The incumbent of this position serves as Director, Office of Communications (OC). HRSA supports equitable health care for the nation's highest-need communities.
The Director of the Office of Communications (OC) provides executive leadership and direction for HRSA's communications and public education efforts to reach the communities HRSA serves, HRSA grantees, and HRSA stakeholders. The incumbent has primary responsibility for ensuring that policies and programs across the broad array of HRSA programs are appropriately represented in the media and other communications. In accomplishing these objectives, the incumbent uses the latest communications strategies and techniques.
The Director's responsibilities, include critical management responsibilities as well as technical/specialized responsibilities. The Director strategically plans, provides executive management for, and oversees the agency's comprehensive communications objectives, programs and activities. The incumbent ensures the effective dissemination of news and information on HRSA's mission, goals, programs, and accomplishments to the media; the general public; stakeholders and grantees.
Specifically, the Director of Communications oversees both internal and external communications for the entire agency through the following activities:
- Serving as primary communications advisor to the HRSA Administrator and other executive leadership, and lead for developing HRSA's overall communications strategies and initiatives;
- Manages the Office of Communications, which currently includes approximately 30 employees.
- Proactive engagement with national, local and specialty media outlets and coordinating and developing responses to media inquiries;
- Serving as primary communications point of contact for the White House, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, and the Offices of Communications for other HHS divisions and other Federal agencies;
- Managing social media channels and overseeing the HRSA-wide and Bureau-specific newsletters;
- Managing HRSA.gov and other HRSA topic sites, creating webcasts and producing videos;
- Developing communications products, and overseeing the brand and content of all HRSA-created or supported communications products; and
- Preparing officials for press conferences, radio and TV interviews, and other public-facing events.
Serves as a principal advisor to the Administrator and to the entire HRSA management team on media interaction, public affairs, web-based/social media, and communications matters and activities.
Serve as HRSA's most senior spokesperson for communicating the agency's programs and policies, often of a sensitive and complex nature, to the national, local, trade, print and broadcast media. Also prepares or directs the preparation of major policy speeches and statements for presentation by the Administrator and other high level HRSA officials who command widespread professional and public attention and influence professional and public opinion regarding HRSA policies and programs.
Provides overall leadership for the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of national education and information programs, including efforts that directly reach the public and professionals and that address such timely and critical initiatives as expanding access to free or low-cost, high-quality health care for low-income and/or high-need populations, improving health outcomes for mothers and children, and growing the heath care workforce.
Plans and implements measures to ensure the appropriate correlation and coordination of these efforts with Department, the White House, and other Federal government agencies.
Speaks for the Administrator and the Agency in explaining and interpreting agency policies and programs to specialized audiences and constituents. Establishes and maintains continuing consultative relationships with professional peers, both within and outside government.
The Director oversees and engages staff to use state-of-the-art technologies to communicate information to a wide range of audiences and uses analytics to assess and improve the effectiveness and use of the information being disseminated, particularly for the high-need populations that HRSA serves.
Evaluates the effectiveness of communications plans for national public information/education campaigns and works extensively with the media, grantees, stakeholders and others.
Oversees strategy for internal communications to the HRSA staff.