POSITION  DESCRIPTION  DIRECTOR  OF  COMMUNICATIONS  –  THE  SCAN  FOUNDATION  

Long  Beach,  CA  –  August  2015    

The  Opportunity    

The  SCAN  Foundation  is  seeking  an  experienced,  creative,  strategic  communications  professional  to  serve  as  its  new  Director  of  Communications.        The  SCAN  Foundation  is  an  independent  501(c)(3)  public  charity  devoted  to  transforming  care  for  older  adults  in  ways  that  preserve  dignity  and  encourage  independence.    The  Foundation  envisions  a  future  where  high-­‐quality,  affordable  health  care  and  supports  for  daily  living  are  delivered  on  each  person’s  own  terms,  according  to  that  individual’s  needs,  values,  and  preferences.    The  Director  of  Communications  will  provide  communications  expertise  in  advancing  a  coordinated  and  easily  navigated  system  of  high-­‐quality  services  for  older  adults  that  preserve  dignity  and  independence.    The  Director  of  Communications  is  responsible  for  developing,  implementing,  and  evaluating  the  Foundation’s  communication  efforts  in  a  highly  interactive  and  collaborative  team  environment.    In  these  efforts,  the  Director  will  work  effectively  with  the  media,  policymakers,  internal  and  external  stakeholders,  and  the  public  through  online  engagement,  social  media,  and  other  appropriate  communication  channels.    The  position  reports  to  the  Vice  President,  Policy  and  Communications.        For  more  information  about  the  Foundation:    http://www.thescanfoundation.org/    Responsibilities        The  Director  of  Communications  is  responsible  for  the  following:        • Develop,  implement,  and  evaluate  Foundation’s  strategic  communications  plan.    

Effectively  communicate  the  Foundation’s  vision,  mission,  strategic  framework,  and  core  activities  to  relevant  and  specified  audiences  by  drafting,  editing,  finalizing  and  disseminating  strong  written  materials  including  articles  for  placement  in  various  media  sources,  editorials,  blog  posts,  info  graphics,  social  media  content,  interactive  

presentations,  and  other  associated  materials.    Work  collaboratively  with  Foundation  staff  to  effectively  promote  all  Foundation-­‐supported  and  funded  activities  and  products  to  relevant  audiences  through  appropriate  communications  channels.    Develop,  implement,  supervise,  and  evaluate  all  aspects  of  an  established  online  and  social  media  operation,  as  well  as  the  Foundation’s  media  and  public  relations.    

 • Lead  innovative  website  presence.    Direct,  supervise,  and  evaluate  all  aspects  of  the  

Foundation’s  website  to  serve  as  a  key  multimedia  resource  on  aging  and  long-­‐term  care  issues  for  its  core  audiences  by  directing  web  development  and  maintenance  activities,  and  creating  novel  design  strategies  to  bolster  the  functional  aspects  of  the  Foundation’s  website  for  maximum  audience  engagement.  

 • Increase  visibility  of  aging/long-­‐term  care  coverage  and  Foundation’s  efforts  through  

effective  media  presence.    Increase  visibility  of  the  Foundation’s  activities  by  effectively  working  with  national,  regional,  and  trade  media  covering  aging  and  long-­‐term  care  issues  through  media  pitching,  social  media  engagement,  and  monitoring  news  coverage  and  external  events  in  an  effort  to  seek  opportunities  for  promoting  the  Foundation’s  efforts.  

 • Ensure  internal/external  communications  alignment.    Ensure  consistency  of  

communication  processes  and  branding  of  Foundation  products  by  maintaining  a  comprehensive  infrastructure  for  internal  communication  activities,  including  guidelines,  protocols,  and  procedures  for  responding  to  and  handling  media  inquiries,  the  creation  and  circulation  of  internal  and  external  communication  materials,  style  and  formatting  consistency  for  written  materials,  and  approval  processes.  

 • Creatively  contribute  to  communications-­‐related  grantmaking.    In  collaboration  with  

the  Foundation’s  Program  Officers,  lead  grant  development  efforts  for  a  small  portfolio  of  communications-­‐related  grants  by  identifying  opportunities;  implementing  planning  for  grant  development;  working  with  potential  grantees  to  prepare  proposals,  scopes  of  work,  and  budgets;  reviewing  budgets  with  relevant  team  members;  preparing  grant  proposal  summaries  for  presentation  to  the  Board;  and  reviewing  summaries  and  analyses  prepared  by  other  staff.  

