Chief Communications Officer

Local applicants to the Chicagoland area only

• Mission: Rooted in LGBTQ+ liberation, Howard Brown Health provides affirming healthcare and mobilizes for social justice. We are agents of change for individual wellbeing and community empowerment.
• Vision: Howard Brown Health envisions a future where healthcare and transformative social policies actualize human rights and equity for all.
• Community-based health clinics in some of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods
• The largest LGBTQ health provider in the Midwest
• Latinx inclusive community based on respect, equal opportunity, and appreciation of diversity to provide the culturally competent support and services within Howard Brown Health.

What's in it for you:

• A commitment to work-life balance with: 3-weeks paid vacation and 1-week of personal time 12 accrued sick days per year 9 paid holidays, including Juneteenth PTO Exchange allows employees to turn unused PTO into liquid assets
• Employer-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance with two PPO plans and an HMO plan. BCBS HMO, PPO, and PPO Select Plans HMO premium BCBS Dental premium EyeMed Vision premium
• 401k program with up to 5% employer match after 90 days = $1,700+
• Employer-paid basic life insurance valued at one times the annual salary
• Voluntary Life and AD&D, and Short-term and Long-term disability
• Up to $720 pre-tax commuter and parking benefit account
• Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Forgiveness Programs; NHSC & PSLF
• Employee Assistance Program with 5 employer-paid counseling sessions
• 50% off at Brown Elephant Resale Shops and discounts at local businesses

Local applicants to the Chicagoland area only

Salary: The salary range for this role is $189,000 - $215,000

POSITION SUMMARY:
Reporting to the President & Chief Executive Officer and serving as a member of the organization’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT), the Chief Communications Officer provides vision and executes an agile, integrated, and sustainable communications strategy that advances HBH’s mission and strengthens its reputation and brand. This mission critical role develops and drives the strategic prioritization and plan execution of a comprehensive network of functions and their sub-disciplines including: Policy & Advocacy, Development, Branding & Marketing, and Internal and External Communications (including media and public relations). The individual will leverage industry knowledge and best practices to promote the mission and vision of Howard Brown Health as well as supports culture enhancement and management efforts.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic Leadership

- Provides strategic vision, direction, and measurable goals for all aspects of the communications and development network as well as aligns all policy & advocacy, communications and development activities to the strategic plan of the HBH organization.
- In partnership with HBH’s data team, serves as the primary strategic leader for all communication data needs, ensuring data is used to drive targeted, data-driven interventions, track outcomes, define analytical requirements and monitor multi-level performance.
- Ensures responsible financial management within purview, including agency budget development and resource planning; manages network budgets, including budget development, monitoring, and re-forecasting (where applicable).
- Partners with relevant internal stakeholders to integrate communications and development functioning into strategic planning processes and key organizational decisions.
- Identifies and advocates for the resources and infrastructure needed to meet established goals and drive success.
- Drafts, maintains, and publishes communication policies and standard operating procedures.

Operating Excellence
Policy & Advocacy
• Provides executive leadership support to the Director, Policy & Advocacy focused on developing and implementing timely, relevant and measurable strategies to influence public policy, laws, and public opinion on behalf of HBH.
• Supports the Director, Policy & Advocacy in serving as legislative liaison and advocating and monitoring laws and regulations impacting HBH and the services it provides.
• In partnership with the Director, Policy & Advocacy ensures appropriate data is being leveraged toward data-informed decisioning.
• In partnership with the Director, Policy & Advocacy monitors the political environment and guides the identification of opportunities to advance state and local policies benefiting HBH, HBH patients, the state, and local communities.
• Guides and directs all efforts focused on organizational liaising to legislators, legislative committees, and legislative staff involved with HBH related legislation toward timely provision of information regarding the organization’s programs, operations and objectives and explains proposed and/or revised legislative issues.
• In partnership with the Director, Policy & Advocacy, ensures responsible financial management and resource planning.

