Reach Out and Read

The Opportunity

As the Director of External Affairs, you will have the unique opportunity to help shape the future direction of Reach Out and Read (ROR) by leading the external affairs and positioning of a nationally networked organization. This includes driving public awareness, brand visibility and overall communications strategies to raise the profile of the Reach Out and Read mission, creating and managing national relationships, and elevating the impact of the organization’s vision, values, and commitment to empowering and increasing equity in the communities that we serve, nationwide. The role reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and sits on the national Senior Leadership Team.

Your Key Responsibilities will include leading national strategy development and implementation efforts in the following key areas:

Public Relations

  • Create national external affairs strategy driving public awareness of ROR’s brand and impact
  • Support and develop media relations to maximize earned and owned media opportunities
  • Develop and grow strong relationships with members of the media in all areas, including web, newspaper, blog, medical journals, etc., with a focus on media platforms that reach diverse audiences and align with ROR’s commitment to equity and inclusion
  • Investigate new opportunities for outreach and positive positioning of the organization as a leading advocate for children and families with a deep commitment to equity, justice, and community-wide access to services on a national scale
  • Draft and place press releases, bylines, and statements where applicable and on a regular basis
  • Propose, draft and edit timely commentaries and op-eds for Chief Executive Officer, Board Members, and other key stakeholders within the network.
  • Create a national media kit and template for network-wide distribution

Communications and Branding Strategy

  • Contribute to and execute a strategic plan for external communications with stakeholder groups including, but not limited to: CEO, Board of Directors, senior leadership team, health care providers, political and public policy influencers including refining and streamlining the message
  • Ensure alignment of all communications with ROR’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Facilitate CEO Communication Strategy and develop new and innovative methods to reach new audiences, and cultivate and grow existing relationships to deepen their impact on our mission
  • Oversee and collaborate with RORPodcast team on strategy, content, and promotion of the bi-weekly podcast production. Monitor and track analytics to provide insights and reporting for leveraged growth. Collaborate with development team for sponsorship relationship management
  • Oversee strategy and execution of national newsletters and communications training for the internal ROR network
  • Oversee and manage content creation and strategy for ROR website
  • Oversee social media content creation and management in close collaboration with Director of Marketing and other key stakeholders.
  • Monitor social media sites and measure results via analytics. Use these analytics as a tool to increase and enhance social media presence.
  • Provide regular insights and reporting on communications, brand health impact relative to benchmarks and recommend improvements.

National Partnership Management & Development

  • Collaborate with key senior stakeholders to manage national strategic partnerships to ensure alignment with national priorities.
  • Identify new opportunities and partners for growth and impact expansion across the country
  • Support network-specific opportunities to grow local and state partnerships as needed
  • Re-build collaborations and partnerships that need national attention and alignment

Affiliate and Network Support and Technical Assistance

  • Provide dedicated support to all levels of the organization to drive external affairs efforts including at the state and local levels across the country
  • Develop and grow the scope of tools, training, and resources provided directly to affiliate leaders and staff to drive the impact of external affairs across the organization
  • Build up the internal and external resources needed to meet the needs of affiliates in communications, marketing, and external affairs to increase the visibility of the organization at all levels

Qualifications and Experience:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We’ll honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below and are committed to doing this work from an equity lens:

  • Commitment to increasing equity in opportunity and outcomes for children and to recognizing factors known to significantly impact differential outcomes for children, including race, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic status
  • 8-10 years of relevant work experience in public affairs, communications and/or marketing
  • Robust experience working with digital media and platforms, including key social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Successful track record executing social media campaigns
  • Strong story-telling ability, a sense of humor, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit
  • Belief in the power of diversity and excitement for working in a diverse culture and on diverse teams, and a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and collaborate across differences
  • A successful track record in setting priorities, managing relationships and ability to prioritize, negotiate and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders/partners
  • Strong written, communication, and organizational skills, including a track record of balancing and prioritizing multiple priorities simultaneously

Position Specifications

This is a full time, exempt position. The Director of External Affairs may work from a home-based office anywhere in the country but travel to Boston and national meetings will be needed about 4 to 5 times a year.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $115,000.00 - $130,000.00 and is commensurate with experience. ROR offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid time off, and more.

Commitment to Diversity

Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. ROR sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. ROR strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And, we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard.

About Reach Out and Read

Founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization working to ensure all families have the opportunity to create meaningful everyday moments through shared reading aloud and building relationships. By leveraging pediatric care to champion the positive effects of reading daily and distribute books, Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success and reaches 4.2 million children across the county – half of whom identify as BIPOC and a quarter of whom come from low-income families.

Reach Out and Read’s tens of thousands of trained pediatric providers use books as a diagnostic tool during regular check-ups, and teach parents how to engage their child with a book to promote positive parent-child interactions during the rapid brain growth between birth and age five. The daily practice of reading aloud with a parent supports children’s literacy and math skill development, their social-emotional development, and prepares them for future success in school. Working together with our sites and providers, we leverage our three decades of expertise, build on our literacy foundations, and engage our shared networks as a catalyst for change, focusing on equitably strengthening and deepening our impact on the children, families, and communities we serve.

The Impact

  • Reach Out and Read program sites are located in 6,000 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings in all 50 states, Washington, D. C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • Our peer-reviewed body of evidence demonstrates that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children, and that children experiencing Reach Out and Read show enhanced language development.

------------------------------EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER------------------------------

Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please notify us and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.

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