Director of Communications

Vitamin Angels

Position Description

Position: Director of Communications

Employer: Vitamin Angels

Department: Marketing & Communications

Location: U.S. Remote

Salary Range: $130,000-170,000 

Every applicant is required to submit a cover letter with their application. 

About Vitamin Angels

Vitamin Angels is a global health organization working to save lives and improve the health of women and children most at risk through proven nutrition solutions. We prioritize high-impact, cost-effective, evidence-based nutrition interventions and apply evidence, implementation learning, and innovation to introduce, strengthen, and scale nutrition programs in geographies where we can achieve the greatest and most sustainable impact. Our programs are advanced through long-term partnerships that enable government and local partner ownership, are implemented within existing structures, and adapted to local contexts.

Vitamin Angels is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a supportive environment where all individuals have access to equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of background, identity, or perspective. Our efforts aim to ensure fairness and mutual respect for all employees, promoting a culture of belonging and professional growth.

Role or Purpose of Position

The Director of Communications is responsible for advancing Vitamin Angels’ visibility, credibility, reputation, and influence through strategic external and internal communications. The Director of Communications translates Vitamin Angels’ enterprise narrative into compelling communications that engage audiences, strengthen relationships, elevate organizational expertise, enhance credibility, position Vitamin Angels as a leading global health organization amongst diverse priority audiences, and build understanding and alignment across the organization.

As a senior communications leader, this role oversees corporate communications, media relations, executive communications, thought leadership, external editorial strategy, reputation management, crisis communications, and internal communications. The Director of Communications works closely with the VP of Marketing & Communications, various functional unit leads within Marketing and Communications, and technical and area experts throughout the organization to build Vitamin Angels recognition as a recognized industry thought leader and credible global health organization-of-choice.

The Director of Communications also partners closely with CEO, senior leadership team, People and Culture, and cross-functional teams to develop and deliver an effective internal communications strategy to unite the organization around common goals, systems, and strategies. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities

External Communications & Reputation

● Lead Vitamin Angels’ corporate communications, public and media relations, executive communications, and external communications editorial strategy—using the organization’s enterprise narrative, strategic priorities, and organizational voice—to strengthen visibility, credibility, and influence.

● Build, strengthen, and protect Vitamin Angels’ reputation among diverse priority audiences including current and prospective donors (corporate partners and foundations), technical stakeholders (global health community, other implementing organizations, multilaterals, etc.), and mass audiences.

● Develop and execute an integrated external communications strategy and program aligned with organizational priorities, strategic objectives, brand positioning, and fundraising goals, to amplify awareness and advocacy of Vitamin Angels.

● Develop proactive media strategies and compelling storylines that elevate Vitamin Angels’ expertise, evidence, impact, innovation, and leadership in global health and nutrition.

● Build and steward strategic relationships with priority media outlets, journalists, editors, global health and nutrition thought leaders, sector influencers, celebrities, and ambassadors, conveners, and relevant platforms.

● While Director of Partnership, in coordination with Directors of Digital Marketing and Brand, is responsible for owning the editorial calendar, this role is responsible for contributing to that calendar by way of communications activities and understanding how their function contributes to the success of the broader editorial calendar. 

Thought Leadership

● Serve as a strategic and trusted communications advisor to the VP Marketing & Communications, CEO, senior leadership team, and other organizational leaders, advising on messaging, positioning, and reputational opportunities/challenges.

● Partner with key stakeholders from across the organization, including local country team members, to identify communications opportunities and translate organizational priorities into effective communications strategies.

● Identify and train spokespeople and find/create opportunities for Vitamin Angels’ leaders and technical experts to contribute to important conversations through media, speaking engagements, opinion pieces, panels, conferences, podcasts, and other influential platforms. 

● Create a culture of thought leadership where key stakeholders (senior leadership team, technical experts, Board directors, etc.) understand the importance and value of looking for thought leadership opportunities and/or acting as thought leaders on behalf of Vitamin Angels. 

● Lead executive communications, including speeches, talking points, presentations, op-eds, interviews, leadership messaging, and other high-profile communications.

● Lead organizational strategy for events, convenings, and conferences, ensuring a comprehensive list of events for awareness and potential participation; ensuring that Vitamin Angels applies a right-fit level-of-effort for relevant gatherings.

Rapid Response & Crisis Communications 

● Monitor the external environment, emerging issues, media narratives, and reputational risks and advise leadership on communications opportunities and challenges.

● Lead crisis and issues communications strategy in coordination with the Senior Leadership Team, including Legal, and relevant functional leaders.

