Director of Internal Communications

Are you looking for an opportunity to advance your career while working with an extraordinary team? At Merakey, we put heart and soul into everything we do. We are seeking a full-time Director of Internal Communications to join our leadership team.

This is a remote position open to candidates residing in PA, DE, FL, LA, MD, NJ, OH, TX, VA, WV.

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Earn $95,725 - $119,656/year

Position Details

The Director of Internal Communications leads Merakey's enterprise internal communications strategy and infrastructure across Merakey USA, its programs and operations, and Regional Affiliates. The Director is responsible for ensuring employees receive timely, relevant and accessible information; understand Merakey's strategy, priorities and direction; and recognize how their work contributes to the organization's mission and success.

The Director develops and manages an integrated internal communications ecosystem designed to effectively reach Merakey's geographically dispersed workforce, with particular emphasis on frontline and deskless employees. The role partners with executive leaders, Regional Affiliates, programs and operations, Human Resources, Operations and other enterprise functions to improve the quality, consistency and effectiveness of employee communications.

Regional Affiliates, programs and operations leadership are key internal customers of the function. The Director develops trusted relationships with leaders across the enterprise, understands their workforce and communications needs, and provides responsive, high-quality communications counsel and support while proactively identifying opportunities to improve employee understanding, connection and engagement.

The Director partners closely with the Office of Change Management on organizational transformation initiatives. The Office of Change Management retains responsibility for change communications strategy associated with formal change initiatives, while Internal Communications provides expertise regarding enterprise channels, audiences, messaging practices and integration with ongoing employee communications.

Specific Job Functions:

• Develop and lead Merakey's enterprise internal communications strategy.
• Establish a cohesive internal communications ecosystem across Merakey USA and its Regional Affiliates.
• Ensure employees understand Merakey's mission, strategy, priorities, organizational direction and significant developments.
• Develop communications approaches specifically designed to reach frontline, community-based and deskless employees.
• Lead enterprise employee communications channels, including intranet, email, mobile communications, digital signage, newsletters, video and other platforms.
• Develop an intentional channel strategy defining the appropriate audiences, purposes and uses of each communication platform.
• Lead enterprise editorial planning for employee communications and establish an appropriate cadence of information across the organization.
• Develop CEO and executive internal employee communications, including messages, presentations, town halls and other leadership communications.
• Support Regional Affiliate CEOs and other leaders in communicating effectively with employees.
• Develop manager and supervisor communications resources that help leaders cascade information effectively through the organization.
• Build mechanisms for two-way communication, employee feedback and dialogue rather than relying exclusively on top-down communications.
• Develop employee storytelling strategies that connect employees across regions, programs and disciplines and reinforce organizational culture and mission.
• Identify and elevate stories demonstrating employee impact, innovation, collaboration and organizational priorities.
• Partner with the Office of Workforce Enablement on communications related to workforce initiatives, benefits, culture, recognition and employee experience.
• Partner with Operations and program leadership to ensure communications reflect operational realities and are practical for frontline teams.
• Partner with the Office of Change Management on formal organizational change initiatives, providing internal communications expertise, audience knowledge, channel strategy and coordination with ongoing enterprise communications.
• Establish internal communications standards, templates, processes and best practices.
• Develop measurement systems for internal communications, including reach, engagement, employee understanding and channel effectiveness.
• Use employee feedback, analytics and other insights to continually improve communications strategies and channels.
• Explore emerging communications technologies, AI-enabled tools and personalization approaches that can improve employee reach and relevance.

Additional Training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities or experience:

Regional Affiliate Partnership

Builds trusted partnerships with Regional Affiliate CEOs and leadership teams and develops a strong understanding of each affiliate's workforce, operating environment, priorities and communications needs. Regularly engages Regional Affiliate leaders to identify emerging employee communications needs, recommend solutions and assess the effectiveness of enterprise communications within their organizations.

Ensures enterprise communications provide sufficient consistency to create one connected Merakey organization while allowing appropriate regional and local relevance. Proactively identifies opportunities to improve communication effectiveness within Regional Affiliates rather than relying solely on requests for support.

Internal Customer Service

Treats Regional Affiliates, programs, operations and enterprise functions as valued internal customers. Seeks to understand the underlying business, operational and workforce need behind communications requests and recommends the most effective solution rather than functioning solely as a production resource.

Provides responsive, collaborative and solutions-oriented service; establishes clear expectations regarding timelines and deliverables; communicates proactively; and follows through on commitments. Regularly solicits feedback from internal customers and uses that feedback to improve services, processes and communications effectiveness.

Benefits

Merakey offers generous benefits that promote well-being, financial security, and work-life balance, including:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus access to healthcare advocacy support.
• Retirement plan -- both pre-tax and Roth (after-tax) options available for employee contributions.
• DailyPay -- access your pay when you need it!
• On the Goga well-being platform, featuring self-care tools and resources.
• Access Care.com for backup childcare, elder care, and household services.
• Confidential counseling, legal, and financial services through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Tuition reimbursement and educational partnerships.
• Employee discounts and savings programs on entertainment, travel, and lifestyle.
• Access to Pryor Online Learning for free online personal development classes.

Learn more about our full benefits package - https://www.merakey.org/careers/benefits

About Merakey

Merakey is a non-profit provider of developmental, behavioral health, and education services. More than 8,000 employees provide support to nearly 40,000 individuals and families throughout 12 states across the country each year. Click here to watch a video about Merakey. Merakey strictly follows a zero-tolerance policy for abuse.

Merakey is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer! We deeply value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic background, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or disability status. Moreover, we are committed to creating teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Merakey welcomes all Veterans to apply!

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree Required.
• 8 years of total experience required.
• 3-5 years of Supervisory/Managerial experience required.