Communications Director

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Communications Director is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to inform, educate and engage target audiences about CAI’s work. The Communications Director is responsible for communications for CAI as a global public-health organization and also for individual projects within CAI that have distinct goals and deliverables that communications helps advance. CAI is a matrix organization, which means that the Communications Department collaborates closely with program staff on strategies, messaging, and materials. The Communications Director supervises a small team and works closely with the President and Senor Administrators to identify priorities and strategies.

MAJOR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (include, but are not limited to):

• Develop an organization-wide communications strategy and plan for CAI to increase target audiences’ awareness and engagement in the organization’s work.
• Lead and manage execution of the communications plan, setting measurable goals and benchmarks, and adjusting plans as needed.
• Regularly review and update CAI’s core communications guidance and materials, including the Style Guide, messaging about the organization, and core materials about the organization. Ensure that staff at all levels are equipped to deliver consistent communications (both in content and visual presentation) about CAI’s mission, programs, and impact.
• Develop marketing strategies and materials as needed to support CAI’s development and programmatic goals.
• Ensure that marketing and communications materials drive CAI’s communications strategy, meet high standards, are developed in conjunction with relevant teams and stay within set budgets.
• Collaborate with program and project teams to understand their goals, audiences, and needs for communications material. Supervise Communications staff to produce material that conforms with CAI’s brand, reflects best practices, and meets project goals.
• Collaborate with project teams when project workplans require communications and marketing strategies and activities. Develop communications work in close partnership with project teams; solicit and integrate feedback from multiple stakeholders.
• In partnership with President, Senior Administrators and others, identify new opportunities to deepen key audiences’ awareness and engagement with CAI – opportunities both in CAI programmatic developments and in external developments that can be leveraged. Work with senior leadership to identify audiences and develop systems to engage regularly with them.
• Interface and coordinate closely with Development team, senior staff and division directors to ensure that communications and marketing work supports their goals and objectives.
• Lead and manage Communications Department staff in accordance with CAI supervision standards: set clear goals and outcomes, meet regularly to assess progress, conduct annual reviews, and create and manage development plans to support staff members’ growth.
• Manage external communications contractors and consultants. Leverage network to identify new contractors and consultants. Collaborate with project staff when they are hiring communications contractors and consultants, to help ensure quality and consistency.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND OTHER SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Minimum of 10 years of senior-level experience developing and leading strategies to communicate complex missions and programs and engage target audiences, preferably within a non-profit, public health and/or educational organization
• Exceptional communications skills (both oral and written), with a demonstrated ability to develop messaging and materials that convey mission, programs, and impact effectively for target audiences
• Deep familiarity with online engagement strategies and tools (including web, social media and email), with demonstrated success using them to advance broader strategies
• Strong experience and expertise integrating individual strategies and platforms into a comprehensive, long-term strategy to deepen key audiences’ engagement
• Strong management skills in both direct-report and matrixed structures
• Demonstrated commitment to CAI’s mission and core values

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the Communication Director’s job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions of the Communication Director’s job.

While performing the Communication Director’s responsibilities, the employee is required to talk and hear. This position requires the employee to be on-site at a CAI office. The employee is often required to sit and work at a desk for prolonged periods of time and use their hands and fingers to handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the Communication Director’s position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.