Director of Strategic Communications & Media

American Heart Association, Inc.; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

The American Heart Association in the Baltimore, MD area is seeking a Communications Director to lead market-wide communications and advocacy strategies, reporting to the Executive Director. This home-office-based role requires travel within the Baltimore metro area and occasional statewide trips to engage media, sponsors, volunteers, and partners.

You will craft messaging for fundraising campaigns, awareness programs, and branding efforts, collaborating with development and health strategies

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, public relations, or related field, preferred.
• 3 years of experience in journalism, marketing, marketing communications, or public relations.
• Intermediate to advanced skills with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Ability to travel within your territory daily; requires access to reliable transportation at all times on an immediate basis.

Responsibilities

• Develop plans to reach the media, general public, and target audiences through traditional media outlets, social media, press releases, and other relevant materials and sources.
• Develop an integrated market-wide communications plan and timelines for market advocacy priorities, core fundraising events (including Heart Walk, Go Red for Women, Heart Ball, CycleNation, and other events as added), for the Community Impact priorities, and for all sponsorships that include a media component.
• Sharing the markets Community Impact story via public and media relations, social media, and video creation.
• Cultivate media sources both internal and external, providing spokesperson training to volunteer leadership and staff.
• Support script writing for both internal and external speaking opportunities.
• Support market events by leading the stage presentation and prepping speakers, working with external production teams to create videos, and working with media outlets the night of events. Handle local relationships with spokespeople (medical authorities, survivors, etc.), marketing, and media organizations/media networks.
• Work with media and other third-party vendors to provide traditional and non-traditional media sponsorship opportunities.
• Coordinate all promotional activities with media sponsors, including PSAs, interviews with American Heart Association spokespeople, other media pitches, and more. Run market-specific social media channels.
• Share critical wellness resources, risk messaging, and communication campaigns for the public to save and change lives in the community. Using AP style writing to create press releases, pitch stories to media, draft briefs, etc.
• Champion volunteers for the organization, including cardiac and stroke survivors, physicians, philanthropists, and more.
• Monitor the use of the Association’s name and logo by internal teams and media sponsors, ensuring branding guidelines are adhered to.
• Act as the communications consultant and authority to internal teams and lead communications-related market trainings on branding, crisis communications, and message creation.

Skills

Verbal communication

Media relations

Strategic planning

Public relations

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism, marketing, public relations, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The American Heart Association in the Baltimore, MD area is seeking a Communications Director to lead market-wide communications and advocacy strategies, reporting to the Executive Director. This home-office-based role requires travel within the Baltimore metro area and occasional statewide trips to engage media, sponsors, volunteers, and partners.

You will craft messaging for fundraising campaigns, awareness programs, and branding efforts, collaborating with development and health strategies