Communications Director

Salary Range: $73,000-$85,500

Summary

The NC Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) is a statewide association of North Carolina’s federally qualified health centers and look-alikes whose mission is to provide high-quality, cost-effective whole-person primary care services without regard for ability to pay in rural and medically underserved communities. NCCHCA supports community health centers through training and technical assistance, public policy advocacy, and developing strategic partnerships, among other strategies. NCCHCA not only operates as the federally designated state primary care association but also serves as a Health Center Controlled Network to bolster health centers’ Health IT capacities and provides managed services for the Carolina Medical Home Network, a clinically integrated network of federally qualified health centers. 

Purpose of Position

The Communications Director is responsible for developing and overseeing communications, marketing, and public relations strategies to elevate NCCHCA’s profile, programs, and priorities and to develop and cultivate NCCHCA’s organizational brand. The Director will lead the development of internal processes and communications-related infrastructure and collaborate with the CEO and leadership team to align communications and marketing initiatives across the organization. 

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

Successful candidates will:

• Have experience in managing organizational communications – a plus if experienced in building or re-constructing organizational communications work from scratch

• Be self-directed and capable of operationalizing a broad vision

• Have a history of setting and monitoring key performance indicators for communications, marketing, and/or public relations initiatives

• Prioritize and right-size communications activities relative to the organization’s resources and objectives

• Inform the growth trajectory of the organization’s communications staffing

• Do a lot with a little! This position will need to engage in visionary strategy – but also execute the work as the sole central communications staff at NCCHCA. 

• Be ambassadors within the organizations for communications as a strategy 

• Collaborate and work well with people across departments and workstreams 

• Have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or Marketing or a related field, or certification and experience in an equivalent role. 

• Minimum of 2-3 years directional/management experience managing communications/marketing/PR for an organization

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Ability to craft compelling messages and stories that resonate with target audiences.

• Strong collaborative and consultative skills; ability to cultivate productive working relationships

• Demonstrated ability to produce work with a high degree of accuracy under minimal supervision in a team-based environment

• Demonstrates exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, and quality of deliverables

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and strong proofreading and editing skills

• Strong follow-up skills, able to move a project from start to completion

• Proficiency in various media platforms, both traditional and digital.

• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, website content management, and basic photography skills. 

• Fluency in current communication and social media trends, looking forward to developing emerging channels. 

Supervisory Responsibilities

In the near term, this position will supervise a communications intern. This position is expected to supervise other communications staff in the future.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Collaborates with CEO and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to develop and execute annual communications strategy and plan to position NCCHCA as a leading, trusted, and expert voice among members, policymakers, and the public.

• Serve as communications counsel/advisor to leadership across the organization to develop external messaging, train and prepare public spokespersons, and support public awareness campaigns to support our initiatives

• Overseas and supports the organization's media engagement strategy, including by cultivating and managing media relations, advising staff on approaches to take with various media outlets on specific issues, and drafting and distributing media communications.

• Directs both strategic utilization of ,and creation of content for, the NCCHCA website, social media presence, and email newsletters and marketing campaigns.

• Contributing communications counsel and production support to member events such as conferences, board meetings, legislative advocacy events, etc..

• Support member health centers’ marketing and communications staff, including but not limited to by convening workgroup meetings for collegial discussion, training, and sharing of practices.

• Collaborates with leadership team and operations team to develop internal processes and procedures regarding external communications 

• Collaborates with leadership team and operations team to ensure consistent, uniform branding when NCCHCA staff engage with members and external stakeholders (e.g., through development of style guide, template materials).

• Supports brand development and awareness strategies, serves as the brand champion

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is 

● regularly required to stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms to operate a computer and telephone keyboard, and to reach, stoop or kneel 

● Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work

● Light to moderate lifting is required such as occasionally lifting office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds

● Ability to uphold the stress of traveling

● Regular, predictable attendance is required; including quarter-driven hours as business demands dictate.

Work Environment

● This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

● Level of noise typical for the work environment of this job is Moderate - less than 85 decibels (business office with computers and printers and traffic within the receptionist area)

● Ability to work in a confined area.

● Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of the position. All employees may have other duties assigned at any time.