Jobs

Advocacy Communications Director, Policy and Issues Management

Overview

Now is the time to join us and make a difference. Be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Here at the American Heart Association, you matter and so does your career.

The American Heart Association has an excellent opportunity for an Advocacy Communications Director, Policy and Issues Management. The location for this position is flexible .

This position is a senior member of the Association’s Advocacy Communications team, which sits at the nexus of marketing communications and advocacy/public policy. The position is responsible for the development and implementation of multi-year strategic communications plans promoting the Association’s policy statements, supporting special initiatives including the Food is Medicine Initiative and guiding the management of and response to key issues.

The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally.

#TheAHALife is our company culture, our way of life, reflecting our diversity and inclusion, our focus on work-life harmonization and our Guiding Values. Discover why you will Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Valued™ at the American Heart Association by following us on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and at heart.org.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements strategic communications plans, including organizational communications, media relations, message development and materials development, in support of Association policy statements and positions.
• Develops strategic issues management approaches, including scenario planning, proactive and reactive message development and action plans around key policy issues.
• Develops strategic communications approaches for the Food is Medicine Initiative that position the Association as a thought leader on the science, policy and implementation of food is medicine approaches; establishes the Initiative website as a leading “knowledge hub” on food is medicine, and engages partners, stakeholders, the media and others.
• Supervises an Advocacy Communications staff member on food is medicine.
• Provides strategic Advocacy Communications counsel and technical assistance on government and private grants focusing on public health priorities in targeted geographic areas.
• Recruits, onboards and supervises Advocacy Communications interns.
• Provides strategic Advocacy Communications counsel and technical assistance in support of emerging strategies as needed.
• Increases organizational and external awareness of the Association’s life-changing work by collaborating with staff in Advocacy, Marketing Communications and other departments, and by coordinating with executive staff and senior volunteers. Works closely with the Policy Research and Development team, the Marketing Communications Issues Management team and the Food is Medicine Initiative team, among others.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Public Relations, Political Science, Public Policy or equivalent work experience
• Eight (8) to twelve (12) years of professional experience with progressively increasing responsibilities. Must have the following:
• Extensive experience in public relations, corporate communications and/or journalism.
• Comprehensive knowledge of media and familiarity with effective outreach methods to reporters, particularly those covering policy
• Comprehensive knowledge of federal and state government operations
• Understanding of grassroots advocacy campaigns
• Understanding of public policy research and development, and the communication thereof to organizational and internal audiences
• Understanding of issues management, issue scenario planning, proactive and reactive message development

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of health policy issues
• Three (3) years of experience working with or in a non-profit organization
• Three (3) years of experience working with remote staff and teams

Compensation & Benefits

The American Heart Association invests in its people. Here are the main components of our total rewards package. Visit Rewards & Benefits to see more details.

• Compensation – Our goal is to ensure you have a competitive base salary. That’s why we regularly review the market value of jobs and make adjustments, as needed.
• Performance and Recognition – You are rewarded for achieving success by merit increases and incentive programs; this position is incentive eligible based on achieving certain targets.
• Benefits – We offer a wide array of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, along with a robust retirement program that includes an employer match and automatic contribution. As a mark of our commitment to employee well-being, we also offer an employee assistance program, employee wellness program and telemedicine, and medical consultation.
• Professional Development – You can join one of our many Employee Resource Groups (ERG) or be a mentor/mentee in our professional mentoring program. HeartU is the Association’s national online university, with more than 100,000 resources designed to meet your needs and busy schedule.
• Work-Life Harmonization – The Association offers Paid Time Off (PTO) at a minimum of 16 days per year for new employees. The number of days will increase based on seniority level. You will also have a total of 12 paid holidays off each year, which includes several days off at the end of the year.
• Tuition Assistance – We support the career development of all employees. This program provides financial assistance to employees who wish to further their education and career in relation to their current duties and responsibilities, or for potential future positions in the organization.

The American Heart Association’s 2024 Goal: Every person deserves the opportunity for a full, healthy life. As champions for health equity, by 2024, the American Heart Association will advance cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality.

At American Heart Association | American Stroke Association, diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity applies to both our workforce and the communities we serve as it relates to heart health and stroke prevention.

Learn more here

Job posted: 2023-09-13