Director, Communications/Advocacy, Health Systems Strengthening

CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS • Washington, DC

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), a program of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, draws on tobacco control lessons and its growing experience on other public health issues to support advocacy campaigns around the globe to improve health policies and systems and increase budgets to enhance program delivery and impact. GHAI's Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) portfolio includes programs on Drowning Prevention, Immunization, Health Financing and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Data for Health, and Epidemic Preparedness. GHAI seeks a Director, Communications, HSS to lead communications and advocacy for the Drowning Prevention program, while providing strategic direction across the remainder of the HSS portfolio. The Director will develop and implement media, digital and advocacy strategies in partnership with civil society organizations in Bangladesh, Uganda and Vietnam, and will position drowning prevention within the broader global child survival, injury prevention and NCD agendas. Across the other four verticals, the Director will set communications strategy and standards, provide senior-level guidance to program teams and country partners, and ensure a coherent GHAI voice on health systems issues globally. The Director will work closely with the HSS program teams, GHAI's core communications team, international NGOs and the media, and serve as a thought partner and resource for the HSS Program, GHAI staff and country partners. This position is based in Washington, DC and follows a hybrid work model combining remote and in-office work. The position reports to the VP, Health Systems Strengthening.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 7+ years of relevant experience in media relations, public relations, consulting and/or advocacy campaigns, including experience overseeing communications across multiple programs.
• Broad experience in public relations, media relations or communications, with experience serving public health or global development clients or programs.
• Demonstrated experience using social media, digital advocacy tools and platforms, as well as traditional media, as critical tools for policy change.
• Advocacy campaign development and implementation experience.
• Understanding of how communications strategies support policy change and implementation in low- and middle-income countries.
• Experience managing communications work across multiple issue areas or program portfolios simultaneously.
• Impeccable project management skills and the ability to work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement training and capacity-building programs.
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Comfort working on multi-country programs and in cross-cultural settings, especially in Africa and Asia; experience working or living overseas a plus.
• Experience managing staff and/or consultants.
• Ability and desire to travel overseas (up to 20 percent).
• Fluency in French or another relevant language in addition to English is preferred.
• Experience working on health systems, child injury prevention, immunization, NCD or health data issues, a plus.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working or living overseas a plus.
• Fluency in French or another relevant language in addition to English is preferred.
• Experience working on health systems, child injury prevention, immunization, NCD or health data issues, a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead communications and advocacy strategy for GHAI's Drowning Prevention program, partnering with civil society organizations and government in Ghana, Uganda and Vietnam to develop and implement media, influencer and digital advocacy strategies, and advocacy strategies that advance drowning prevention policy and budget objectives.
• Build the capacity of drowning prevention partners to conduct effective earned and digital media advocacy, including through training and capacity-building programs.
• Oversee global drowning prevention communications including a global journalism program in coordination with WHO, Bloomberg Philanthropies and other partners.
• Partner with in-country civil society organizations, develop and implement methods to increase the capacity of local media to report on drowning prevention and child injury issues, including journalism workshops, fellowships and digital media trainings.
• Oversee drowning prevention communications materials, including case studies, blog content and social media, and manage relationships with communications agencies, consultants and media monitoring vendors supporting the program.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of country-specific drowning prevention communications and media advocacy programs and refine strategy accordingly.
• Raise the profile of GHAI's drowning prevention work and position it within current global and regional child survival, injury prevention and NCD platforms.
• Provide ongoing strategic and technical assistance to local partners and coalitions as they support budget advocacy efforts.
• Develop targeted technical assistance to in-country partners during the advocacy process.
• Monitor campaign progress and outcomes and report to key stakeholders.
• Develop and implement strong, clear work plans to implement strategy, manage communication, and coordinate among global and in-country partners.
• Supervise in-country and regional advocacy staff.
• Maintain donor relations with our funder Bloomberg Philanthropies.
• Provide strategic direction and quality oversight for communications and advocacy strategies across the four additional HSS verticals, working in partnership with the respective program teams and their country partners.
• Advise program teams on the communications components of budget advocacy curricula, and support webinars and training sessions that promote HSS budget advocacy toolkits.
• Develop and track content on global health security and cross-cutting HSS themes, positioning GHAI’s HSS programs within global and regional health policy discussions.
• Collaborate with country-focused communications staff from partner organizations and coordinate messaging across verticals to maintain a consistent GHAI voice.
• Highlight HSS program advances across all five verticals through regular contributions to the GHAI blog, social media, and the development of case studies and other publications.
• Support program teams in evaluating the effectiveness of communications and media advocacy activities outside the Drowning Prevention portfolio.
• Manage the Communications Manager at HQ and in-country communications consultants (ICCs) supporting HSS communications work.
• Manage in-country communications consultants supporting DP policy advocacy.
• Coordinate with all DP global partners and donor.
• Oversee relationships with external communications agencies and consultants engaged across the HSS portfolio, including PR agencies and media monitoring vendors.
• Oversee the work of consultants and ensure that their contracts, invoices and other payments are submitted and processed in a timely manner.
• Track the Drowning Prevention Budget and spending closely with the Finance Team.

Benefits

• A comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plan for employees and dependents.
• 403b plan participation (with 9% company contribution)
• 12 paid company holidays, 15 vacation days, 10 sick days, and 5 personal days (on an accrual basis each calendar year)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director