Director, Public Health Communications Collaborative

Position Overview – What You’ll Do 

Reporting to the Senior Program Officer on the de Beaumont Foundation Program Team, you will have an unparalleled opportunity to lead the Public Health Communications Collaborative, an exciting and rapidly growing initiative. Founded in 2020 by the de Beaumont Foundation, CDC Foundation, and Trust for America’s Health, the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) launched in response to a real-time and urgent need to support public health departments across the United States with message development and communications support tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, PHCC has become an important resource for public health communications tools, resources, and training for thousands of professionals who communicate about public health.

As the collaborative enters the next stage of its impact, we are seeking to significantly expand its work, offering expanded messaging resources, tools, and guidance for combatting public health misinformation, and training and capacity building for public health communicators. Headquartered within the de Beaumont Foundation, with accountability to PHCC’s managing partners (Trust for America’s Health, Kresge Foundation, CDC Foundation, and de Beaumont Foundation), the PHCC Director will lead the collaborative in this next stage and will have primary responsibility for shepherding this initiative and its partners as it takes on new strategic priorities and strives to become the national go-to resource for public health communicators.

Responsibilities and Opportunities

Your day-to-day work will include activities such as:

• Lead day-to-day operations of the collaborative, including setting overall strategy, managing multiple contractors, communicating with PHCC’s managing partners and additional external partners, and relationship building with the collaborative’s audience and stakeholders
• Contribute to strategic decision-making and problem-solving by providing timely and relevant information, input, and recommendations to the managing partners
• Lead PHCC relationship management and governance, including regular communication and coordination with the collaborative’s subcommittees and communication to the principals of each of the managing partners
• Coordinate with staff across departments at the de Beaumont Foundation, including the Office of the CEO, Communications and Research Evaluation, and Learning Teams, as well as additional members of the program team to ensure that programs have strong marketing/communications plans and impact measures and are coordinated with de Beaumont’s broader work
• Independently manage external stakeholder relationships with partners, funders, and grantees to ensure that PHCC meets the collaborative’s strategic goals, needs of public health communicators and the field more broadly
• Develop and implement project workplans while maintaining an understanding of projects, timelines, deliverables, and due dates and ensure timely completion of all tasks
• Prepare meeting agendas and manage follow-up on internal and external meetings. Frequently lead meetings with PHCC’s managing partners and subcommittees, as well as external partners and funders and ensure appropriate follow-up
• Identify and prioritize new opportunities for PHCC, particularly grounded in evidence of communications best practices and centering equity
• Manage the PHCC budget, including grant management with multiple external funders
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the de Beaumont leadership team providing candid opinions and constructive feedback on Foundation matters impacting public health communications
• Conduct research, create PowerPoint Presentations, and draft speeches and talking points for external and internal presentations and speaking engagements
• On occasion, time-sensitive evening or weekend work may be necessary to be responsive to breaking news or public health emergencies.

Qualifications – Who You Are

To be successful in this job, you excel in these areas:

• Mission-driven: You want to make a difference and have experience in successfully leading complex and high-priority projects with multiple stakeholders and a large public platform. You are passionate about improving public health communications. You are a thought leader in creating and promoting solutions to support the public health workforce and advance stronger communications.
• Ownership: You care deeply about doing what it takes to facilitate results, including paying attention to even small details, managing your own projects (or pieces of bigger ones), driving work forward with a sense of urgency, anticipating problems, and course-correcting when needed.
• Team player: You are eager to use your role to advance the collaborative’s mission and look for ways to help beyond your own core responsibilities. PHCC operates with a small team, and the PHCC Director must be ready and willing to participate in all aspects of the work. No job is too small for anyone on our team, and your attitude reflects that.
• Critical thinking skills: You know how to quickly process information and draw out the key points of various publications/documents to summarize and share with the leadership team on a host of public health related issues.
• Relationship management: You have a good sense of how to manage internal relationships and teams, lead collaborative governance structures, and grow external relationships. You know how to handle confidential information, use discretion around what information you share both internally and externally, and routinely apply good judgment as to when to involve the Senior Program Officer, managing partners, and others in decision-making.
• Attention to detail: You consistently ensure materials and communications are accurate (both content and grammar), precise, and completed on time.
• Passion: You have a strong commitment to public health, racial equity, and the work of the Public Health Communications Collaborative

The ideal candidate will possess the attributes above and many of the following professional abilities and experiences.

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred in communications, public health, public policy or administration, or other relevant field
• Eight to ten years of relevant work experience managing large-scale projects with complex governance structures
• Experience leading communications work and familiarity with communications best practices strongly preferred
• Strong leadership, diplomatic, motivational, and communication skills (written, verbal and presentation) including the ability to lead up, across, and down
• Strong organization and project management skills—ability to see the big picture, manage small details, and create and maintain systems that enhance organizational efficiency
• Ability to set strategic direction and willingness to get in the weeds and perform the day-to-day tasks of leading a project while elevating strategic decisions to leadership as needed
• Self-motivated, assertive, decisive, with the ability to adapt to change and competing demands
• Demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines by maintaining a high level of organization
• Able to move quickly and nimbly from one focus to another, marshal resources, and manage expectations and timelines to achieve results
• Strong understanding of confidentiality and the ability to handle sensitive information appropriately
• Proven ability to work independently as well as in a team-oriented, collaborative environment demonstrating creativity, innovation and excellence, and taking initiative when appropriate
• Strong people management skills, including managing direct reporting staff and working with staff in matrixed reporting dynamics
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with multiple stakeholders—optimistic, thoughtful, curious, and personable
• Strong work ethic and commitment to high standards of excellence coupled with an enthusiastic approach to work
• Must have proficiency using Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint)
• Experience negotiating and managing vendor contracts
• Experience drafting and submitting budget proposals and recommending subsequent budget changes where necessary
• Experience in grant management, particularly in initiatives with multiple external funders and stakeholders
• Knowledge of communications, scientific writing, epidemiology is preferred
• Ability to travel approximately 20%, based on PHCC needs and relationship management

How to Apply

This grant-funded position, supported through December 2026, is full-time and based in downtown Bethesda, MD, just outside of Washington, DC. de Beaumont uses a hybrid work model, with employees working in the office on some days and from home on others; individual staff members’ work schedules are confirmed with direct supervisors. Some Foundation staff are fully remote, and a full-time remote work arrangement can be negotiated for the right candidate. All de Beaumont employees are required to attend quarterly all-staff meetings at the office in Bethesda.

Compensation is commensurate with experience. The salary range is $140,000 to $145,000. The Foundation also offers excellent benefits and a collegial work environment. In addition to competitive compensation, the Foundation provides outstanding benefits that include 100% paid employee health benefits, AD&D and life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, generous paid time off, 14 weeks of paid parental leave, monthly tech stipend, and health & wellness program. The Foundation fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment and has been designated a “Great Place to Work” each time it has been assessed.

To apply, upload your resume and cover letter as a single attachment to ThePublicHealthNetwork.com. Early submission is encouraged as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

The de Beaumont Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.