Background:  

Formed in 2018 by the $3.2B sale of Fidelis Care, the former nonprofit health plan of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF) is one of the largest in the United States, and the largest foundation focused solely on New York State.  The foundation is expected to grant up to $150 million annually to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities, eliminate barriers to care and bridge gaps in health services.

The Foundation is named after Sister Frances Xavier Cabrini, known as Mother Cabrini, a tireless advocate for immigrants and children and the founder of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Building upon Mother Cabrini’s historic legacy, the foundation will exist in perpetuity improving the health and well-being of poor and underserved New Yorkers across the state, regardless of faith and background, including immigrant and other marginalized communities.

With a Board of Leaders drawn from health care, finance and philanthropy, as well as a top executive to spearhead the foundation, MCHF is now establishing a full executive complement including a Director of Communications.

The Position:

MCHF is seeking a sophisticated communications professional and exceptional manager to fill the position of Director of Communications. S/he will be responsible for presenting the foundation’s accomplishments, activities and priorities to a wide variety of external and internal audiences through vehicles that include the media, marketing collateral, advertising, email, digital and social media, the Web and internal publications. The Director of Communications is charged with generating positive media coverage about the foundation, working with marketing and other internal teams to leverage branding and create materials to support their goals. S/he equally will be responsible for driving continuous improvement in internal communications among all constituencies of the foundation. The Director of Communications reports to the Chief Administrative Officer and serves as a communications liaison with all other senior staff. In conjunction with senior staff, s/he will develop the core marketing messages for the foundation and ensure that they are presented clearly and consistently through all external and internal communications.

Responsibilities:

The overarching responsibility of the Director of Communications will be to elevate and expand public awareness of MCHF’s institutional profile to support the higher organizational mission of improving the health and well-being of poor and underserved New Yorkers across the state. Specifically, the Director of Communications will:

• Develop, manage and evaluate a well-integrated, multi-modal communications strategic plan
• Work with senior staff to develop outreach and engagement strategies to attract and retain key audiences, increase constituent engagement and develop ways to reach new audiences
• Manage, direct and oversee all aspects of organizational communications, media relations and press inquiries to generate media coverage and advance the goals of individual projects
• Work closely with MCHF executive team on internal and external messaging
• Research, recommend, and prioritize visibility opportunities; coordinate with the appropriate MCHF staff and leadership to prepare talking points, speeches, scripts, presentations and other support material as needed
• Direct and oversee the editorial process and production of publications including the annual report, marketing collateral, electronic communications, website content and social media content
• Direct the work and services provided by outside vendors, full and part-time writers, graphic designers and student interns as relates to communications, public relations, design and branding
• Collaborate with senior leadership to achieve appropriate cross-promotion of the foundation’s mission throughout all focus areas
• Oversee the management of all department program analytics and outcome measures, utilizing key analytics to drive innovation in outreach strategies
• Prepare an annual communications budget and ensure that budgeting supports the organization's mission and strategic plan, as well as efficient and effective use of resources
• Hire, mentor and manage a team of two to support the development and execution of communications strategies
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in public relations, communications, journalism or related field is required; advanced degree preferred
• Eight or more years of demonstrated success in professional communications is required
• Excellent writing and verbal communications skills, plus a strong grasp of audience stratification, messaging, storytelling and branding
• Creative, strategic thinker with excellent planning and analytical abilities and demonstrated administrative, leadership and interpersonal skills
• Experience supervising a professional communications staff is necessary, along with a strong record of accomplishment, including planning and directing an integrated media relations and communications program with print and electronic components that include editorial, design, advertising and photography
• Experience with crisis communications and serving as institutional spokesperson in a wide variety of situations is a must
• Ability to write speeches and/or supervise this function
• Knowledge of marketing, print and video production functions is highly desirable
• Spanish language proficiency is required

Compensation commensurate with experience.

MCHF encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer

To Apply:  The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation has retained the services of Harris Rand Lusk to conduct this search. Inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed in confidence to: 

Debbie Farrell, Senior Director, Leadership & Development

Harris Rand Lusk

122 East 42^nd Street, Suite 3605

New York, NY  10168

dfarrell@harrisrand.com

Please include a thoughtful cover letter and put ‘MCHF’ in the email subject line.