Associate Director, Communications

The Rippel Foundation is seeking a skillful, creative, strategic communications professional to serve as an Associate Director, Communications, focused on enhancing understanding of the value and impact of Rippel’s work. This role requires the skills and experience to develop, execute, and manage strategic communications and the full range of communications tools and tactics that advance the mission of the Foundation. As a senior member of the communications team, the Associate Director, Communications will strengthen Rippel’s reputation and leadership in advancing health equity. They will help shape and implement our strategies for storytelling and influence, collaborate across the organization, and serve as a strategic communications lead to other teams and key program areas.

The Associate Director, Communications is a remote position and reports to the Director, Communications & Influence.

About the Rippel Foundation

The Rippel Foundation (Rippel) was established in 1953 to invest in initiatives addressing cancer, heart disease, the health of women and the elderly, and the maintenance of our nation’s hospitals. In 2007, we refocused our approach to these priorities, recognizing that a commitment to broader health system change is essential to achieve real, lasting impact. Today, Rippel is a nonprofit operating foundation with one primary strategic purpose: to be a catalyst for an equitable future for health and well-being. We believe that this goal is attainable if enough of us—individuals and organizations in all sectors—see ourselves and each other as interdependent stewards in a growing movement to thrive together. To accomplish this, Rippel focuses on creating equitable health and well-being for all in the US, beginning with those who are struggling and suffering. Rippel helps stewards adopt new mindsets and practices, enabling them to better assure the vital conditions and urgent services that all people need to thrive exist in communities across the country.

Working at the cutting edge of system transformation and building on its deep experience and expertise, Rippel focuses on those stewards best positioned to affect change in philanthropy, health systems and corporations. Rippel also partners with peers in a growing field to shift commitments, relationships, actions, and investments as well as create new norms – all grounded in what people need to thrive.

About the Communications Team

Our communications team is at an exciting point in executing Rippel’s 10-year strategic roadmap. The team is designed as a strategic partner to the organization rather than a customer service function, surfacing and sharing useful insights to support the growing movement to thrive together. As a change-making function, we leverage strategic communications to explore a key learning question:what does it take to ensure that all people and all places thrive together?

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS

Job Description

Classification: Full-time; Exempt; Benefits-eligible

Duties and Responsibilities

Communications and Narrative Strategy:

• Serve as trusted partner to the Director, Communications & Influence to guide strategic development of the communications function, including coordinating with external communications firms and developing communications infrastructure.
• Conceptualize and lead the development of communications strategies that uplift the wisdom and expertise of the Rippel's team, sharing knowledge, insights, and learning in creative, accessible ways.
• Evaluate communications strategies, draw insights, and identify opportunities to strengthen work.

Writing and Editorial:

• Serve as a liaison with Rippel’s spokespeople/subject matter experts, including executive leadership, to oversee preparation of published content, talking points, and presentations.
• Produce compelling content including blog posts, talking points, op-eds, speeches and presentations in alignment with the day-to-day editorial strategy. Supervise consultants and contract writers as needed.

Storytelling and Promotion:

• Champion Rippel’s storytelling infrastructure, spotting and managing production of stories that help our audiences see and understand the growing movement to thrive together.
• Leverage newsworthy initiatives and projects by Rippel and its collaborators to stimulate opportunities for external interest and visibility, including media coverage and/or high-profile speaking engagements that reach relevant audiences.
• Manage media relations, issues monitoring, and brand stewardship.

Project Management and Collaboration:

• Maintain a highly collaborative partnership culture with other teams at Rippel to develop a deep understanding of our work and the movement to thrive together. Collaborate effectively with team members to identify strategic communications opportunities that advance Rippel’s goals.
• Work closely with the Director, Communications and Influence, to provide ongoing project management and timely execution of all deliverables.  
• Develop communications plans, policies, guidelines, process improvements, and staff resources to support healthy and effective communications and storytelling practices.
• Supervise staff members leading storytelling and digital communication.
• Participate in internal meetings and be a fully involved and contributing member of the team and the larger organization.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is both creative and strategic, wields the ability to work in a highly collaborative and team environment as well as work autonomously, possesses excellent interpersonal skills, superior verbal and written communication skills, the ability to anticipate needs as well as adapt and respond thoughtfully to emerging issues, and advanced organizational and prioritization skills to work quickly and effectively in a dynamic team.

Core Competencies

• Collaborative
• Clear and explicit communicator
• Results-driven
• Manages complexity with resilience
• Strategic mindset
• Instills trust

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Superior editorial production skills, easily discerning what makes compelling content.
• Excellent writing and editing skills to prepare or oversee a wide variety of communications content, including public announcements, reports, internal memos, speeches, policy memos, infographics, videos, and social media content.
• Experienced and wise discernment handling dynamic, sensitive, high-stakes assignments with executives, multiple stakeholders, and diverse viewpoints.
• Strong media relations skills, with a track record of writing opinion pieces and successfully pitching national, state, regional and local media outlets. 
• Conscientious, detail-oriented project management, time management, and organizational skills, moving initiatives forward in a collaborative and effective manner; ability to lead and supervise multicultural teams in a way that achieves project objectives, supports the professional development of team members, and contributes to a collegial working environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with and provide clear direction to internal and external colleagues and consultants; self-motivated and able to work well both independently and as part of a team.
• Proficient with standard digital platforms, including email, content management systems, and web management tools such as Mailchimp and WordPress.
• High cultural competence to effectively work in partnership with diverse communities, including an appreciation for historical context, discernment of relationship nuances and power dynamics, and a keen understanding of social, racial, and ethnic differences.
• A broad appreciation for and sensitivity to Rippel’s culture and workplace environment, including its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion across racial, cultural, political, and ideological differences.
• Ability to communicate proactively and solve problems with diverse colleagues and other stakeholders.
• Ability to motivate the team, delegate effectively, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong thought partner and developer of others.

Education and Experience

• A degree in communications or a related social science field.
• Seven to ten years' professional communications and/or public relations experience required, preferably in the social, philanthropic, and/or health sectors; demonstrated interest in innovation and social change a plus; equivalent experience through a combination of education, work experience, and community engagement experience will be considered.
• Experience supervising direct reports, consultants, and vendors.

Additional Conditions of Employment

• Fully remote or hybrid position. Northeast location preferred.
• Some out of town and overnight travel required, approximately 10% to 15%.
• The work environment is a typical hybrid office setting, requiring regular sitting; frequent talking; hearing; repetitive motions such as typing and writing; and use of virtual conferencing systems and practices.
• Requires close visual acuity to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading.
• Requires extremely demanding attention to execute high-level managerial responsibilities related to legal contracts, editing, writing, research, and understanding high-level concepts.
• Rippel is committed to an ongoing journey for equity and justice. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on characteristics, perceived or actual, protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws or ordinances in all employment practices. We encourage applications from those who, through both their work and lived experience, can further our efforts to help create just systems where all people thrive.
• Applicants requiring an accommodation due to a disability should contact Human Resources at [email protected].

Benefits

Salary: $100,000 - $113,750 annually

Rippel offers a comprehensive and flexible benefits package including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, basic life/LTD, flexible spending accounts, 401k, and generous paid time off, including paid family leave.