THE FOLLOWING JOB ALERT WAS POSTED ON DECEMBER 24, 2009 BY LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS
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LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS, Multicultural Communications Strategist (Princeton, New Jersey)
Job Title:
Multicultural Communications Strategist
Background and Summary:
At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we focus on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, we work with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve meaningful change.
Many of our key audiences and constituencies—those most affected by childhood obesity and by inequities in quality of care, for example—rely on ethnic media for credible information. Engaging such media effectively and consistently is therefore crucial to creating and spreading impact for the success of our programs.
To serve these important audiences, the Foundation, through its program teams, is launching a targeted multicultural communications initiative, with an emphasis on U.S. African-American and Hispanic markets.
The strategist position is a two-year contract position, based at the Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey.
The strategists will report to the Communications Officer, Media Relations and will serve as a member of the Vulnerable Populations, Childhood Obesity, Human Capital, Coverage and Quality/Equality teams.
The strategists will work across the Foundation program teams, specifically providing communications support and counsel to the Quality/Equality, Human Capital, Vulnerable Populations, and Coverage teams. The strategists will work with program teams to build relationships with journalists at ethnic media outlets; and with the guidance of Public Affairs, manage and develop a series of ethnic media programs and projects that will benefit teams.
The strategists will also serve as strategic advisors on all multicultural communications outreach done by grantees in the Vulnerable Populations, Quality/Equality, Childhood Obesity, and Human Capital portfolios.
The strategists will help program teamspromote their impact and create dialogue with ethnic media, interfacing with ethnic media journalists, and ethnic media affinity organizations, such as the National Association of Black Journalists andthe National Association of Hispanic Journalistsand the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Strategists will identify ways in which the Foundation’s programs and information can better serve ethnic audiences. The strategists will also help program teams increase capacity to deliver content that is consistently of use to ethnic media.
Responsibilities:
- As a major expectation and emphasis, identifies and develops opportunities for proactive outreach to the ethnic news media, linking organizational goals and priorities with the effective implementation of the Foundation’s team communications strategies..
- Serves as spokesperson to the ethnic news media and works with other Foundation spokespersons for consistency of content and approach. Establishes, fosters and maintains effective working relationships with representatives of the ethnic news media.
- Develops robust, audience-centered strategies based on the needs, values and of multicultural audiences.
- Works with colleagues across the Foundation’s program teams and Communications Department to ensure consistency and integration of strategy implementation and communication objectives.
- Develops a message framework that resonates with diverse audience groups.
- Provides clear, credible and effective counsel to program teams across the Foundation incorporating a multicultural lens in the full range of communication strategies and tactics.
- Advises and prepares subject-matter experts and other organizational representatives in providing information to the news media, arranging interviews and delivering appropriate responses.
- Helps drive selection of strategies and tactics relevant to target audiences.
- Develops strategies for successful stakeholder engagement around public relations campaigns, policy issues and public affairs initiatives.
- Researches, writes and edits, in coordination with Public Affairs and team colleagues as appropriate; various communication material, including briefing and background information for internal and external use; communication plans and collateral products;and articles for publication and news releases.
Experience and Qualifications:
- Demonstrated expertise in multicultural communication, with experience in media relations, message development and alliance building.
- Five to seven years of related work experience in communications and/or journalism;experience with or knowledge of philanthropy desirable.
- Experience working with national, state, local and community-based African American and Hispanic media.
- Strong working knowledge of the news media and its various elements (print, broadcast, Internet-based).
- Knowledge of and demonstrated experience working with key national and regional African-American and Hispanic influencers and organizations.
- Proficiency as a spokesperson to the news media.
- Excellent persuasive verbal and written communication skills; fluency in Spanish strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of coalition and bridge building between diverse groups.
- Ability to guide culturally relevant research.
- Ability to work effectively with leadership at various organizational levels.
- Demonstrated project management experience.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in public relations, communications, journalism or related field. Master’s preferred.
Salary:
$65-75 K salary and bonus
Includes comprehensive benefits package
Please submit resumes and inquiries to:
Ericka Avila
323.469.8680, ext. 223