Director Of Communications
Join us! For this role, our ideal candidate is a mission-driven communications leader who thrives on pushing a reform agenda and translating social justice values into policy wins. We are looking for someone to work collaboratively with our executive team and other colleagues as a real thought partner, shaping our capacity to respond more powerfully to the demand for our unique capacity as health justice leaders focused on intellectual property policy.
ABOUT I-MAK
The Initiative for Medicines, Access, & Knowledge (I-MAK) is a team of attorneys, scientists, and health experts building a more just and equitable medicines system for all. We work in the public’s interest to address structural inequities in how medicines are developed and distributed, and we envision a world in which people are able to get lifesaving medicines without excessive individual or social cost. I-MAK is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, non-governmental organization based in the United States and working globally.
POSITION DETAILS
The Director of Communications will report directly to our Executive Director, Tahir Amin, and working in close collaboration with senior leadership, they will oversee a broad range of activities to reach, influence, and inspire our audience. This position offers an opportunity to lead and grow during a pivotal time for the organization and for the movement for health equity.
The Director of Communications will be responsible for creating and managing I-MAK’s annual narrative and communications plan in accordance with our strategic vision and budget, measuring and adapting activity as needed. Working closely with the leadership team and external vendors, the Director will:
● Guide the organization’s brand, PR, and communications strategy to ensure I-MAK is effectively and consistently telling its story to our broad audience that includes: policy makers; key media outlets; aligned NGOs; individual and institutional donors; and other stakeholders in our work to democratize medicine access.
● Set and monitor annual communications plan and related budget, closely monitoring investment vs. impact and adjusting strategy as needed.
● Manage a skilled team of external communications-related vendors (these include a digital strategy firm, graphic designer, several writers (Op-Ed, Development, Policy, and Technical,) and make recommendations for additional and/or alternative vendors or staffing capacity. Lead RFP and contracting processes.
● Serve as lead internal writer and art director on all communications-related collateral across a variety of media, including our annual report, website, newsletter, donor reports and proposals, and draft text for our Executive Director (e.g. speeches, Op-Eds), with support from external consultants as needed.
● Lead website strategy and updates, posting news as-it-happens, creating pages and making architecture changes, and evaluating ongoing needs by tracking and interpreting analytics and SEO work with the support of a digital team.
● Drive press engagement as needed through the full cycle from goal setting, pitching, scheduling, prepping, disseminating, tracking etc.
● Set editorial guidelines and schedule, managing the development, design, and distribution of reports and recommendations, generating text and managing consultants as needed in keeping with I-MAK’s communication strategy.
● Partner with ED to shape his role as a thought leader in the movement for health equity, guiding him in prioritizing opportunities, interfacing with media requests, drafting speeches, creating decks for presentations etc.
● Advance internal communications as needed, ensuring that our staff and board of directors is engaged and informed with opportunities to better understand and share I-MAK’s work
WHO YOU ARE
● You have prior experience leading a communications function for an organization that includes developing, executing, and assessing strategic communications plans and 8+ years relevant communications experience.
● You are mission-driven and values-aligned, with an understanding of United States politics and how communications strategies work in a Hill-facing context.
● You have experience in working for a non-profit or government, ideally in a related space, e.g. public policy, public health, health equity, health care, health care delivery, health justice, global health, advocacy, economic policy, vaccine access, global public health, racial equity, participatory practice etc.
● You are a communications generalist and a skilled communicator across various contexts, including verbal, written, digital, and interpersonal and you have technical expertise across a broad range of communications tools, strategies, and media e.g. content production, narrative framing, advertising, earned, social, and digital media, print, video, web etc. and are looking for an organization where you can exercise your capacity to create compelling materials, develop effective relationships with media outlets, and maintain a compelling online presence in service of a mission.
● You are a systems thinker, with either lived or professional experience that has helped you develop an interest in how the intersections between United States policy, capitalism, colonialism, and racism negatively impact health outcomes for the global majority, locally and around the world.
● You are highly-relational and a natural organizer; you have a genuine desire to generate messaging that meets audiences where they are, building cohesion for policy change across a wide range of stakeholders.
● You have an inclusive approach and are gifted at collaborating across difference with colleagues at all levels to draw out the unique contributions and perspectives of others.
● You are an excellent project manager who takes initiative in driving deliverables and can deftly juggle priorities.
● You have a growth mindset–you look for opportunities to develop yourself as a leader and meet ambiguity and challenge with curiosity and persistence while continually striving to improve your capacity to make positive social change.
● You are someone who enjoys a balance of working independently and being a valued collaborator on a tight-knit, highly-collegial team that honors authenticity and exercises genuine caring for the wellbeing of ourselves as individuals, for our team as a whole, and for our broader communities.
***FULL DETAILS AND APPLICATION AT LINK: https://recruitcrm.io/apply/16821172543710017972CtA [1]