Associate Director, Project and Programs

The Social Marketing and Communication (SMC) department within FHI 360's U. S. Programs is a national leader in applying a science-based approach to social marketing and communication to address public health and other challenges in the U. S. SMC currently implements a diverse portfolio of social marketing, public relations, communication, and training and technical assistance projects in the U. S. that are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Agriculture, private associations, and foundations. In the past decade, our team has worked on issues such as diabetes, emergency and pandemic preparedness, obesity prevention, sexual health, HIV/AIDS, cancer, asthma, immunizations, violence prevention, access to health care, and tobacco control and cessation. Samples of our work can be viewed at the SMC gallery.

Job Summary:

The Associate Director will have three core areas of responsibility: (1) lead and provide training and technical assistance on federal government communication campaigns or projects; (2) provide strategic communication support on SMC contracts; and (3) plan and conduct business development activities to grow SMC's portfolio of work. Specific campaign or project training and technical assistance areas may include communication/campaign strategy and planning, creative and materials development, outreach activities, social media, partnerships, stakeholder engagement, formative research review, and monitoring and evaluation. The Associate Director also will provide technical guidance on other US-based projects and activities, as needed.

The ideal candidate is outgoing with strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills. This position is focused on work in the United States only.

*Experience working on federal government communication contracts is required*

Major Responsibilities:
Provide strategic communication and implementation guidance across projects and campaigns.

• Plan, direct, and coordinate project activities to ensure that project goals and objectives are accomplished within the prescribed time frame and budget and to the satisfaction of the client.

• Provide leadership to the project team, ensuring clarity of plans and priorities and encouraging effective teamwork.

• Serve as primary point of contact for clients.

• Ensure quality assurance and quality control across projects.

• Establish work plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to meet project goals and ensure compliance with policies.

• Review project and task plans to determine and manage scheduling, budget, procedures, staffing, and allotment of resources needed for tasks and activities.

• Anticipate project risks and challenges, problem solve, and propose and implement solutions.

• Provide guidance and training to managers and staff to achieve project goals.

• Onboard project staff, ensuring their familiarity with quality standards, policies and program objectives and their individual responsibilities in upholding these standards and policies.

• Support performance management and professional development of direct reports, including ongoing feedback, coaching, and career support.

• Provide technical support and guidance to other projects, as needed.

• Lead and review new business proposals to maintain and/or grow the business portfolio.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

The qualifications below should be based on work in the United States.

• Knowledge of social marketing and communication theories, concepts, and practices.

• Knowledge of adult learning principles and training best practices.

• Experience leading teams of communication professionals to develop, deliver, and evaluate technical assistance and trainings.

• Experience working on federal government media campaigns with an understanding of integrated approaches (paid media, earned media, social media, etc. )

• Experience developing and implementing a brand strategy for a public health issue.

• Experience leveraging health behavior theory to design and implement a campaign strategy.

• Ability to manage large, complex projects under tight deadlines while maintaining good team morale.

• Strong client relations skills leading to high client satisfaction.

• Ability to set strategic priorities, meet deadlines, pay attention to details, and handle a variety of responsibilities efficiently and effectively.

• Ability to apply research to strategic communications and program development.

• Excellent and demonstrated project management skills.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills; experience giving presentations to company leadership, at conferences, and to clients both in-person and virtually.

• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills to identify issues and risks related to program implementation and carry out adjustments for successful completion of the project, tasks, and activities.

• Ability to motivate and effectively collaborate with others.

Required Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications or related field, Master's degree preferred. *

• Minimum of 10 years of overall experience with a minimum of 3 years of experience serving as a project director or lead on Federal communication projects, including experience in organization leadership role(s)/activities.

• *Experience working on federal government communication contracts is required*

• Preferred experience: 20+ years, with 10+ years in a project leadership role.

• Experience with all operations functions including management, finance and budgeting, contracts, compliance with company policies and procedures.

• Experience with racial equity concepts and approaches a plus.

Typical Physical Demands:

• Remote work environment with option to work in physical office if located near one of FHI 360's offices.

• Required to be on camera for certain calls/meetings.

• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.

• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.

• Ability to lift/move up to 5 lbs.

Technology to be Used:

• Laptop, Microsoft Office (e. g. , Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. ), video conferencing (Teams, Zoom, etc. ), e-mail, telephone, printer, calculator, copier, cell phones, and other handheld devices.

Travel Requirements:

• 10%

*Or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience sufficient to successfully perform the key responsibilities of the job.

This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document.