Director, Communications & Marketing

JOB TITLE: Director, Communications & Marketing

STATUS: EXEMPT

Since 1999, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has been the nation’s only patient-centered organization solely devoted to advancing women’s heart health through patient support, community education, and advocacy. WomenHeart is both a coalition and a community of thousands of members nationwide, including women heart patients and their families, health care professionals, health advocates, all committed to helping women live longer, healthier lives.

WomenHeart’s Communications and Marketing goal is to raise the visibility of WomenHeart among key audiences and to position WomenHeart as the “go to” organization/source for information regarding women and heart disease. Help us become the charity of choice of those wanting to support, volunteer, donate and get involved in our cause.

Position Summary

The Director, Communications & Marketing is responsible for all aspects of communications, marketing, and corporate communications deliverables. He/she is accountable for tracking, measuring, and reporting milestones and accomplishments in these areas. The Communications Director will develop and implement an integrated organizational marketing plan to include brand management, media relations, communications, and public/partnership outreach.

This position is responsible for planning, development, and implementation of all of the Organization’s marketing strategies, marketing communications, and public relations activities, both external and internal. Oversees development and implementation of support materials and services for WomenHeart in the area of marketing, communications and public relations. Directs the efforts of the marketing, communications and public relations staff and coordinates at the strategic and tactical levels with the other functions of the Organization.

The strategic goals of this position are to: (1) Provide communications strategy for corporate partnerships and integrate promotional communications into an overall visibility strategy; (2) Oversee Brand Management; (3) Develop strategies to build the creative brief, brand guide and messaging; (4) Monitor all organizational communications for adherence to brand guidelines and positioning; and (5) Train staff and volunteer leadership into incorporating brand messaging in all communications.

Duties and Responsibilities

Marketing, communications and public relations:

• Responsible for creating, implementing and measuring the success of: a comprehensive marketing, communications and public relations program that will enhance the organization’s image and position within the marketplace and the general public, and facilitate internal and external communications; and, all Organization marketing, communications and public relations activities and materials including publications, media relations, client acquisition and so forth.
• Responsible for editorial direction, design, production, and distribution of all organization publications and external collateral.
• Develop and manage media relations.
• Provide counsel to volunteers and board members on marketing, communications and public relations.
• Ensure that the organization regularly conducts relevant market research and coordinate and oversee activities to monitor trends and performance of WomenHeart’s digital presence.

Organizational strategy

• Identify and influence WomenHeart partnerships with national organizations that are positioned to disseminate heart health information to women and/or partner with WomenHeart on programmatic initiatives.
• Help develop a WomenHeart partnership strategy for working with like organizations
• Manage communications aspects of existing programs, e.g. media training sessions
• Contribute communications expertise in the development of new programs that have communications components

Management, Planning, and Budgeting

• Responsible for the achievement of marketing and communications mission, goals and financial objectives.
• Develop short- and long-term plans and budgets for the communications and marketing team and its activities, monitor progress, assure adherence and evaluate performance.
• Maintain a climate that attracts, retains and motivates top quality personnel, both paid and volunteer.
• Recruit, train, appraise, supervise, support, develop, promote and guide qualified personnel.
• Design, support and oversee cross-functional teams throughout the organization.

Qualifications & Skills

• 7+ years of increasingly responsible experience in communications or marketing with demonstrated success, preferably in the health care or nonprofit sector.
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, public relations or related field preferred.
• Experience working with volunteers is desirable.
• Strong experience with events management
• Robust Rolodex of professional connections, including members of the media, graphic design and print vendors, and freelance talent
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to create systems for tracking timelines and progress to goals, while measuring outcomes and results
• Demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience in the design and execution of marketing, communications and public relations activities.
• Strong creative, strategic, analytical, organizational and personal sales skills.
• Experience developing and managing budgets, and hiring, training, developing, supervising and appraising personnel.
• Demonstrated successful experience writing press releases, making presentations and negotiating with media.
• Experience overseeing the design and production of print materials and publications.
• Computer literacy in word processing, database management, and page layout.
• Commitment to working with shared leadership and in cross-functional teams.
• Strong oral and written communications skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at a time.
• Out-of-town, overnight travel is required.