Louisville, KY

The Organization
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is an endowed public charity whose mission is to address the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians by developing and influencing health policy, improving access to care, reducing health risks and disparities, and promoting health equity.

Position Overview
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks an experienced Communications Director to oversee and strengthen the Foundation’s communications.  Reporting to the CEO, the Communications Director is a member of the Foundation’s leadership team at an exciting time of transformation within the Foundation and in the larger Kentucky health services community.

The position calls for a seasoned communications professional with excellent strategic and creative skills, and the ability to understand complex policy issues in the Foundation’s priority areas and clearly communicate them to a variety of audiences. The role calls for broad experience in communications, including a thorough understanding of institutional branding, media relations and digital media engagement.

Effective communications efforts are critical to understanding and informing important public policy debates on health issues affecting Kentucky.  The Communications Director will be responsible for assessing, revising and implementing a communications strategy to advance the Foundation’s mission, strengthen our brand and support our continuing efforts to promote health policies that improve access to care, reduce health disparities and promote health equity.  The Communications Director will oversee and inform Foundation communications to assure that they support the Foundation’s key relationships with the philanthropic sector, the media, policy makers, the Foundation’s own Board of Directors and Community Advisory Committee, grantees, as well as other external and internal stakeholders and the general public.

Responsibilities:

Mission/Values

Ensure that all internal and external communication plans, policies, procedures, and practices reflect and seek to advance the Foundation’s mission, vision and values.

Communication

• Update, modify and implement a comprehensive communications strategy that articulates the Foundation’s mission and philanthropic priorities.
• Develop relationships in a broad range of media to assist the Foundation in increasing the audience for and response to Foundation-funded research on health policy matters.
• Manage any external communications vendors effectively and within the communications budget.
• Manage the Foundation “brand” and associated collateral materials to enhance the Foundation’s unique identity and build internal and external awareness of the Foundation’s approach and priorities.
• Develop and manage the content, design, writing, and production of all print and electronic publications, including the annual report, website, and updates on Foundation community and grantee activity, issue area publications, event promotional materials, and announcements/press releases.
• Support the Foundation’s efforts to build local, regional, and national awareness, recognition and use of findings of Foundation-funded research and demonstration projects to inform local and state level planning and decision-making.
• Manage the publication of such findings from all Foundation sources.
• Support the Foundation’s efforts to build local, regional, and national awareness and recognition of innovative programs and services that it supports through grantmaking, funded research and demonstration projects.
• Coordinate proactive and reactive relations with the media and advise the Foundation staff, Board members and Community Advisory Committee on media relations.
• Support Foundation staff in their efforts to develop presentations and publications showcasing the work of the Foundation and of Foundation grantees.

Collaboration

Assist the Foundation’s CEO and program staff to:

• Leverage the Foundation’s local, regional, and national philanthropic presence and that of its grantees and partners.
• Engage and collaborate with other foundations, organizations, and government agencies that relate to the Foundation’s mission and vision.
• Represent the Foundation in the community on national, state, and local committees as appropriate to advance the Foundation’s work.
• Attend and participate in meetings of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Community Advisory Committee and subcommittees as needed.

Supervision

• Reports to the CEO of the Foundation.  May work on a day-to-day basis with all members of Program staff. Works in concert with Grants Manager/Communications Associate.
• Provides program monitoring of media grant relationships (currently, Kentucky Educational Television, Institute for Rural Journalism and Louisville Public Media)

Experience:

The Foundation seeks to retain an individual with:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Significant experience in marketing, public relations, public affairs,  media or advocacy communications or a related field in the corporate, government, and/or not-for-profit sectors. Varied and broad experience is preferred.
• Expertise in a broad range of marketing or journalist activities such as effective writing, publishing, and/or multimedia communications and associated tools.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate complex issues to a variety of audiences.
• A supportive management style that fosters trust through clear and open communication and communication of a clear sense of direction.
• Leadership qualities of flexibility, diplomacy, empathy, creative problem-solving and inclusion.
• Experience or strong familiarity with health-related public interest and public policy communities at the state, regional and national levels.
• Proficiency in electronic communications, including supervision of website development and maintenance; communications software, social and other electronic media.
• Proven ability to think strategically, analyze critically and translate ideas and insights into action through clear, cohesive and practical programs and plans.
• Commitment to the development and execution of strategy and messaging.
• Effective experience in collaboration and teamwork.
• Commitment to the mission of the Foundation.