Director of Strategic Communications

Children’s Center of Wayne County (TCC) is home to specialized clinical, foster care, and support services. 

We lead the way in working with children who struggle with behavioral, emotional, educational, intellectual, and developmental challenges.  We treat the whole child, focusing on multiple family issues so we can provide the best, most comprehensive integrated care. We examine barriers in the home, school, and community, working with the family who raises the child/youth, as well as the community organizations that support them.

TCC’s mission is to help children and families shape their own futures.  We embrace a set of Core Values as the foundation of our culture.   They define how we do what we do, and what we value in our work with each other and our community.  These traits are required to be successful as a TCC team member.

Core Values  

· Dedicated-We are devoted, dedicated and always willing to pitch to accomplish our mission.  

· Passionate-We are passionate about what we do and helping the people we serve.  

· Accountable-We do what we say and accomplish all aspects of our responsibilities.  

· Can Do Attitude- We approach our responsibilities with a positive attitude. 

· Respectful- We always treat co-workers, donors, children and families with the utmost respect, courtesy, and patience. 

Job Summary

The Director of Strategic Communications reports to the Senior Director of External Relations and Advocacy and will lead all aspects of The Children’s Center’s internal and external communications strategies including media advocacy, organizational voice, visibility, press and digital comms on behalf of the agency.

The Director of Strategic Communications will manage strategic messaging, public relations, speechwriting, social media presence, and content development for both internal and external audiences. The Director will play a key role in advancing The Children Center’s commitment to people, culture, and equity, and will develop and implement storytelling and messaging strategies centering the agency’s positive impact on the lives of children and public health.

The Director of Strategic Communications will manage the communications team, freelance staff, communications consultants, and vendors, guiding their work in support of The Children’s Center’s strategic communications goals.

Job Requirements

• Strong project management skills and experience.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing comprehensive strategic communications and advocacy-related roles.
• Experience leveraging communications to promote an organization’s mission and goals with the widest set of stakeholders possible.
• A demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity and centering the perspectives of those most impacted in decision-making, including experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• A commitment to increasing understanding of children’s mental healthcare, child welfare, and their intersections with a broader range of issues.
• Strategic, cross-functional thinking with a strong bias for action and implementation.
• Creativity, in how to tell incredible stories that hook media and move people.
• Experience managing relationships with members of the media, acting at times, as a spokesperson, and coaching executives on media engagement; comfort leading bold and creative media pitches.
• Team management experience.
• Exceptional relationship and trust-building ability, both internally and externally. Ideally, will be passionate about building external relationships and advocating for children and low-income families.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor complex messages for different audiences in a manner that they can understand and relate to.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public affairs, or related field required, master’s degree Preferred. 
• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic communications.

Essential Functions

Develop and Implement the Communications Strategy

• Lead The Children’s Center’s approach to brand visibility, voice, external messaging, and media relations, identifying communications opportunities to amplify its brand, and its positive impact on the lives of children and families.
• Lead media relations and media advocacy, setting strategy, advising on all aspects of communications including crisis communications (internal and external) and special projects.
• Develop and lead a robust storytelling program with a focus on increasing visibility and advocacy for access to children’s mental health care and child well-being, driving the growth of new supporters, and communicating equity goals.
• Leverage storytelling to raise awareness of the issue of behavioral health equity and child welfare, and to increase understanding of the intersections between physical health, behavioral health, children in foster care, and k-12 education systems.
• Manage the Strategic Communications budget and ensure spending is always in alignment.

Secure Earned Media Drive Agency Visibility

• Secure earned media opportunities that position the agency as an expert in children’s mental healthcare, providing direct clinical behavioral healthcare, social work, counseling, and child well-being services.
• This includes securing earned media and editorials; fulfilling ad placements; overseeing the execution of owned content in print, web, and social media; and producing regular reports on audience engagement and reach.
• Define and track key performance indicators that measure engagement, brand awareness, and perception.
• Streamline and manage internal and external communications across the agency by implementing systems and procedures for communicating messages and information.
• In partnership with the Senior Director for External Relations & Advocacy support teams across the agency in achieving their visibility, advocacy, and communications goals.
• Respond to communications, questions, and challenges as they arise.
• Address brand opportunities and risks; provide counsel to senior leaders with an awareness of the brand-related implications of strategic decisions.

