Associate Director, Communications Strategy

As a senior member of the communications team, you will report to the Director of Communications and develop integrated communication strategies and manage implementation to support the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) work. In this role, you will be primarily responsible for developing and managing implementation of integrated communications and promotion campaigns that advance our mission, priorities, and funding. You will also serve as a deputy to the Director of Communications. PCORI funds research that offers patients and caregivers the information they need to make important healthcare decisions.

You will improve and own the process for how we develop and implement integrated campaigns by managing requests and collaborating with communications colleagues and subject matter experts across the organization to develop strategies, tactics, and project plans. You will work with internal stakeholders and the media relations, digital media, and content and creative teams to develop and execute campaigns. Here, you will leverage your broad knowledge of organizational and strategic communications, message and campaign development, and scientific communications and publishing, as well as your familiarity with health research. To provide dedicated project management support, you will hire a manager-level communications professional in the first 6 months.

You will work closely with the Director of Communications to assist with the development of a multiyear communications strategy to advance PCORI’s National Priorities for Health and organization strategic plan.

Why join PCORI? Patients, their families, and clinicians face a wide range of complex and often confusing choices when it comes to addressing health and healthcare concerns. They need trustworthy information to decide which option is best for them. Your role will focus on building strategic communications strategies, structures, and processes to deliver clear and impactful messaging to the right audience. The communications team will rely on you to leverage organization strengths, oversee communication project timelines, identify key reporting metrics, ensure impactful delivery, and use data to improve communication strategies as we continue to grow.

Organization Overview

We are an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to fund comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) which compares two or more available healthcare options to determine what works best for which patients and under what circumstances. We fund research and analyses to generate high-quality, reliable, and meaningful information to enable better-informed health and healthcare decisions by patients, their caregivers, and other stakeholders transforming our health systems. We achieve this by supporting patient-centered outcomes research, which is CER that focuses not only on traditional clinical outcomes but also on the needs, preferences, and outcomes most important to patients and those who care for them. In addition, we seek to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes by producing and promoting evidence-based information through research that is guided by patients, caregivers, and the broader healthcare community.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of audience-centric communications strategy and manage integrated communications campaign implementation to advance PCORI’s mission.
• Collaborate with communications subject matter experts and colleagues across the organization on plan development and execution.
• Lead project management for communication campaigns implementation including the development of briefs, timelines, calendars, and other project management tools and resources.
• Serve as the first point of contact for new communication campaign requests from across the organization.
• Prepare and deliver presentations to PCORI leadership, staff, stakeholders, and PCORI advisory panels and committees as necessary.
• Work with other colleagues across Communications in Media Relations, Digital Marketing, Speechwriting, Content Development, and Operations to accomplish goals and lead the Communications team.
• Develop performance metrics and work with the team to deliver regular tracking and reporting.
• Manage direct reports, freelancers, and contractors as needed.

Required Skills and Experience

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, or marketing with experience in a health-related field, public health, or medicine and a minimum of fifteen years of related work experience.
• Demonstrated ability to develop integrated strategic communication campaigns, including messages, strategies, and tactics for different audiences. Knowledge of how to leverage different communications channels to reach desired audiences.
• Progressive experience working in complex organizations; familiarity with nonprofit organizations, especially in the health, health research, or health policy sectors is preferred.
• Experience working with researchers and end-users of health research; familiarity with research and evaluation methods with an understanding of healthcare stakeholder contexts (including perspectives and preferred communications styles of clinicians, payers, purchasers, and patient communities).
• Experience and familiarity with the dissemination of clinical evidence, public and patient engagement, scientific publishing, public policy, and government relations. An understanding of extramural research funding agency processes is preferred.

Attributes

• Project manager. You can manage both consistent/recurring timelines and deadlines as well as manage a regular flow of work that can be both urgent and important. You simplify systems and processes where possible.

• Team player. You work as an integral part of a team that works and wins together. You are responsive, articulate, persuasive, and willing to listen to and respect the views of others, confidently engaging with staff at all levels to define needs and expectations.
• Problem solver. You think about what a process should be, evaluate the options, and implement solutions. You can see the big picture, understand how the details relate to PCORI’s overall mission, and know how to leverage team strengths to get results.
• Flexible. You thrive in a growing and changing environment and are nimble to adjust priorities in both day-to-day and larger-scale activities, based on new information.
• Partnership. You know how to build trust internally and externally. You are viewed as professional and accountable. You demonstrate ease in collaborating with colleagues across your organization and with external stakeholders.
• Organized. You have excellent organization skills. You efficiently track the necessary details and effectively disseminate information.
• Communicator. You possess exceptional written and oral communication skills and communicate effectively at all levels, one-on-one, and in groups. You easily adjust your message, without sacrificing content, consistency, or service delivery.

What’s Attractive to the Right Candidate?

• You will have the opportunity to engage with stakeholders across PCORI as you build and shape communication campaigns that influence the quality of healthcare afforded to every American. PCORI-funded researchers have had great success in the national effort to improve patient-centered outcomes and provide research evidence to assist patients, caregivers, clinicians, and others to make informed healthcare decisions.
• You are joining a team of colleagues who are smart, dedicated, hardworking, friendly, and genuinely interested in helping each other succeed. Your efforts will be appreciated.
• As we engage in a new 10-year strategic plan, we have several exciting opportunities to further shape innovations in patient-centered health and healthcare strategies.
• We will look to your expertise to help us try innovative approaches and build workable solutions that are current and will stand the test of time. As the world changes, we want you to help us turn change into opportunity.
• We are securely funded and offer an excellent compensation package including medical, dental, and vision insurance; long-term and short-term disability; 401(a) plan; life insurance; and more. 

To Apply

Simply email your resume to Aileen Hedden at resumes@staffingadvisors.com with “PCORI – Associate Director, Communications Strategy #2021-2671 ASAE” as the subject of the email. Please include your resume as a Word or PDF attachment to the email and paste your cover letter in the body of your email.

Job responsibilities are similar to the following positions: Director of Communications, Director of Marketing and Communications, Director, Public Affairs, Senior Communications Manager.

Please note: our practice is to not disclose the salary ranges our clients would consider. Any salary information included in this posting was estimated without our input.

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