Creative Marketing Manager

Description:

A Meaningful Mission

Wellness House envisions a community where all people affected by cancer thrive. Offered at no cost, and as a complement to medical treatment, our programs educate, support, and empower participants in order to help them improve their physical and emotional well-being.

SUMMARY

Department: Marketing & Communications

Supervised By: Director of Marketing and Communications

Supervises: Volunteers, Interns

Status: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt

Hours: 40 hours per week; some evening and weekend work required as needed

Location: Onsite at main location in Hinsdale and partner locations; fully onsite initially, with potential hybrid option after 90 days

The Creative Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies while producing high-quality visual and written content that engages participants, donors, volunteers, healthcare providers, and community partners. This position tailors strategies and materials to the unique needs of each audience, ensuring communications are compelling and aligned with organizational goals.

Highly design-focused, this role requires proven excellence in visual storytelling, photography, digital and print collateral production, copyediting and proofreading, and organic social media management. The Creative Marketing Manager also maintains the organizational website, develops engaging cross-platform content, and ensures consistency of brand and messaging.

Working independently and collaboratively across departments, this position tracks the marketing budget and supports the Director of Marketing and Communications in annual planning, while continually monitoring and optimizing tactics in real time.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Graphic Design, Marketing and Content Development (Approx. 65–70%)

Design and produce all major organizational print and digital collateral, including:

Annual Report
Two print newsletters annually
Quarterly Program Guides and Welcome Guides
Quarterly flyers, postcards, ads, and promotional materials
Fundraising appeals (two per year)
Annual Impact Reports
Paid print advertising for special events
Partner banners, posters, flyers for distribution at Partner Hospitals
Additional collateral as needed for programs, fundraising, and outreach
Event signage and collateral

Manage the production process from concept through delivery, ensuring materials align with brand standards and strategic goals.

Write, edit, and proof content for marketing materials, program promotions, fundraising campaigns, and email templates.

Capture and curate mission-centered photography that reflects participant experience and program impact, including:

Taking event photos at quarterly special program events (approximately 1–2 per quarter) and select additional program activities (evenings/weekends as needed).
Producing usable photo assets paired with participant or staff quotes for social media, digital campaigns, and print materials.
Selecting and preparing photos that accurately and respectfully tell the Wellness House story.

Maintain and organize the Wellness House photography library; ensure images are current, searchable, and approved for use.

Collaborate with staff across departments to support program and development marketing needs.

Collaborate with Community Relations Manager to ensure all community partners have Wellness House Materials and literature appropriate to the setting. This includes ongoing quarterly program information as well as material related to individual special events
With DoMC, collaborate with Special Events Manager and Public Relations and Media Manager to develop and implement a marketing strategy to increase revenue and donor turn-out for the Walk, the Ball, and other donor events
Collaborate with the Manager of HR and Volunteers to market new volunteer outreach efforts in the community

Manage vendor and distributor relationships to fulfill marketing needs.

Digital Engagement and Social Media (Approx. 20%)

Develop and implement an organic social media strategy aligned with organizational goals.
Create, schedule, and publish content across major platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and others as appropriate).
Maintain a comprehensive social media content calendar.
Produce graphics, photography-driven posts, video snippets, and other multimedia content for digital platforms.
Build and maintain a library of photo + quote assets for ongoing use in social, web, and advertising.
Monitor engagement, respond to comments/messages, and foster positive online community interaction.
Track analytics, report on performance, and refine strategies.
Stay current with evolving digital and AI tools; incorporate generative AI or AI-optimized workflows where beneficial.

Website Management (Approx. 5–10%)

Serve as lead staff maintaining the organizational website, including updating content, editing program and fundraising information, and liaising with external web professionals as needed. Maintain and update staff and board sections of website to keep it current and accurate.
Ensure accessibility, usability, and brand consistency across web pages.
Write and edit content for the website and review submissions from other staff.

