Communications Manager who will play a key role in shaping and maintaining the institutional brand voice for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, primarily by authoring and proofreading a wide variety of collateral across the marketing and public relations team, including but not limited to direct mail, advertisements, webpages, blog posts, and press releases. In addition, they will serve as the primary author, editor, and project manager for OTSL’s flagship seasonal program book; review and edit other cross-departmental written communications as requested; and provide inter-departmental communication surrounding events and activities throughout the year. Finally, this position plays a key role in raising brand awareness for the organization by planning and executing an annual media buy exceeding $130K with the goal of driving ticket sales across year-round activities.

A successful candidate will have extremely strong writing and proofreading skills, meticulous attention to detail, enthusiasm for project management, and will be a fluid and dynamic individual who embraces learning and growth.

Copywriting & Proofreading

• Serve as the primary copywriter, editor, and proofreader for all marketing and public relations collateral (adhering to AP style and OTSL’s organizational style guide), including but not limited to brochures, postcards, flyers, letters, webpages, blog posts, and print advertisements;
• Help develop compelling messaging and talking points for marketing campaigns across print, email, and social channels, in alignment with the goals and strategies set out by the Director of Marketing & PR;
• Project manage the internal routing and feedback for copywriting projects across multiple departments as needed before submitting final approved copy to the Graphic Designer & Brand Manager for layout;
• Develop evocative, concise, and effective copy for show marketing descriptions annually;
• Assist the Director of Marketing & PR in the drafting, routing, and revising of press releases and media alerts;
• Craft articles for OTSL’s blog that are in alignment with SEO and content recommendations from the Web & E-Marketing Manager and the Social Media & Content Strategy Manager;
• Work with the Web & E-Marketing Manager as requested to support written content creation for marketing emails and monthly e-newsletters;
• Provide meticulous proofreading for all external communications and publications;
• Maintain and update the OTSL style guide for interdepartmental use.

Program Book Management

• Lead the planning and execution of OTSL’s annual 160-page program book, from project managing deadlines and internal deliverables to tracking the progress of routing and edits using Asana or other company-approved software;
• Author most or all of the original content for each season’s program book across a wide range of topics, from show synopses and production notes to feature articles and interviews of key artists or luminaries;
• Serve as the primary staff liaison for the external ad sales agency who solicits advertisements in OTSL’s seasonal program book;
• Track the progress of program ad sales, prepare revenue projections upon request, and accurately manage advertising inventory across the book development process;
• Project manage the creation of any print or digital collateral required to support program book ad solicitations.

Advertising & Paid Media

• Prepare and implement an annual media buy of $130K+, as approved by the Director of Marketing & PR, across local and national media to strategically advance earned revenue, audience growth, and brand awareness for OTSL;
• Cultivate productive and rewarding relationships with local ad reps, engaging them as key stakeholders for OTSL;
• Track advertising KPIs and prepare annual reports following each Festival Season, using data-informed research to continuously refine and improve OTSL’s advertising strategies;
• Maintain external performance and program listings across several external websites;
• Support the Social Media & Content Strategy Manager as requested with any research for non-traditional media opportunities, such as but not limited to influencers.

Budget Management

• Track and manage expenditures and ROI across all advertising efforts;
• Track and manage print expense, freelancer expense, and advertising revenue for the program book;
• Track and manage any other budget items pertaining to this job description, ensuring total expenditures remain at or below projections.

• A Bachelor’s Degree in English, communications, journalism, marketing or related degree preferred;
• Highly skilled writer with meticulous proofreading abilities;
• Deeply organized and systematic person with extreme attention to detail;
• Experience in successfully crafting editorial narratives;
• Familiarity with task management softwares (such as Asana) preferred;
• Experience managing budgets preferred;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

• This is a full-time, non-exempt position.
• Compensation Range: $53,000 – 56,000 annual salary
• Robust benefits package including health insurance, open PTO policy, 401k match, and more.
• Opera Theatre has a flexible work policy which allows for some hybrid work and asynchronous schedule arrangements, based on position and other factors.