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Director of Communications

About Houston Arts Alliance

Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) is a local arts and culture organization whose principal work is to implement the City of Houston’s vision, values, and goals for its arts grantmaking and civic art investments. HAA’s work is conducted through contracts with the City of Houston (COH), and other public and private organizations and clients in Houston. HAA also executes privately funded special projects to meet the needs of the arts community, such as disaster preparation and research on the state of the arts in Houston.

In short, HAA helps artists and nonprofits be bold, productive, and strong.

Position Summary

The Director of Communications shapes HAA’s overall communications approach, centering the people and communities served by the organization and guiding the tone and public presence of HAA. The ideal candidate embodies HAA’s values of accessibility, fairness, transparency, and responsiveness, ensuring the organization’s public voice reflects its mission and commitments.

The Director shall lead the strategic direction, content development, and organization-wide communications workflow for Houston Arts Alliance. The role plays a vital part in advancing HAA’s public relations strategy, strengthening HAA’s visibility across stakeholders and communities to ensure the fulfillment of our mission.

As the communications portfolio grows, the Director will also hire, manage, and mentor communications staff to support the various functions within the communications division’s roles and responsibilities.

Roles and Responsibilities
Lead Brand and Narrative Strategy

  • External Communications
    • Evolve HAA’s public narrative as a connector, convener, and champion for Houston’s arts ecosystem.
    • Ensure messaging reinforces HAA’s mission, values, and strategic priorities, including community impact, arts investment, and civic partnerships.
    • Leverage expertise and partner with divisional directors to improve marketing of grants, civic art, disaster resilience, and fundraising opportunities.
    • Oversee website updates, newsletters, email marketing, and social media storytelling.
    • Develops, updates and follows brand guidelines in all messaging.
    • Maintain accessibility, clarity, and consistency across public-facing platforms and materials (print, digital, events).
    • Manage content calendars that reflect seasonal programming (grant cycles, gala announcements, civic art milestones, events).
    • Develops standardized templates (press releases, talking points, one-pagers, event briefs).
    • Engage in thought leadership efforts, including op-eds, policy statements, and strategic positioning in the arts sector.

  • Internal Communications
    • Manage the internal organizational calendar to ensure effective communication and planning for HAA across divisions.
    • Maintain communications systems, tools, archives, templates, processes, and workflows to support efficient collaboration across divisions.

Media Relations, Public Visibility, and Reputation Management

  • Serve as the central point of contact for local, regional, and national media partners.
  • Develop and distribute press releases, media advisories, and story pitches that highlight HAA programs, grants, civic art projects, and milestones.
  • Coordinate with Development division on donor, board, and other stakeholder communications, ensuring timely updates and strategic alignment.
  • Build strong relationships with journalists and arts/culture editors to amplify HAA’s leadership and impact.
  • Maintain and refine crisis communication protocols, ensuring preparedness and coordinated messaging.
  • Manage rapid-response communications and advise leadership in moments requiring discretion or sensitive handling.

Project and Team Management

  • Lead and support communications staff, contractors, designers, photographers, and content creators.
  • Oversee timelines, deliverables, and workflows for campaigns, events, announcements, and multi-divisional projects.
  • Track engagement, media coverage, digital analytics, and communications performance metrics. Use data to refine messaging, identify opportunities, and optimize audience reach.
  • Manage communications budgets and ensure high-quality output across channels.
  • Report regularly to leadership and the Communications Committee of the Board of Directors on impact and success, as well as directions for improvement.

Qualifications

The following qualifications represent what we seek in an ideal candidate:

  • 5+ years of experience in communications, public relations, marketing, or related disciplines.
  • Prior experience leading or managing a communications team or supervising staff/contractors.
  • Demonstrated experience developing and executing communications strategies across multiple channels.
  • Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills with a clear, compelling voice and an ability to tailor messages to diverse audiences.
  • Understanding of media relations, including crafting pitches and engaging with reporters.
  • Proficiency in content management systems (CMS), email marketing platforms, and social media management tools.
  • Familiarity with design basics and the ability to collaborate effectively with creative professionals (graphic designers, photographers, videographers).
  • Experience leveraging digital analytics, media tracking, and performance measurement tools.
  • Commitment to clarity, accessibility, and audience-centered communication.
  • Ability to anticipate issues, manage crisis communications, and respond quickly with accuracy and professionalism.
  • Skilled in managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining strategic focus.
  • Demonstrated ability to build and lead teams, systems, and procedures that support organizational growth.
  • Experience fostering collaborative, inclusive, and positive team and organizational culture.
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues, board members, and external stakeholders.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Adobe programs, and willingness to learn and adopt new technologies.
  • Commitment to HAA’s mission of supporting artists and nonprofits, and to ongoing professional growth by engaging with industry best practices in marketing and communications.

To Apply

Please submit your resume, cover letter, and a selection of work samples—including two writing samples (press releases, speeches, op-eds, executive messaging, or talking points), visual materials (campaign collateral, social graphics, or one-pagers), and links to previous campaigns, media placements, or digital strategy work—to taylor@haatx.com with “HAA Director of Communications” in the subject line by 5PM (CST) March 6th, 2026.