● Establish communications protocols, messaging frameworks, and rapid-response processes to ensure the organization is prepared to respond effectively to emerging issues.

Internal Communications & Organizational Alignment

● Lead Vitamin Angels’ internal communications strategy, ensuring employees are informed, connected, aligned, and engaged around the organization’s mission, strategy, priorities, and progress.

● Develop and manage the internal editorial calendar, communications channels, content strategy, and leadership communication cascades.

● Translate organizational strategy, priorities, decisions, milestones, and progress into clear, accessible, and meaningful communications that help employees understand how their work contributes to Vitamin Angels’ mission and impact.

● Define communications requirements for Vitamin Angels’ intranet or other employee communications platform and lead its content strategy, editorial governance, user experience, and adoption in partnership with Information Technology and People & Culture.

● Develop standards and governance for internal communications to promote consistency, clarity, accessibility, and effective information flow across the organization.

● Partner with the VP Marketing & Communications, CEO, People & Culture, and senior leadership team as needed to develop and execute change communications that help employees understand, navigate, and embrace organizational transformation.

● Equip leaders and managers with the messaging, tools, talking points, and communications resources needed to communicate consistently and effectively with their teams.

● Strengthen employee connection to Vitamin Angels’ mission, values, culture, strategy, and impact through purposeful storytelling and engagement.

● Establish mechanisms for gathering employee feedback and insights and use those inputs to improve internal communications and organizational alignment.

● Ensure internal communications complement and reinforce Vitamin Angels’ external narrative and organizational brand.

Team, Agency, & Resource Management

● Help build a culture in which communications is viewed as a strategic organizational function rather than solely a production or delivery service.

● Lead, mentor, and develop communications staff and external agency or freelance partners to build and maintain a high performing communications unit.

● Manage communications agencies, consultants, vendors, and other external partners to ensure high-quality, cost-effective delivery.

● Develop and manage communications budgets and resources in alignment with strategic priorities.

● Establish clear measures of communications effectiveness, using data and insights to optimize reach, engagement, reputation, and influence. While Directors of Brand Strategy and Digital and Partnership Marketing are responsible for tracking and analyzing their own-activities, this role is responsible for measuring distinct activities in communications and working with those Directors to understand how learnings can be applied to this role’s areas of responsibility, for continual improvement and a data-informed approach to start and stop activities.  

Level of Decision-Making

Within the bounds of Vitamin Angels’ mission, values and policies, and sound professional practices, the Director of Digital Marketing has the discretion to use independent judgment to make decisions of significant consequence that affect Vitamin Angels’ clients, partners, and employees.

Organizational Relationships

Vitamin Angels operates under a collaborative, matrix management model. The Director of Digital Marketing establishes their own daily work priorities and ensures that all responsibilities are conducted consistent with accepted best practices, sound professional judgment and within established schedule and budget.

Qualifications and Skills (Required and Preferred)

Required:

● 15+ years of progressive experience in corporate communications, public relations, nonprofit communications, global health, international development, or a related field.

● Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, or a related field. 

● Experience working in a nonprofit, global health, international development, public health, or mission driven work is required. 

● Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated communications strategies for complex organizations and diverse audiences.

● Strong track record in media relations, executive communications, thought leadership, reputation management, and issues/crisis communications.

● Experience communicating complex technical, scientific, health, or development topics in clear, compelling, and accessible ways.

● Demonstrated experience leading internal communications and organizational change communications.

● Exceptional writing, editing, storytelling, and verbal communication skills.

● Experience working with senior executives and subject-matter experts and translating their expertise into compelling external and internal communications.

● Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

● Experience managing teams, agencies, consultants, and budgets.

● Strong strategic judgment, political acumen, collaboration skills, and ability to operate with discretion and sound judgment.

Preferred:

• Strong understanding of the global health, nutrition, international development, philanthropic, or nonprofit landscape.

• Experience working in a global setting, across cultures, geographies, and diverse stakeholder groups.

Physical Requirements:

● Ability to manage stress, including but not limited to, stress resulting from local and foreign travel, large crowds, open spaces, shared office space, and daily activities with reasonable accommodations.  

● Ability to remain seated and/or stationary for extended periods of time, including but not limited to prolonged air travel, and general job assignments performed at a desk. 

BENEFITS: Comprehensive benefit package includes Medical, Dental and Vision Care, Life Insurance, Medical and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Wellness Reimbursement, 401(k), Paid Time Off, Winter/Summer Recharge Weeks, Holidays, paid parental leave and more.