The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), a national organization representing nearly 3,000 local health departments nationwide, has an immediate opening for a Director of Communications. 

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Director of Communications is responsible for leading the organization’s Marketing and Communications team and functions, including publications, public relations, media relations, programmatic communications, and member relations activities. The Director will refine and lead the organization’s marketing and communications strategy to promote initiatives and products related to NACCHO’s work in all areas across online, traditional and social media. Position responsibilities will require working in close collaboration with staff areas across the organization, consultants, and individuals from federal agencies, local and state public health departments, as well as NACCHO partners. This position requires strategic vision and strong judgment, as well as an ability to translate ideas into action. Strong editing skills and demonstrated personnel and budget management experience required. Experience in health communication, media relations, graphic design, and social media engagement strongly preferred. 

The Director is considered a career level professional who works with minimal supervision and is a manager to other marketing and communications staff, either in a supervisory, project management, or technical capacity.      

COMPETENCIES AND EXPECTATIONS

• Project Management – Ensures successful completion of program activities; Develops program goals and activities; Ensures alignment of program work with funder requirements and NACCHO’s goals.
• People Management - Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating, and process improvement; Takes responsibility for supervisees' activities; Makes self available to staff; Provides regular and constructive performance feedback; Develops supervisees' skills and encourages growth; Continually works to improve his/her own skills in leadership and management; Aligns staff knowledge and skills with program activities.
• Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches quantitative and qualitative data; Uses intuition based on prior academic and professional experience to complement data; Designs workflows and procedures.
• Innovation - Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations as well as independently; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics; Assists other staff with problem solving.
• Performance and Quality – Cultivates excellence; Fosters quality focus in others; Monitors progress, evaluates results, and implements improvements. Identifies opportunities to improve and promote quality.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Teamwork - Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives.

POSITION SPECIFIC DUTIES

• Lead NACCHO’s Marketing and Communications team
  • Provide leadership, supervision, guidance, and mentoring to other communications and marketing staff. This includes direct staff supervision as well as co-managing of staff embedded within the programs team.
  • Ensure a balance workload of projects across staff and consultants, when necessary.
  • Develops and manages relevant budgets and work plans.
  • Works in tandem with the Programs Team and other NACCHO teams to manage anticipated workload based on proposed projects and ensure adequate staffing.
  • Write/compile required deliverables and communications reports for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Co-manage communications capacity building projects designed to improve NACCHO membership’s public health communications.  
  • Develops proposals to private funders as needed.

• Direct NACCHO’s activities to increase public awareness of the value of local governmental health department.
• Work with the Chief of Government and Public Affairs on developing and implementing a comprehensive communications strategy for the organization.
• Identify NACCHO messaging opportunities across all media types and ensure appropriate action is taken.
  • Oversee, write and/or edit many types of communication and promotional materials, including news releases, articles, factsheets, talking points, op-eds, letters to the editor, blog posts, infographics, brochures, PowerPoint presentations, and other material for the NACCHO website and social media material to inform members and external audiences. o Lead marketing initiatives related to promotion of conferences, membership, podcasts or webinars, as needed. 

• Serve as lead staff liaison on marketing/communications and product branding for NACCHO programs, membership, meetings, government affairs departments, federal partners, consultants, and funding agencies.
  • Manages and updates all guidance on use of the NACCHO and Public Health logos.
  • Maintains the NACCHO Style Guide and ensure staff receive appropriate training related to the guide.
  • Design and implement protocols and systems to track marketing and communications initiatives to ensure quality control, consistency in branding/messaging, and return on investment.
  • Provide guidance and strategic communications advice to other NACCHO staff and programs.

EDUCATION/SKILLS 

• Bachelor's degree in relevant professional field with a minimum of 8-10 years relevant work experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience, including a relevant certification. Master’s degree and certification in a relevant field preferred.
• Expert knowledge required of strategies and tactics for building public awareness, including programmatic and membership communications, media relations, social media, publications, and marketing.
• Knowledge of the necessary components of a strategic communications plan and methods for evaluating its success over time.
• Strong personnel and budget management skills.
• Must be an excellent writer and editor, with strong attention to detail, able to handle many styles and different forms of communication for members and external audiences, including the media.
• Word Processing software experience required, graphic design and publishing software experience, strongly preferred (e.g., InDesign, Canva).
• Demonstrated interest in public health issues preferred.

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Occasionally required to sit.
• Occasionally required to walk.
• Occasionally required to reach with hands and arms.
• Occasionally required to talk or hear.
• Occasionally required to bend, lift or climb stairs.
• Occasionally required to lift light weights (less than 25 pounds).

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The noise level in the work environment usually is moderate

SALARY RANGE 

$93,840 - $99,720 

SELECTION PROCESS 

We only accept applications that follow the electronic process and must submit a resume and cover letter. No phone calls please. This position is subject to background screening. Qualified applicants should send a cover letter with salary requirements, resume and one writing sample to: PN - 475 Director of Communications.

https://naccho.clearcompany.com/careers/jobs/122068c9-3d16-c502-4640-f0b7741dd440/apply?source=1756347-CS-2909

NACCHO offers generous benefits plan including but not limited to 13 days of sick leave annual leave allowable accumulation up to 225 hours, and paid vacation leave, as well as other types of leave. NACCHO benefits include a generous health, dental, and vision plan, 5 percent of base salary contribution to 403(b) plan, (not a matching contribution); paid short and long term disability plan and paid term life insurance. 

At NACCHO, our commitment to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action seeks to ensure a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We respect and value work force diversity among all employees and all those with whom we do business