With Who: American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
Location: Bethesda, MD
Type of Employment: Full-Time
Position Description: AACOM’s Vice President, Marketing and Communications (VP-MARCOM) leads AACOM’s efforts to support our member colleges in the recruitment and growth of a diversified, healthy applicant pool that successfully matches to a residency and practice that incorporates osteopathic principles to improve the health of patients. The VP-MARCOM leads the Choose DO marketing strategy and brand as well as AACOM’s digital strategies, and communications campaigns.
The VP-MARCOM will direct an internal staff, and supervise relationships with contractors who help with a range of both internal and external communications functions. The VP-MARCOM will play the central role in maintaining and developing new relationships across the various media including news, public relations and public affairs and will manage or oversee the development of all collateral materials, presentations, brands and sub-brands, protocols, and design standards, webinars, social media programs, speech writing, grant writing, and reactive and proactive media relations programs.
The VP-MARCOM will work collaboratively with counterparts at the colleges and other osteopathic organizations to advance the visibility and programs of osteopathic medical education and osteopathic medicine. S/he will work with counterparts at other health professions education organizations to advance health professions education, especially as it relates to osteopathic medicine.
Accountabilities:
- Develop and lead implementation of AACOM’s communications strategy.
- Engage, lead and convene constituents and stakeholders on relevant issues and initiatives.
- Lead the association on communication strategies, opportunities, and crisis management.
- Increase AACOM’s public profile in key media outlets through targeted communications outreach, public relations initiatives and senior management media relations.
- Create strategies to promote AACOM, osteopathic medical education, and osteopathic medicine, programs and initiatives.
- Actively engage FASHP and other communication professionals to solicit industry best practices.
- Manage AACOM’s digital, print, media, and social media strategy.
- Partner with other departments to identify and highlight relevant news from within the organization and to proactively promote their programs to external constituencies.
- Oversee AACOM’s Media Policy. Coordinate inquiries and approvals for all requests, including public appearances, speeches, news releases, media interviews and attendance at industry conferences and events.
- Develop press strategy and pitch stories to drive national, regional, and local print/broadcast media coverage in target markets.
- Attend key events, meetings, and hill-related activities as needed to represent AACOM.
- Write press releases, speeches, magazine and newsletter articles, draft correspondence, write copy for brochures, and prepare event information. Responsible for editorial direction, design, production and distribution of all AACOM publications and communications. Support all senior Executives’ external communications.
- Staff Marketing and Communications Council (consisting of representatives of member colleges of osteopathic medicine).
- Manage and communicate to senior leadership the metrics for all primary communications channels, but especially web, social media, and digital newsletter.
- Develop, implement and manage systems and procedures necessary for the smooth and consistent operation of the departments function, including the department’s project management system (Communications HelpDesk.). Manage contractors and other vendors as appropriate.
- Work with the AACOM Research Department to understand complex policy issues related to communications, medical education policy, AACOM policy, etc.
- Develop and work within the scope of a programmatic budget.
Supervision Exercised: Supervise Communications Staff
Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred in communications, public relations, English, or journalism. 7-10 years of relative experience is required with increasing levels of responsibility for organizational communications, media relations, and public affairs, preferably with direct experience with health and medicine and/or education. Extensive experience with staff management and development.
Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Daily computer use, daily interaction with staff. Occasional overnight travel.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities:
- An outstanding executive presence, with the ability to gain credibility, rapport, and support, with all key internal and external stakeholders, including osteopathic medical educators and physicians at member institutions and other osteopathic professional organizations.
- Demonstrated ability to establish strong working relationships with members of the media.
- Leadership with a history of successful program implementations with measurable results.
- Ability to function as a quick study of complex and dynamic issues. Creatively solve problems with highly organized approach to developing high impact communications, using a collaborative work and leadership style to align efforts across the organization.
- Effective communications with development of a framework for AACOM’s message and ability to ensure consistent and comprehensive execution. Ability to prioritize and delegate. Comfort and familiarity with a fast-paced news/industry environment. Adaptability in development of communication platforms.
- Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to work with executives across diverse functional groups and translate their vision into effective communications
- Extremely comfortable with current technology and trends. Proficient in MS Office Suite. Understanding of online strategic issues and uses of social media.
Apply (or request more information): Apply today! Submit your application via the CofC Alumni Career Center.