Publications Manager

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), a national organization representing nearly 3,000 local health departments nationwide, has an immediate opening for a Publications Manager.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Publications Manager position contributes to the advancement of local public health practice by ensuring that consistently high-quality standards are applied to NACCHO publications. The Publications Manager serves as managing editor for two periodicals: NACCHO Exchange and Public Health Dispatch; provides editorial and graphic design support for other NACCHO publications and printed pieces; and assists with association-wide strategic communications activities. The individual is accountable for the effective day-to-day operations and results of the Publications unit within the organization's broader Marketing and Communications team and develops and implements initiatives to ensure results are attained and quality standards are met. The individual also provides communications support, through publications, graphic design, and social media support to NACCHO's membership department and NACCHO's annual meetings, as necessary. Position responsibilities will require working in close collaboration with NACCHO staff of all program areas, as well as outside contractors.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Graphic design expertise (especially using InDesign)
• Copy-editing skills, including familiarity with editorial best practices
• Project management skills, including management of contractors
• Strong social media and branding skills

This is a senior specialist level position. Incumbents are considered a career level professional that work with minimal supervision and provide guidance to other professionals and administrative staff either in a supervisory, project management, or technical capacity

COMPETENCIES AND EXPECTATIONS

• Written Communication - Writes clearly and effectively; Writes in a manner appropriate to different audiences; Has strong copyediting skills; Experience in writing documents of varied types, styles and lengths; Presents numerical data accurately; Able to interpret and analyze policy, research, and communications documents.
• Strategic Thinking - Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; Understands organization's strengths & weaknesses; Analyzes market and competition; Identifies external threats and opportunities; Adapts strategy to changing conditions.
• Judgment - Displays willingness to make decisions; Exhibits sound and accurate judgment; Supports and explains reasoning for decisions; Includes appropriate people in decision-making process; Makes timely decisions.
• Planning/Organizing - Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources; Sets goals and objectives; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; Develops realistic action plans.
• Project Management – Ensures successful completion of program activities; Develops program goals and activities; Ensures alignment of program work with funder requirements and NACCHO's goals.
• Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches quantitative and qualitative data; Uses intuition based on prior academic and professional experience to complement data; Designs workflows and procedures.
• Innovation - Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations as well as independently; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics; Assists other staff with problem solving.
• Performance and Quality – Cultivates excellence; Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Fosters quality focus in others; Monitors progress, evaluates results, and implements improvements. Identifies opportunities to improve and promote quality.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Teamwork - Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives.

POSITION SPECIFIC DUTIES:

• Serve as managing editor of NACCHO's flagship publications:
  • NACCHO Exchange (quarterly magazine). Duties include developing topics and story list in partnership with staff, editing submissions from various sources and ensuring editorial quality, and coordinating with graphic designer, printer, and mailing house.
  • Public Health Dispatch (print newsletter): Duties include compiling and editing submissions from various sources and ensuring editorial quality, designing each issue, and coordinating with print vendor and mailing house.
• Lead the development of the Annual Report and additional organization-wide publications, as necessary.
• Provide overall marketing and communications support for NACCHO's annual meetings.
• Provide general communications and graphic design support across the organization:
  • Provide editorial, graphic design and desktop publishing for printed and online materials; create graphics, data visualizations, and infographics; write and manage newsletters.
  • Provide communications support to NACCHO's membership department.
  • Develop marketing and social media strategies, track website and social media analytics, providing recommendations based on data; develop communications/marketing initiatives to improve online engagement.
• Asset Management:
  • Manage outside contractors and consultants, as needed.
  • Manage of postal escrow account and non-profit permits and assist staff with publications mailing needs.
  • Monitor of stock photo inventory and obtain and retain appropriate photo and model release forms.
  • Work with supervisor to develop and manage publications budgets.
  • Manage content on NACCHO's virtual publications bookstore and potential publication advertising.
  • Respond to permissions requests for publications.
• Brand Management and Quality Control:
  • Conduct quality-control process for approximately 100 publications each year (i.e., reports, fact sheets, issue briefs, research briefs, postcards/flyers/brochures) to ensure consistency in style, format, and terminology.
  • Maintains organization-wide style and branding guides; ensures appropriate brand management, including use of logos and templates in communications materials.
• Other duties as assigned.