Principal Technical Advisor, Strategic Communications

International Executive Service Corps; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Vital Strategies is seeking a Principal Technical Advisor, Strategic Communications to lead communications strategy for the Overdose Prevention Program. This role engages across state, national, and global levels to advance public health through data-driven media, digital campaigns, and thought leadership.

The PTA aligns program goals with messaging, guides regional teams, and collaborates with government bodies, journalists, and partners to elevate public health priorities.

Responsibilities

• Advise multidisciplinary teams and contribute perspective to state strategy and budget.
• Create data-driven annual communications strategy recommendations.
• Lead monitoring and synthesis of media coverage to inform strategies.
• Monitor national media trends and advise leadership on positioning and risks.
• Champion best practices across social media, ads, PR within teams and partners.
• Serve as liaison to funders on communications activities.

Job description

Principal Technical Advisor, Strategic Communications Location United States, New York, NY Department SUBSTANCE USE # of openings 1

Principal Technical Advisor, Strategic Communications

Vital Strategies is a global public health organization. Our programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury, and death. We currently work in more than 80 countries, supporting data-driven decision-making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies, and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives. They include noncommunicable disease prevention, tobacco control, road safety, food policy, environmental health, and data for health. Our programs are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries and cities in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Please visit our website at www.vitalstrategies.org to find out more about our work.

We believe our programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by people with diverse life experiences whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, gender, national origin, ancestry, actual or perceived age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, marital status, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. As such, our commitment is to promote equal employment opportunities (EEO) for those seeking employment.

About the Program:

The Overdose Prevention Program partners with governments and communities to advance evidence-based strategies that reduce overdose deaths. Through grant funding and tailored technical assistance, the program helps government, institutional, and community partners strengthen policies, implement innovative programs, and mobilize local action to address the evolving overdose crisis.

Our work spans the neighbourhood, local, regional, and jurisdictional levels, supporting sustainable public health solutions that are responsive to local needs. Program staff are organized into multidisciplinary regional teams, each managing a portfolio of states or Native communities. These teams work closely with colleagues in Operations and with subject matter experts in Communications, Program Evaluation & Knowledge Management, and Legal & Policy to deliver coordinated, high-impact support.

Job Purpose:

The Principal Technical Advisor (PTA), Strategic Communications brings deep expertise in communications strategy and public health to identify and develop opportunities for the program to make novel contributions at the state, national, and global levels towards overdose prevention.

The position is a leader in OPP's efforts to shape professional and public discourse across multiple channels, using data-driven strategies including media relations, digital and social media, thought leadership, and advertising to advance public health approaches to illicit drug use. The PTA works to establish Vital as a recognized voice in overdose prevention and elevate our partners and those with lived experience. They navigate complex and shifting political realities to identify strategic communication opportunities and translate program goals into action, bringing together diverse audiences from policymakers to impacted communities around a shared evidence base.

The PTA contributes their lived experience and professional knowledge while learning from the experience and expertise of colleagues as the team plans, monitors and continually improves the program.

This is anew role for the Overdose Prevention program. It is a full-time positionpreferably based in the New York City metro area; we will consider other locations in the U.S. dependent on the work (North Carolina, New Jersey, Kentucky, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Nevada, or Washington state). We offer highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this position is $ 150,000 to $ 170,000 USD.

Reporting & Key Relationships:

The PTA is an integral member of two teams: as a member of PAC and a leader on the OPP team, the position serves the needs of the program while ensuring coherence with organization wide goals and standards.

The Vice President, PAC provides technical supervision and the Director, provides OPP program supervision and direction. This position collaborates closely with and guides regional team colleagues, including dedicated Communications staff, as well as Legal & Policy and Knowledge Management colleagues. In addition, the PTA supervises Communications staff on multi-state and/or local initiatives.

To foster continuous learning, the PTA will lead an internal Community of Practice for Communications Technical Advisors serving OPP regions.

Externally, this role cultivates and manages relationships with government officials, public health departments, public health bodies, journalists, editors, key media outlets, and influential voices across the portfolio and may attend conferences with external stakeholders working on overdose prevention.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Collective Planning and State Strategy Development -

• Advise multidisciplinary teams and contribute unique perspective to their development and mon-itoring of a comprehensive strategy and annual work plan with a corresponding budget for each state that integrates the collective expertise and experience of the team, current overdose data and epidemiology, state policy landscapes, community needs, and lessons learned from prior implementation.
• Create data-driven annual communications strategy recommendations.
• Create and maintain benchmark Key Performance Indicators to guide insights on communica-tions successes, challenges and opportunities.
• Lead the monitoring and integration of analysis of media coverage to inform program strategies and refine messaging.
• Monitor national media trends and field developments, advising leadership and partners on pro-grammatic positioning and reputational risks and using Vital's experts, website, social media presence to respond and spur positive narratives.
• Champion best practices across social media, advertising, public relations within the team and Vital's extended network, including public appearances with technical audiences.
• Act as a key liaison to funders on communications activities, including producing progress re-ports for communications activities.
• Support OPP leadership to scope and evaluate any new business communications opportuni-ties.
• Apply an intersectional racial justice framework across all planning processes, program design, and implementation.

Multi-State and National Policy Initiatives -

Together with Leadership, Deputy Directors, and other senior colleagues support multiple regions:

• Participate in review of all state/Native community strategy and work plans with Leadership, to identify communication gaps and ensure coherence.
• Proactively identify and develop opportunities for the program to make novel contributions to the field of drug policy and overdose prevention at a multi-state and national scale, contributing their unique perspective to inform possible strategies to advance policies and initiatives at this scale. This may include activities such as:
  • Writing or contributing to national Op-Eds; key organizational statements;
  • Participating in and actively contributing to coalitions, task forces, and other stakeholder groups and representing the