Innovation Communications & Community Manager

Communications & Community Manager

Louisiana Innovation, LA.IO, is looking for a full-time Communications & Community Manager, based in New Orleans, to join our small but mighty krewe. Reporting to the Director of Innovation Programs at LA.IO and working closely with The Idea Village as the administrator of the LA.IO events strategy, you'll help shepherd the development of the LA.IO brand, spearhead the year-round storytelling about Louisiana's growing innovation activity, and play a key role in community building through innovation-focused events statewide. Your role centers on capturing and elevating Louisiana's role in driving innovation through the LA.IO brand.

About You : You understand the power of story and connecting peopleand you know how they positively influence each other. With a strong sense of brand and narrative, you're skilled at developing compelling, accessible stories that resonate with diverse statewide audiences. You're a savvy communicator, fluent in social media, and constantly exploring how to grow engagement and expand reach across LA.IO's many constituencies. You're a strong writer with proficiency in skills across the communication spectrum. You also know how to organize resources across organizational boundariesyou've managed contractors such as designers, photographers, videographers, and more, and thrive in collaboration with other creative professionals to execute ideas, organize talent, and bring visions to life. You're excited by the fast pace and high expectations of startup work; you thrive in environments where quality, creativity, and deadlines go hand-in-hand. You understand the nuanced internal and external narratives surrounding Louisiana's identityand are motivated to thoughtfully and strategically shift perceptions. Above all, you love Louisiana and believe that innovation and venture-scale entrepreneurship is vital to the future of our state and the Gulf Coast; you see your role in driving audience growth and community engagement as essential to that mission.

Responsibilities :

Drive public storytelling, community engagement, and audience growth for statewide innovation events via LA.IO's core communication channels

Design and manage the execution of a master publishing calendar to deliver consistent, high-quality content across newsletters, social media, websites, blogs, press releases, podcasts, and additional channels as needed; Execute LA.IO brand strategy and standards across cross-channel deployment

Work closely with The Idea Village and other statewide event partners to ensure brand coordination and consistency across the entire statewide innovation events series

Travel regularly (approximately 12x per month) to meet with partners across the state; further the development of close relationships with signature event partners to understand and support communications priorities throughout each event cycle.

Attend and support 5 signature events annually; Develop LA.IO's content strategy for the event series and lead execution across social media and other channels; Drive a robust content capture plan, coordinate with local event producer resources to facilitate capture of event narratives for LA.IO, expanding the team as needed to ensure high-quality storytelling and visual documentation (photography, videography, PR, etc.)

Create a meaningful and measurable community-building strategy to leverage events into year-round audience engagement; Show growth towards a sustainable statewide innovation community and solve for gaps in Louisiana's event-centered "Connection" strategy

Amplify and attend additional, smaller innovation events across the state and seek opportunities to support their visibility and impact

Leverage partner relationships to cross-promote content across aligned events; ensure reciprocal communications support across the broader statewide network

Regularly engage with community partners in the entrepreneurship ecosystem; work proactively to extend the reach of LA.IO's core content and to amplify aligned messaging from collaborators

Ensure that open calls (for applications, registration, etc.), success stories, and event wrap materials are widely circulated through LA.IO's channels, partner networks, and press / media outlets

Promote event materials and Louisiana innovation stories through the startup community network, and through media or press when appropriate

Support LA.IO communications, storytelling, and community building across newly emerging strategic initiatives beyond the statewide event series

Support the development and production of printed collateral such as reports, signage, swag, and other LA.IO branded assets

Work with external contractors to execute complex projects, including but not limited to : branding and marketing firm(s), graphic designers, videographer(s), photographer(s), public relations professionals, and podcast / sound editors

Additional duties as assigned

Organizational Environment :

Our team works with and functions like a startup. This requires team members to move quickly with limited time and / or resources to produce high-quality outcomes

Our team works independently and collaboratively with a culture of transparency and clear ownership of projects from idea to execution

Our team manages and coordinates several schedules and projects simultaneously

Qualifications :

3-5 years of experience managing brand communications.

Clear understanding of what makes content engaging and effective, with experience developing and promoting thought leadership across platforms

Familiarity with and passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and the startup ecosystem in Louisiana and beyond

Proven ability to build an audience and shift narrativeswhether changing perceptions around a topic or expanding public awareness of an issue or opportunity

Nuanced understanding of Louisiana's regions and audiences, with the ability to tailor messaging across diverse communities

Strong organizational and administrative skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and drive them to completion

Comfortable engaging professionally with high-level stakeholders, including executives, VIPs, government officials, sponsors, and community partners

Experience managing creative contractors and ensuring high-quality deliverables from vendors such as designers, videographers, and editors a plus

Demonstrated use of excellent writing and editing skills in a professional context; able to craft copy in a voice that resonates with varied audiences

Hands-on experience managing content across all major social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), and TikTok

Familiarity with industry-standard communications platforms, including Mailchimp, Squarespace, and Hootsuite (or similar); foundational visual design skills (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)

Comfort with team collaboration tools such as Slack, Monday.com, and Google Workspace

45 years of relevant experience in communications, marketing, or community engagement roles; experience supporting or promoting large events is a plus

College level studies and / or equivalent experience in communications, English, social media marketing, journalism, or similar preferred