Director, Communications

On-Ramps; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Every Mother Counts seeks a Director of Communications to enhance their storytelling and content strategy. This role involves developing impactful narratives and managing communications to raise awareness of maternal health issues. Candidates should have extensive experience in communications and a passion for maternal health.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in communications and content creation.
• Experience developing communications strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop a holistic storytelling & content creation strategy.
• Collaborate with the VP of Communications & Marketing.

Skills

Communications

Storytelling

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications

Job description

Every Mother Counts envisions a world where pregnancy and childbirth are positive, transformational experiences. A world where everyone can access quality maternity care that centers mothers, and no one suffers or dies of preventable complications. A world where every mother truly counts.

About the Organization

Every two minutes, a woman dies from complications of pregnancy and childbirth—that's more than 700 preventable deaths every day around the world. Motivated by the intrinsic human right to maternal health, Every Mother Counts (EMC) is dedicated to ensuring that all people, everywhere, experience a safe and respectful journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. We started by spotlighting stories told by those closest to the issue. Over time, these personal accounts have shone a spotlight on the global imperative to transform maternal health. Since 2010, EMC has invested tens of millions of dollars to advance system-wide change through the development of professional, dedicated, and compassionate providers in every setting who are focused on respectful care that centers mothers.

In addition to investments in community-led models of care, EMC is committed to diversifying the healthcare workforce, and mobilizing for change through policy and advocacy efforts. Through collaboration with policymakers, practitioners, and local leaders, the team identifies priority maternal health issues and advocates for change. EMC's program and policy efforts are complemented by our compelling storytelling, which is at the core of the organization's founding. For additional information on the organization and its impact click here.

About the Role

As EMC continues to expand and deepen its awareness raising body of work, we are seeking a versatile, creative Director of Communications (DoC) to contribute to the development and execution of Every Mother Counts' content creation strategy, including our narrative film work and broader reaching campaigns. In partnership with the VP Marketing & Communications and the marketing team, this individual will participate in developing a robust and diverse range of content, including significant written materials, to support community-driven solutions and build upon EMC's track record and history as effective storytellers who amplify the stories of mothers and providers to highlight the maternal health crisis. The Director will be responsible for shaping how the organization engages audiences, with a particular emphasis on elevating voices from communities and driving impact through effective and compelling communications.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Storytelling and Content Strategy & Execution

• Develop a holistic storytelling & content creation strategy to raise awareness about the maternal health crisis.
  • Consider how to use EMC's existing assets building on the organization's reputation for compelling, human-centered storytelling.
  • Track and analyze the impact of EMC's "awareness raising" efforts through filmmaking to help understand performance and reach and inform recommendations for future storytelling efforts.
  • Develop recommendations for the next phase of EMC's storytelling efforts using knowledge of industry best practices, understanding of the current field (including distribution methods, streamers, etc), assessment of potential avenues for reach.
  • Assess filmmaking models and propose new forms of storytelling to advance EMC's work and amplify partners' solutions.
• Collaborate with the Vice President of Communications & Marketing to align storytelling initiatives with broader organizational goals, and advocacy and fundraising campaigns, ensuring consistent messaging.
• Develop a strategic content distribution plan to maximize the reach and impact of films, stories, and multimedia across multiple platforms (e.g., social media, websites, digital advocacy platforms, film festivals).
• Develop and manage relationships with external vendors such as filmmakers, videographers, photographers, and graphic designers to bring stories to life.
• Ensure all storytelling content adheres to ethical guidelines, respecting the dignity and voices of the communities represented.

Content Development & Management

• Drive content creation that educates the public, engages stakeholders, and mobilizes support around maternal health, utilizing a variety of formats including written and visual content.
• Write and edit a variety of materials, including one-pagers, fact sheets, reports, annual reports, and policy briefs.
• Translate complex maternal health data, research, and policy updates into accessible content for the public and other stakeholders.
• Prepare talking points and draft speeches for EMC leadership, including EMC's Founder, for events and media appearances.
• Assist Development team with preparation of content for grant proposals and reports for donors and institutional funders.
• Maintain a consistent brand voice across all communications platforms.
• Project manage key content creation such as the development of the Annual Report.

Who You'll Work With

You will report to the Vice President of Communications and Marketing.

You will collaborate across the organization, frequently working with your peers on the Communications & Marketing team as well as with the Development and Programs & Impact teams.

Required Skills and Experiences

• 7+ years of experience in communications, content creation, storytelling, and/or filmmaking, with a proven track record of awareness-raising campaigns and advocacy-oriented content.
• Experience developing communications strategy for a project or department.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with a track record of communicating through various mediums with a range of audiences.
  
• Experience developing strong and relevant written materials (e.g., press releases, annual reports, research briefs, website content).
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead complex projects from concept to completion while managing multiple priorities.
• Familiarity with issues surrounding maternal health, public health, or social justice.
• Passion for the mission of Every Mother Counts and an ability to contribute and lead in building a culture of equity and belonging.
• Personal integrity, fairness, and credibility. Able to manage confidential information and act with discretion.
• Ability to thrive in an in-person or remote working environment, provide leadership and direction to the team with agility, and to lead with resilience, poise, professionalism and resolve.
• Experience in leading multimedia and/or film projects, including partnerships with external filmmakers and journalists, a plus.
• Occasional travel (likely no more than 1-2 trips per year) to locations in the U.S. and globally to document stories and collaborate with local partners.
• Bachelor's degree required; preferably in Communications or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• Candidates will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination.

Additional Details

EMC's work policy is at least two days per week in the office hybrid at-will. All EMC staff work in the office on Tuesdays and one additional day which is usually determined by the department. (At present, the Communications team typically comes into the office on Thursdays.) Staff are welcomed and encouraged to work from the office on additional days, as desired. As such, only candidates who can commit to working in office 2 days a week, at a minimum, will be considered for this role.

Equity at Every Mother Counts

EMC is committed to tackling issues affecting maternal health outcomes, which disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and people from other historically marginalized communities. Addressing longstanding disparities in maternal health requires us not only to center human rights, equity, and birth justice in our external-facing work but to also take intentional steps to realize these values internally. Given this commitment and the dynamics of the maternal health crisis, we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.