Strategy, Budget, and Administration (Approx. 10%)

In partnership with the Director of Marketing and Communications, develop and manage the annual marketing expense budget, including maintaining detailed monthly expense records and monitoring day-to-day spending to ensure alignment with approved allocations.
With the Director of Marketing and Communications, own and develop marketing strategy for Wellness House, thinking critically about how to reach the right audience.
Maintain and continuously improve the Wellness House photo library, ensuring high-quality, rights-cleared, current imagery available for organizational use.
Be able to speak confidently about why and what Wellness House does and the impact it has on participants; be well-versed in current participation data.
Provide reports on marketing and social media activities, web/digital analytics, and campaign effectiveness.
Contribute to the development and evaluation of marketing strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and adjusting as needed.
Utilize program data in developing tactical marketing plans and in understanding the impact of the plan.
Oversee Wellness House brand strategy and support consistency of Wellness House’s brand identity across print, digital, and events, both internally and externally.
Participate in surveys and data collection processes with program and development teams to inform messaging and strategy.
Further update job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities and reading professional publications.
Represent Wellness House at select program and fundraising events to deepen understanding of participant experiences and capture storytelling assets.
Maintain confidentiality and organizational integrity in all activities.
Perform general tasks and other duties as assigned.

Attendance at Events Required

Annual Walk for Wellness House
The Annual Wellness House Ball
Lifetime Trustee Dinner
1-2 Local conventions per year
To maintain knowledge of WH programs, take event photographs (and gain knowledge of participant’s experiences), approximately 6-12 additional program events annually (usually an evening or Saturday, 1-3 per quarter).

Performance Measures:

To be filled in each year during annual evaluation, by employee and supervisor

Requirements:

Education / Experience:

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, graphic design, or related field plus a minimum of 2 years of professional creative marketing experience OR equivalent, relevant work experience in lieu of degree for a minimum of 7 years of professional creative marketing experience required.
Experience with photography and photo editing for marketing purposes.
Strong experience managing organic social media strategy, content creation, content calendars, and audience engagement. Knowledge of Hootsuite a plus.
Experience with project management tools (Monday.com and OneNote a plus).
Website management experience (WordPress preferred).
Experience with email service provider platforms required (Constant Contact preferred).
Experience working with CRMs preferred.
2 years in nonprofit marketing preferred.

Special Knowledge & Skills:

Proven excellence in graphic design, layout, and visual storytelling, with advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and Canva required. A portfolio of recent design work is required with application.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
Familiarity with GA4, SEO a plus.
Basic video editing skills required to produce short-form content for social media and digital storytelling.
Generative AI and AI-optimized workflow skills preferred.
Excellent writing, editing, copyediting, and proofreading skills.

Demonstrated Competencies:

Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple projects independently.
Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
Commitment to cancer health equity and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).
Commitment to the mission of Wellness House and ability to communicate its impact with authenticity.

Access to transportation for local travel required.

Applicants must submit a portfolio (or samples of recent work) demonstrating design capabilities and organizational storytelling.

Work Environment:

Pleasant work environment includes free parking and easy access to Metra station
Position requires frequent and regular computer and phone use and employee is regularly required to use hands and talk and hear. Position requires occasional ability to lift 40 pounds. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms balance, stoop, kneel or crouch
Some weekend and evening work required

Applications by members of all underrepresented groups are encouraged.

Wellness House is an EOE.

Join Our Team!

At Wellness House, we are always looking for smart, dedicated experts who recognize the value of psychosocial care as a complement to medical care. A career with Wellness House provides an opportunity to use your unique skills and talents to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by cancer.

We provide opportunities for staff growth, leadership development, and team building throughout the year. We value direct communication, high professional standards, and a mindful approach. Our staff culture is intentional in our efforts to acknowledge and make space for diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging in our work with each other and in our program delivery. From snack-and-greets to staff retreats, we make sure to give our staff a chance to connect.

Benefits:

Employer paid Medical, Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, and AD&D insurance premiums

Voluntary Accident, Critical Illness, Vision, and Pet Insurance benefits available

403(b) with employer match

Annual incentive bonus

Gym on-site

Generous sick and vacation time

Estimated hiring range:

Final offers are based upon qualifications, years of experience, and internal equity considerations and may or may not fall within the estimated hiring range of $67,000 - $74,500.