Executive Vice President, Public Affairs

### AHIP Executive Vice President, Public Affairs

AHIP is looking for an experienced Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, to join our dynamic team! If you are looking to make a real difference through your career journey, why not do it with the foremost health insurance advocacy organization in the nation? AHIP is the industry-leading trade association of health insurance providers striving to make health care better and coverage more affordable for every American. Our team works among the nation’s most influential policymakers and stakeholders with front-row seats to make an unparalleled impact and change with policy advocates, leading conveners and conferences, foremost innovators, and champions of the healthcare industry.

### Position Summary

Responsible for leading and managing AHIP’s public affairs team and portfolio, including messaging, media relations, social media, issue advocacy campaigns, public affairs coalitions, and industry reputational initiatives. Leads efforts to effectively position AHIP and the industry and to advance AHIP’s priority issues in the news media. Works with Policy and Government Affairs to develop integrated strategies on priority issues, with responsibility for executing these integrated strategies’ public affairs and communications components. Engages with public affairs and communications leaders at AHIP member companies.

### Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Ensures timely, disciplined, and high-quality execution of all public affairs and communications activities consistent with positioning and priorities approved by AHIP’s Board of Directors to advance access, affordability, and quality in health care.
2. Manages Public Affairs team, with responsibility for the overall performance of the team, performance at the individual level, and growth and development of team members.
3. Leads and manages association message development and media relations, ensuring an active and consistently visible media presence focused on advancing industry reputation and AHIP positioning on priority issues. Collaborates closely with Policy and Government Affairs on the execution of media strategy and messaging.
4. Leads digital engagement in the public affairs realm and AHIP digital and social media channels, including AHIP.org, the Coverage Blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Partners closely with education and conference teams to ensure coordination and consistency of digital presence.
5. Oversees AHIP participation in existing public affairs coalitions in partnership with Policy and Government Affairs.
6. Advises CEO on the public affairs and media environments and ensures effective preparation and execution of CEO media relations activities.
7. Identifies emerging issues, trends, risks, and opportunities in the media and public affairs domains that impact the industry’s reputation and priority issues and develops strategies and tactics to address them.
8. Identifies opportunities to build relationships and partner with key stakeholders and thought leaders on public affairs activities in support of shared issue priorities and oversees the execution of those partnerships.
9. At the direction of the CEO, briefs and engages with the Board of Directors on public affairs and reputational priorities and strategies.
10. Collaborates in the development of and/or reviews key externally facing AHIP documents, including policy and legislative materials – with an emphasis on ensuring message discipline, advancing and protecting reputation, and ensuring quality and consistency of tone.
11. Manages public opinion research efforts to measure industry reputation and public sentiment on priority issues.
12. Builds relationships and collaborates with senior public affairs and communications colleagues in AHIP member companies.
13. Supports, develops, and advises on key communications from the CEO to the Board of Directors and Membership.
14. Supports, develops, and advises on key internal communications from the Executive Office and Human Resources.
15. Prepares the annual departmental budget. Partners with the Finance team to actively manage the budget and adapt to changing circumstances. Proactively communicates with the CFO and CEO regarding emerging material issues related to the departmental budget.
16. Participates in AHIP’s external conferences and convenings, including moderating panel discussions.
17. Performs other tasks as required or assigned.

### Supervisory Responsibilities

This position supervises the members of the Public Affairs team.

### Minimum Education and Experience Required

– Bachelor’s Degree required.
– Master’s Degree preferred.
– Minimum of 15 years of experience in Communications/Public Affairs is required.
– Minimum of 7-10 years of management-level health care Communications/Public Affairs experience at an association or advocacy organization, in a company, and/or in government is required, with a demonstrated track record of progressive leadership preferred.
– Deep and senior-level Communications/Public Affairs experience on core issues impacting the health insurance industry and the people the industry serves – including the commercial market, ACA Marketplaces, Medicare, Medicaid, pharmacy, care delivery, and health IT.
– Demonstrated experience successfully managing large-scale reputational and/or issue advocacy initiatives in health care.
– Demonstrated experience successfully building and navigating multi-stakeholder issue advocacy platforms in health care.

### Other Qualifications

– Proven Communications/Public Affairs team leadership abilities.
– Ability to clearly articulate and communicate ideas while accounting for diverse member viewpoints and complex political and policy considerations.
– Ability to work under pressure on competing priorities and in limited and changing timeframes, along with the expectation to be available as needed outside of regular business hours.
– Excellent oral and written communication skills.
– Ability to build collaborative internal and external relationships.
– Demonstrated ability to identify, manage, and hold accountable consulting partners in the Communications/Public Affairs arena.
– Ability to influence others.
– Political acumen and understanding of public opinion.
– Understanding of news cycles and media environment.
– Understanding of the health care stakeholder landscape.
– Ability to work favorably as part of a team, understand and follow direction.
– Excellent oral and written communication skills.
– Ability to build collaborative relationships.
– Ability to influence others.
– Ability to identify and seek information.
– Analytical and conceptual thinking skills.

### Physical Demands

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. For example, while performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk, and hear. In addition, the employee frequently is required to stand, walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms, communicate verbally, use a computer, and other technology (including keyboarding).

### Mental Demands

The mental demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. The employee must have a high capacity for logical thinking, be able to cope effectively with stressful demands involving high levels of responsibility and urgent deadlines, remain calm in conflict situations, focus on mission-critical matters but also have the ability to switch quickly from one project or demand to another (and back again).

### Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

### Disability Specifications

AHIP will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

### Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

### Equal Opportunity Employer

AHIP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Learn more here