 • Identify  and  coordinate  external  communications  opportunities  for  Foundation  

senior  leadership.    Increases  the  Foundation’s  public  presence  by  proactively  seeking  out  and  assisting  in  the  development  and  preparation  of  opportunities  for  the  President/CEO  and  appropriate  Foundation  staff  to  represent  the  Foundation  externally  through  speaking  engagements,  press  appearances,  conferences,  and  others.  

 

• Collaborate  and  support  Foundation  image  and  branding  efforts.    Supports  the  Executive  team  in  managing  the  Foundation’s  image  and  branding  through  building  awareness  of  the  Foundation,  and  ensuring  a  cohesive  public  perception  of  its  vision,  work,  and  activities,  as  well  as  maintaining  its  unique  credibility  as  a  balanced  and  neutral  source  of  information.  

 • Build  successful  team  and  organizational  culture.    Contribute  to  successful  team  

functioning  by  accomplishing  the  above  and  other  related  results  in  a  highly  integrated  team  environment.  

 While  this  job  description  is  intended  to  be  an  accurate  reflection  of  the  essential  job  results,  management  reserves  the  right  to  modify,  add,  or  remove  duties  from  particular  jobs  and  to  assign  other  duties  as  necessary.        QUALIFICATIONS    As  the  lead  communications  strategist  and  expert  for  the  Foundation,  the  successful  candidate  must  possess  outstanding  strategic  thinking,  planning  and  communications  skills,  and  be  an  innovative  thought  and  action  leader.    Additionally,  this  individual  must  possess  excellent  written  and  verbal  skills;  have  substantive  experience  working  on  branding/positioning,  media  relations  and  public  policy-­‐related  communications  strategies.    A  passion  for  the  mission  of  the  Foundation  is  essential.        • Bachelor’s  Degree  in  Communications,  Journalism,  or  related  field  required,  

Master’s  Degree  preferred.  • At  least  five  years’  experience  in  planning,  implementing,  managing,  and  evaluating  

strategic  communication  and  media  campaigns.  • Ability  and  desire  to  work  as  a  member  of  a  highly  interactive  team,  including  

effectively  supervising  direct  reports.  • Excellent  interpersonal  communication  skills  and  ability  to  build  and  facilitate  good  

working  relationships  with  staff  at  all  levels  in  the  Foundation  and  external  stakeholders.  

• Expressed  commitment  to  the  vision,  mission,  and  goals  of  the  Foundation.  • Exceptional  writing,  editing,  and  presentation  skills  with  strong  attention  to  detail  

and  focus  on  a  message-­‐oriented  approach.  • Extensive  experience  with  media  relations,  including  interactions  with  both  

seasoned  reporters  covering  complex  health  and/or  aging-­‐related  issues  and  new  reporters  to  the  field.  

• Ability  to  communicate  about  complex  topics  effectively,  as  well  as  programmatic  activities  commissioned  by  the  Foundation.  

• Demonstrated  ability  to  establish  strategy,  develop  work  plans,  multi-­‐task,  and  deliver  quality  work  on  time  and  within  budgetary  guidelines.  

• Strong  sense  of  priorities  and  objectives  and  a  conscientious  approach  to  problem  identification  and  resolution.  

• Sound  judgment  and  discretion  when  handling  sensitive  and  confidential  information.  

• Demonstrated  technology  savvy  with  proficiency  in  Microsoft  Office,  social  media  applications  and  analytics,  Internet  research,  and  web  development  and  management  tools.  

• Knowledge  of  Drupal  content  management  system,  InDesign,  Adobe  suite,  email  marketing,  and  webinar  conferencing  systems  highly  desirable.  

• Understanding  of  the  U.S.  policy  and  practice  environment,  with  experience  in  aging,  health,  disability,  and/or  long-­‐term  care  policy  highly  desirable.  

 Application  Process      The  SCAN  Foundation  is  an  equal  opportunity  employer.    All  qualified  applicants  will  receive  consideration  for  employment.    Interested  applicants  should  send  a  cover  letter,  resume  and  salary  information  by  email  to:      Martha  Montag  Brown  &  Associates,  LLC  www.marthamontagbrown.com  Email:  Martha@marthamontagbrown.com