Director Communications

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We are advocating for policies to protect them. We are working to radically improve the health care they receive. We are pioneering research to find solutions. We are empowering families with programs, knowledge and tools to have healthier pregnancies. By uniting communities, we are building a brighter future for us all.

We are dedicated to hiring a diverse workforce that fosters opportunities for personal and professional development. We provide a collaborative and supportive environment built upon our fundamental core principles where each employee is valued. Join us in the fight for healthy moms and strong babies.

SCOPE

The Director of Communications, reporting to the VP of Marketing, leads public relations, executive and advocacy communications, influencer and partner relationship management, and crisis communications for March of Dimes. This role involves strategic oversight of sensitive issues and executive communications, requiring expertise in national, local, and government relations, advocacy, and influencer engagement. The Director will work with senior leaders and agency partners to align communications with organizational goals, driving visibility and reputation management.

RESPONSIBILIBITIES

Strategy & Leadership:

• Act as a senior advisor within the Marketing and Communications Leadership team, providing strategic guidance to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical and Health Officer, and the Executive Leadership Committee with explicit executive visibility goals and quarterly earned media targets aligned to organizational objectives.
• Lead a department responsible for media relations, strategy development, crisis communications, thought leadership, and support for both national and regional campaigns with clear OKRs for executive visibility, proactive media, and reputation metrics.
• Set priorities and manage workload for media relations, strategic partnerships, and executive communication teams, ensuring resources align with key objectives and an annual operating plan plus a rolling editorial calendar that ladder to proactive media targets.
• Oversee the department budget, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget constraints including agency SOW stewardship and contingency planning for peak periods.
• Enhance productivity and accountability by implementing best practices, managing agency partnerships, and overseeing PR firm and vendor relationships including day-to-day ownership, weekly performance reviews, and scorecarding.
• Provide support for sensitive issues, crisis, and executive communications, ensuring timely and appropriate responses and serving as final approver for time-bound statements and executive remarks.
• Maintain an awareness of the competitive media landscape, offering insights to inform communications strategies and translate insights into testable pitch hypotheses and outreach plans.
• Conduct research to identify optimal media opportunities for target audience engagement prioritizing outlets, reporters, and moments that map to health equity priorities.

Media Relations and Public Relations Strategy:

• Develop and execute PR strategies for national and local campaigns, including partner communications, events, and major announcements with quarterly targets for tier-1 placements, quality-adjusted reach, share of voice, and message pull-through.
• Oversee executive communications to elevate the visibility of the March of Dimes president and the Executive Leadership Committee through a structured executive visibility program, including speeches, bylines, event placements, and measured outcomes.
• Collaborate with the Office of Government Affairs to create media advocacy strategies timed to legislative windows and earned-media cycles.
• Partner with the Research team to set priorities for external communications and align with media opportunities by packaging data into media-ready narratives, toolkits, and state cuts.
• Work with the Mission team to leverage relevant data releases and position March of Dimes representatives as expert sources with designated clinician and program spokespeople for national and local media.
• Manage crisis communications, handle incoming media requests, and proactively pitch stories to national and local outlets using pre-approved playbooks and 24-hour response SLAs.
• Oversee the preparation of briefing documents and talking points for media appearances in coordination with the Manager of Communications and align with influencer and talent activations where relevant.

Advocacy & Partnerships:

• Lead media relations efforts for maternal and infant health advocacy, keeping March of Dimes staff updated on new developments and measuring policy coverage quality and message fidelity alongside reach.
• Partner with the Office of Government Affairs to guide organization-wide messaging for advocacy initiatives with shared KPIs and a joint briefing cadence.
• Alert senior staff to emerging political or governmental issues affecting March of Dimes, advising on media response strategies via concise decision memos outlining risk, options, and recommendations.
• Conduct and oversee research on high-profile advocacy issues, ensuring evidence-based insights support media outreach and maintaining a rapid reference library for reporters.

Corporate & Campaign-Focused Communications:

• Oversee media outreach efforts for key March of Dimes campaigns and events, coordinating closely with Regional Market leads including localized Report Card toolkits and clear state-level spokesperson assignments.
• Work with Strategic Marketing team to execute partner communications plans, covering media outreach, events, press releases, and messaging including organizational-themed moments that demonstrate partner impact on maternal and infant health.
• Collaborate with the Corporate Engagement team to enhance partnerships through strategic media placements and earned media efforts planned to support conversion to fundraising or advocacy actions.

Public Relations & Communications:

• Design and execute media and communications campaigns that support mission, fundraising, and advocacy goals set by the Marketing & Communications lead with measurable objectives and post-campaign readouts.
• Develop an annual communications plan that incorporates mission-centered content, trends, campaign amplification, and celebrity and influencer engagement plus a rolling 90-day proactive pitch calendar.
• Lead efforts to engage national celebrities and local influencers, strategically placing stories across print, broadcast, and digital media with brand-safety guidelines and targets for views, engagement, and saves.
• Position senior staff as media thought leaders and maintain a steady stream of community PR to enhance the March of Dimes brand through recurring thought leadership, podcast bookings, op-eds, and conference stages.
• Oversee the placement of Public Service Announcements and other educational media to maximize reach and awareness and optimize placements using flighting tests and audience insights.

Writing & Internal Communications:

• Oversee the development, writing, editing, and approval of essential documents, including thought leadership pieces, messaging platforms, press releases, talking points, quotes, media strategies, and statements with version control and a single source of truth for messaging.
• Manage media training for key spokespeople, ensuring they are well-prepared for media interactions including executive presence coaching and mock interviews ahead of Report Card and organizational milestones.
• Guide internal communications on sensitive issues, ensuring alignment with public-facing media strategies so staff are briefed before public releases, with clear talking points and escalation paths.

Influencer & External Partnerships:

• Manage relationships with entertainment industry contacts, including agents, managers, publicists, celebrities, and influencers to amplify mission moments with measurable KPIs.
• Maintain connections with the March of Dimes Celebrity Advocate Council, coordinating with high-profile talent and influential volunteers with content plans that ladder to proactive media targets.
• Oversee celebrity engagement campaigns and initiatives, handling logistics and providing strategic guidance for regional efforts with defined approval SLAs and production timelines.
• Develop strategies, proposals, and presentations for media and entertainment collaborations, maximizing celebrity and influencer support for March of Dimes activities that include clear success metrics and brand-safety checks.
• Oversee vendor and agency relationships related to media and talent, ensuring successful execution of related projects including Nardi for earned media, with monthly scorecards, learning agendas, and renewal recommendations.

Measurement & Reporting:

• Define and report on a core KPI set, including tier-1 placements, quality-adjusted reach, share of voice, message pull-through, sentiment, response time, and executive visibility outcomes.
• Maintain weekly and monthly readouts, with a learning agenda that drives tests and optimizations.
• Partner with Digital to connect earned media to downstream outcomes, such as brand awareness, consideration, donations, and advocacy actions.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• 8-10 years of previous experience
• Four-year college degree or equivalent experience
• Project management experience
• Management level experience

March of Dimes provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.