will enable Soar to achieve our Mission of reaching every Transition Year student in Ireland with a preventative, character building program.
They will focus on growing Soar’s brand in line with our vision and values, along with the creation and delivery of a fund generation strategy. They will be leading fundraising in Soar and drive new high-value initiatives, campaigns, and relationships. They will ensure Soar is inspiring and motivating supporters to connect with and contribute to Soar’s mission, making a real impact in the lives of teenagers that participate in our programs.

Specific responsibilities
Delivering Soar’s communication strategy
Responsible for; growing Soar’s brand for the purpose of attracting suitable financial investment from various, diverse income streams (e.g., corporate partners, individual donors, foundations, community events, campaigns, etc.).
Co-creating and overseeing the execution of Soar’s Communications Plan which will deliver consistent messaging to our various stakeholders in line with our brand and values.
Creating the required communications plan to ensure partners and supporters are positively engaged and committed to Soar’s Mission on a long-term basis.
Communicating Soar’s brand essence, culture, vision, and mission across the organisation in collaboration with the CEO and other members of the executive team.
Fund generation planning and delivery
Lead on the creation of Soar’s annual fund generation plans based on the funding required to deliver Soar’s annual organisational goals.
Responsible for overseeing and delivering on agreed annual goals across all of Soars income streams, such as; individual donors, corporate partners, foundations & grants, events, workshop revenue, social enterprise etc.
Working closely with the CEO, Director of Operations, and financial expertise to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the organisation.
Collaborating with the CEO, Board of Directors, and other key stakeholders to identify funding opportunities, and responsible for seeing these opportunities through to successful long-term partnerships.
Working closely with the CEO and other members of the executive team to represent the organisation to key stakeholders, either individually or as part of a team.
Responsible for preparing and communicating fund generation and financial reports to inform strategy and decision making at executive and board level.
Utilising internal and external data to inform Soar’s fund generation strategy and decision making so it can be as impactful and cost effective as possible, with quarterly reporting on results.
Contributing to Soar’s annual and quarterly organisational performance sessions with fund generation/financial reporting as required.

Essential Experience and Qualifications
Proven success in creating and delivering an organisation’s fund generation and communications strategic goals.
A minimum of 5-years’ experience operating at executive/senior management level with a proven track record of high-performance and progression.
Experience of managing large/medium teams to deliver fundraising and communications goals in high performance environments.
Proven track record in sourcing, cultivating, and securing high impact funding partnerships or delivering profitable campaigns or events.
Executive experience in delivering strategic goals within agreed budgets and time frames.
Professional qualification or certified learning in fundraising/marketing/communications would be preferable.

Essential Skills and Attributes
Passionate about the potential of people and the value and capabilities of all Teenagers.
Exceptional interpersonal, presentation, and negotiation skills built on respect for everyone we engage with.
Outstanding communication skills both written and verbal.
Strong relationship building, stakeholder management, and networking skills.
Exceptional operational and project management skills.
Excellent numeracy and analytical skills.
Growth mindset – continuously developing in your work and striving for improvement through your own high standards.
A developmental approach to leading others and actively contributing to a healthy organisational culture.
Be comfortable in an environment where humility and overall organisational success is priority.
Excellent time management and prioritisation skills to deliver tasks effectively.
Strong IT skills and experience working with a CRM management system (preferably Salesforce).
An openness to be part of an organisation where personal development is central to Soar’s ethos and open to finding yourself in environments where this occurs

All applications indicating the role that you are applying for in the subject line to; workwithus@soar.ie by midnight Friday 2nd September 2022