Development
• Provides executive leadership support to the VP, Donor Relations & Engagement focused on all aspects of private fundraising, including ongoing and future capital campaigns, while strengthening agency positioning to support infrastructure and programming priorities.
• In partnership with the VP, Donor Relations & Engagement ensures appropriate data is being leveraged toward data-informed decisioning.
• In partnership with the VP, Donor Relations & Engagement ensures timely and effective development and execution of established annual comprehensive fundraising strategy with clear accountability for outcomes, including setting annual targets, monitoring short and long-term performance metrics, managing donor pipelines, and aligning fundraising goals with the organization’s mission and strategic plan.
• In partnership with the VP, Donor Relations & Engagement, ensures responsible development financial management and resource planning.

Branding & Marketing
• Provides vision, leads and drives all aspects of brand integrity, strategic marketing analysis, consumer intelligence and high performing marketing operations.
• Serves central role in shaping HBH’s brand position, brand identity, brand experience, and brand voice across audiences, while ensuring consistency and cohesion across channels and touchpoints.
• Utilizes and implements consumer intelligence and analytics to define marketing strategies and messages for patient acquisition.
• Collaborates with clinics and operations to develop patient journey maps - identifying key brand touch points and decisions.

Internal and External Communications
• Leads strategic cascading communications for internal rollouts of critical news and oversees fidelity when the organization must respond to external headwinds and crises.
• Identifies, establishes and executes a sustainable approach to effectively exchanging information and messages within the HBH organization with a goal of timely, factual, transparent and beneficial information share.
• Consistently evaluates internal communication strategies and approaches toward continuous improvement and meeting of established communication goals.
• In collaboration with the President & CEO, serve as the primary external representative for HBH, strategically engaging with key stakeholders, community partners, and media.
• Serves as strategic counsel to executives for crisis/issue management and other public exposures while overseeing the development and consistent implementation of messaging, policies and practices across the organization.

Human Capital Oversight
- Leads a team of communication professionals, providing guidance and support in the creation of high-quality content.
- Ensures consistent performance standards, skill-building, and a shared understanding of communications and development strategy.
- Supervises, motivates, and supports direct reports by setting clear expectations, providing ongoing feedback, and communicating how contributions connect to departmental and organizational goals.
- Champions org wide culture-building initiatives, with a focus on operational excellence and mission alignment across all sites and teams.
- Other duties as assigned and/or required.

SUPERVISION (if applicable): VP, Donor Relations & Engagement, Director, Policy & Advocacy, Associate Director Communications and Marketing

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in communications, psychology, business administration, or related discipline required. Graduate degree in the same preferred.
- Minimum ten (10) years professional experience leading a full-scope corporate communications function required. Of the ten (10) years’ experience, at least five (5) years’ experience human capital oversight and leading a multi-discipline team required. - Experience in healthcare, FQHC and/or non-profit preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES (K/S/A)
- Ability to demonstrate ethical and compliant practice in all bodies of work
- Ability to make formal and effective oral presentations
- Ability to prepare clear, concise, and effective reports, letters, and other documents
- Ability to evaluate procedures and issues and develop strategies and effective solutions
- Knowledge of cash-flow management and projections as well as budget creation and management
- Ability to plan, organize, and accomplish organizational goals and objectives
- Ability to handle and maintain highly confidential information with professional maturity
- Functional and proficient knowledge of various technologies including, but not limited to MS Suite and finance software platforms
- Effective communication competencies including written, verbal and listening
- Strong knowledge of research approaches and the ability to apply relevant approach toward desired outcome(s)
- Strong problem-solving acumen and the ability to engage for supervisory support when appropriate
- Ability to demonstrate an understanding and acceptance of equity, inclusion and diversity concepts, and that they are broader than just race, ethnicity, and gender
- Ability to work affirmatively with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and HIV positive patients

ADA SPECIFICATIONS
- Requires ability to speak audibly and listen actively.
- Requires ability to use computers, telephones and other office equipment.
- Requires ability to sit for extended periods of time.
- May require occasional bending and lifting up to 25 pounds.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT:
Decisions and criteria governing the employment relationship with all employees at Howard Brown are made in a non-discriminatory manner, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, genetic information, FMLA status, complaints about discrimination, or any other factor determined to be unlawful by federal, state or local statutes.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.