Ares Foundation Communications Officer

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Ares Management Corporation (“Ares” or “the firm”) is looking for a professional to join the Ares Charitable Foundation (the “Ares Foundation). Established in 2021 as a 501(c)(3) qualifying organization sponsored by Ares, the Ares Foundation strives to advance economic mobility by helping people prepare and reskill for quality jobs, launch and scale businesses, and build personal finance knowledge.  Moreover, the Ares Foundation executes philanthropy with the same rigor, discipline and entrepreneurial spirit that Ares brings to its investment activities to help strengthen the communities where the firm does business.

Ares seeks a Director, Foundation Communications and Storytelling to help the Ares Foundation further demonstrate thought leadership and raise visibility for its unique value-add to the philanthropic / CSR and nonprofit sectors. With these goals in mind, the ideal candidate must be able to design, articulate and execute a thoughtful strategy to share the Ares Foundation’s story with key audiences. This includes crafting key narratives, securing high-profile speaking opportunities, engaging with media on CSR and relevant topics, and leading high-impact storytelling across platforms, initiatives and regions.

In addition, the Director, Foundation Communications and Storytelling will collaborate with Ares team members across the firm, including in Corporate Communications & Marketing, Compliance and Legal, as well as with external vendors and agencies as necessary to ensure focused, consistent and compelling messaging for key audiences.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in nonprofit / CSR communications. They will possess excellent project management skills, including the ability to manage and prioritize multiple assignments as well as meet deadlines. They will be detail-oriented, accuracy-focused, flexible and collaborative, and possess a process-improvement mindset.

Ares Philanthropy 2024 Annual Report

Primary functions and essential responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

·       Lead content and product planning, relying on data and insights to inform strategy and ongoing refinement.

·       Develop communications content and products – including Ares Foundation-related messaging, social media and webpage copy, reports, press releases, case studies, presentations, opinion pieces and other collateral – to build awareness for the Ares Foundation’s innovation, thought leadership and impact among key audiences.

·       Identify and research emerging issues relevant to the Ares Foundation’s mission and funding priorities to support content and product creation as well as to make the societal and business imperative for philanthropy / CSR clear.

·       Help conceptualize, originate and produce storytelling content through videos and media-rich assets.

·       Identify and forge relationships with top-tier media and experts to help elevate the Ares Foundation’s thought leadership, including collaboration with Ares Corporate Communications & Marketing as appropriate to pitch and place stories and editorial content as well as to secure speaking opportunities for Ares Foundation leadership.

·       Help develop and / or edit speeches and talking points for Ares Foundation and other Ares spokespeople.

·       Provide guidance and counsel to Ares Foundation grantees and nonprofit partners to support their communications around Ares Foundation-funded initiatives, including reviewing press releases and grant-funded knowledge products.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree or equivalent work experience

Experience required

·       At least 10 years’ experience designing, developing and executing thoughtful communications strategies for phi