Manage Content Development

• Create and drive the direction and tone of The Children’s Center’s communications and digital content that achieves the agency’s goals for advocacy, visibility, behavioral health equity, and child wellbeing.
• Develop content and stay current on issues that position The Children’s Center as an expert in providing direct clinical behavioral healthcare, social work, counseling, and child wellbeing services.
• Oversee the development of marketing collateral that builds upon The Children’s Center’s brand and equity voice.
• Identify and vet speaking opportunities; write and manage speeches for senior leaders, including the CEO.
• Support the strategic communications team in the development of compelling content for all digital marketing, digital advocacy, and agency wide social media platforms.
• Provide guidance and direction to the strategic communications team and consultants responsible for all graphic design including, but not limited to visual brand strategy, digital graphics, video, external resources, event production, landing page, and email communications.
• Provide oversight for managing the agency’s website.
• Provide strategic oversight for the events function, ensuring that all events are designed to advance media relations, external partnerships, advocacy, and communications goals.
• Partner with internal teams such as philanthropy, administrative operations, sustainability, people and culture, and clinical operations, to implement communications processes that will ensure their goals are met.

Leadership

• Set a vision for the Strategic Communications team to provide messaging development, media relations, marketing content creation, speechwriting, and broad support across the agency.
• Recruit, manage, and mentor a high-performing team of professionals; provide ongoing professional development to team members.
• Promote a team-oriented culture of continuous learning and inclusiveness; build a cohesive, motivated team by fostering individual growth and collaboration.
• Set and manage team goals, aligned with strategic planning, stakeholder input, and industry research.
• Serve as a content expert on the strategic communications function; training and mentoring team members to develop their own skills.
• Lead the process to identify, select, and manage outside communications consultants.

Core and Leadership Competencies

• Critical and Strategic Thinking – Consistently identifies, gathers, and applies relevant information to their work; thinks strategically, considers future of the program/department, and executes the plan. 
• People Management – Effectively manages and develops others. 
• Communication – Use effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening. 
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders – Helps colleagues as needed, views responsibilities as shared. 
• Adaptability – Adapts and responds to change effectively; proactively seeks opportunities to be supportive of change and serve our mission. 
• Ownership and quality of work – Effectively manages own work, and work of teams when relevant, ensuring delivery of high-quality work. 
• Change management – Effectively prepares for and guides teams through changes, both small and large. 
• Decision-making – Effectively structures and facilitates decision-making processes; uses data to make decisions effectively and responsibly to improve organizational health and impact. 
• Emotional awareness – Understands owns emotions and others’ and responds with empathy. 
• Develops & motivates others – Motivates others and supports their development through strong coaching and mentoring. 
• Continuous improvement minded – Identifies strategies to improve organization’s impact; weighs diverse inputs to inform strategies; sets course and drives implementation.
• Enterprise orientation – Effectively balances tradeoffs between financial sustainability and impact; has a future-oriented mindset for the organization that advances mission. 

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 10 lbs. overhead. 
• Administrative work - ability to prepare and inspect documents in hard copy or electronic format.  Ability to tolerate exposure to computer screen and operate computer/keyboard and other office equipment on a frequent and/or continuous basis.
• Communication - Ability to receive and exchange information; accurately and effectively communicate/converse with others. 
• Sitting - Ability to sit for extended periods of time. 

Other

• Ability to work flexible hours including but not limited to nights, weekends, and/or holidays as needed to accommodate the needs of consumers and the organization.
• Performing other duties as directed or as necessary.

Robust Health Care and Benefit Package including:    

• Medical  
• Vision and Dental Plan sponsored 100% by The Children’s Center 
• Matching 3% 403(b) retirement plan after one year, fully vested after two years of employment  
• 160 hours of paid time off your first year, 200 hours your 2^nd year, up to 280 hours  
• 11 paid holidays 
• Life Insurance (Employer-Provided) 
• Long Term Disability sponsored 100% by The Children’s Center 
• Longevity Pay   
• Health Savings Account  
• Dependent Care Account 
• Tuition reimbursement  
• Employee Assistance 

Voluntary Benefits 

• Critical Illness 
• Accident 
• Voluntary Life, voluntary spouse and dependent life 
• Pet Insurance 
• Legal Shield (prepaid legal services) 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.