How many people can answer the question, "What do you do for a living?" with the answer, "I help find cures for cancer." At LLS, employees take our mission seriously. Whether you work in one of our regions, are an accountant at the national office or a specialist in our Information Resource Center, you work each day on making our mission a reality: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Join us and give new meaning to the word, "job."
As a valued member of LLS, you are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package. Our offerings include medical, dental, and vision insurance; life insurance; flexible spending accounts; a 403b retirement plan along with generous paid time off. In addition, we observe federal paid holidays throughout the year, and offer a wellness program and an employee assistance program.
While employees may be permitted to work remotely, travel to the assigned office, HUB or Satellite Offices may be required as determined by the employee’s manager and the employee’s People Organization Generalist.
Summary: The Executive Director, Advocacy Communications creates and executes advocacy communications strategies on behalf of the LLS Office of Public Policy (OPP) to advance LLS’s policy agenda and connect OPP’s efforts to LLS’s broader revenue, marketing, and communications strategies.
LLS’s agenda includes, among other things, increasing access to Medicaid and other public health insurance programs, reducing the cost of health care for both individuals and the system at-large, and advancing implementation and enforcement of patient protections established by the Affordable Care Act and other landmark policies critical to the needs and challenges of living with cancer.
The Executive Director works hand-in-hand with colleagues on OPP’s leadership team and with OPP colleagues working at the state-level. The Executive Director also works in close coordination with LLS’s national Constituent Experience team to ensure consistency and alignment and collaborates regularly with revenue-generating departments to ensure they have information and assets needed to highlight OPP’s work to LLS donors and other supporters.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead the development and execution of advocacy communications strategies and tactics to position LLS as a leading voice in health care policy and to advance OPP’s state and federal policy campaigns, working through paid, earned, and organic media channels
- Oversee the rapid response to political and/or policy news that might impact the organization, working in partnership with the LLS national office communications department as appropriate
Stay abreast of communications trends/movements – including those impacting social media, paid media and news media – and adjust OPP communications strategy accordingly
- Build and maintain strong relationships with reporters covering the intersection of health care and politics, working to ensure that LLS is considered a “must-have” source on health policy matters both in Washington, D.C. and in states where LLS is pursuing policy change
- Brief and prepare internal stakeholders (i.e., OPP staff, volunteers, and LLS leadership) for media interviews on policy matters, producing briefing materials and other supporting documents as needed
- Oversee development of audio and video multimedia assets, including script development, production/recording, and editing, in both audio and video formats
- Oversee development of OPP’s written communications collateral (e.g., press releases, message points, op-eds, contributions to the LLS website) and content for OPP’s social media platforms
- Oversee the design and delivery of regular trainings for OPP staff and volunteers on how to leverage communications and marketing techniques to the benefit of OPP’s policy campaigns
- Cultivate strong relationships with communications counterparts at allied organizations and, in partnership with OPP’s government affairs team, with communications staff for key policymakers
- Utilize analytics tools to determine the most effective ways to use the LLS website, paid media, and organic media to advance OPP goals, staying up to date on emerging tools and trends
- Advise OPP and the LLS Education & Services Department on how to harness communications and marketing strategies to promote the LLS Equity in Access Health Services Grant Program
- Manage a team of direct report(s), ensuring that staff resources are used effectively and that staff skills experience meaningful growth each year
- Serve as OPP’s primary point of contact for LLS’s national office marketing and communications teams, working proactively to maintain and grow the partnership between the two departments
- Represent OPP on multi-disciplinary working groups within LLS and support the SVP, Public Policy on special initiatives as requested
- Oversee management of advocacy communications consultants/vendors, ensuring that their expertise is fully utilized and that deliverables are timely and of high-quality
- Manage collateral and paid media budgets
- Serve as a key member of OPP’s leadership team, working on high-priority shared efforts that transcend communications, e.g., staff skills development and engagement of external VIPs
#LI-Hybrid
Education and Experience Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in a related field
- Minimum of 10 years’ experience working in the communications field, ideally in support of a mission-driven organization. Advanced degree may partially satisfy this requirement
- Robust experience engaging with members of the news media, ideally media focused on politics, with a track-record of securing high-profile media engagements
- Experience editing and improving others’ writing on items such as web copy, annual reports, and blog posts
- Experience planning, launching and optimizing paid media campaigns
- Experience leading or supervising multimedia production, graphic design, and publication development
- Experience successfully leading direct reports
Position Requirements:
- Robust knowledge of the operations of the media, including print, online, social, blogs, and broadcast media
- Strong understanding of the major policy debates relevant to the LLS mission and a working knowledge of state and federal governmental processes
- Excellent oral communication skills, the ability to write and edit proficiently and quickly, and an understanding of best practices in communicating with diverse groups
Physical Demands and Work Environment:
- Physical demands are minimal and typical of similar jobs in comparable organizations
- Work environment is representative and typical of similar jobs in comparable organizations
- (If not based in Washington, D.C.) At least quarterly travel to OPP’s office in Washington, D.C.
- Average salary range $125,000-$150,000, open to further discussion based on geography
- Occasional travel to national LLS events outside Washington, D.C. and/or to state capitols to support press events during state legislative sessions