Communications Specialist (Contract)

Collaborates With: Marketing + Communications Manager

About Mizzen Education

We partner with the out-of-school time (OST) field to spark curiosity, cultivate joy, and inspire a love of learning among children and youth. Working alongside educators and community leaders nationwide, we offer trusted learning content, nurture professional communities, and create transformative educational experiences for youth in every zip code.

Mizzen Education launched as an independent nonprofit in 2023. We’re growing and evolving—and we’re looking for a thoughtful, adaptable, and community-minded Communications Specialist to support our marketing and communications work during this exciting chapter.

About the Role

As our Communications Specialist (‘contractor’), you’ll support storytelling and campaign execution across a variety of channels—from newsletters and social media posts to educator spotlights and fundraising outreach. You’ll collaborate with our Engagement + Educator Experiences (E+E) team and will work closely with our Marketing + Communications Manager to ensure content aligns with our voice, values, and goals.

We’re looking for someone who’s an efficient and curious writer, eager to learn, grow, and contribute to mission-driven communications that uplift and connect our community.

This is a contract-based role, and the contractor will be responsible for managing their own schedule, taxes, and equipment.

What You’ll Do

You’ll support a wide variety of communications work and deliver the following services and outputs, including:

Digital Communications + Storytelling

• Draft engaging copy for a range of channels including:

  • Weekly and monthly newsletters

  • Social media posts (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook)

  • Blog posts, educator stories, and partner highlights

  • Automated marketing workflow copy

  • Fundraising materials

  • Internal communications, toolkits, and resource descriptions

• Contribute to our content calendar and help keep projects moving forward

• Participate in briefings with Mizzen team members and partners to gather story inputs

• Adapt tone, format, and messaging for different audiences (educators, partners, funders, etc.)

• Help maintain consistent voice, language, and accessibility across all external communications

• Write and support the development of the Mizzen Insider newsletter and Mizzen Headlines

• Assist with light copyediting and proofreading of team-facing and public-facing content

Content Partner Marketing

• Meet with Mizzen content partners to gather key details and insights for campaigns

• Support storytelling strategy for new content releases on the Mizzen platform

• Draft copy for content-specific media toolkits, one-pagers, and launch materials

• Collaborate with internal teams to develop copy aligned with partner priorities and Mizzen’s voice

Operations & Brand Support

• Help keep our editorial calendar and Google Drive organized

• Collaborate with our graphic design contractor to align visuals with messaging.

• Support light copyediting or proofreading across internal documents and team needs

• Assist in refreshing brand tone documentation and internal content systems as needed

Deliverables may evolve in response to project needs, with mutual agreement. A detailed Statement of Work will be provided outlining responsibilities prior to the start of the engagement.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a skilled independent contractor who’s collaborative, curious, and ready to jump into meaningful, high-volume copywriting work. Here’s what we’re hoping you bring:

• 2–4 years of relevant experience in copywriting, content marketing, or communications (Experience writing for nonprofit, education, or youth development audiences a plus)

• Strong, versatile writing skills—with the ability to write short, engaging copy (for social/email/platform) and longer-form narrative pieces (blogs, story highlights, toolkits) with an eye for clarity, tone, accessibility, and story structure

• Comfortable with feedback, collaboration, and ability to work efficiently and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, remote environment

• Familiarity with tools like Google Suite, Canva, HubSpot, and Asana

Time Commitment & Compensation

• This is a contractor role, estimated at 20-25 hours per week

• Contract runs through December 2025, with potential to extend

• Hourly rate: Starting at $30/hour, depending on experience

• The contractor may complete deliverables on their own schedule, aligned to project deadlines and collaborative check-ins.

• As a contractor, this role is not eligible for employee benefits and is responsible for their own taxes and equipment.

To Apply

Send your application to apply@mizzen.org with the subject line: Communications Specialist Application – [Your Name] and include:

1. A brief note or cover letter telling us why this opportunity resonates with you

2. Resume or Professional Overview

3. A portfolio or 3 writing samples:

   • One short-form fundraising or appeal message

   • One dynamic social media post or series (for an organization or cause)

   • One longer-form piece such as a blog post or press release

Application Deadline: July 7th, 2025 (Applications with a portfolio or links to published work will be prioritized.)

Ideal Start Date: End of July/Early August 2025

Equal Opportunity Statement

Mizzen Education’s mission statement and core values prioritizes a human-centered culture of inclusion that respects individual strengths, views, and experiences. Mizzen Education, Inc. is an equal opportunity organization. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment across our team, including staff, contractors, and collaborators.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for opportunities unless they meet every single requirement. At Mizzen Education, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic team, so if you're excited about this contractor role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every single qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may just be the right fit for this or other opportunities.

Apply here.

Source: Idealist