Communications Manager - Advocacy

This individual will work in collaboration with federal/state advocacy and Grassroots staff, develops, implements and executes media advocacy strategies and tactics for the American Heart Association’s federal and state advocacy agendas. Works. Major responsibilities:

• For federal advocacy agenda: cultivates relationships with national political and health policy reporters, congressional/Hill staff, and allied organizations to build awareness of the association's federal advocacy agenda; serves as media relations contact on assigned advocacy issues and pitches reporters on specific issues when appropriate; develops and maintains comprehensive, up-to-date media outlet lists by topic in current media management system; shares responsibility for monitoring, tracking, and reporting of daily media coverage on the association’s advocacy agenda; works with Director of Media Advocacy to provide media advocacy support for press events, volunteer congressional visits, congressional briefings, and special Capitol Hill events.
• For state advocacy agenda: provides media advocacy support to field communications staff at the state and local levels via tactics and tools to help them more effectively execute media advocacy campaigns and strategies for the association’s state/local advocacy efforts; creates media advocacy materials and tool kits on specific agenda issues; facilitates training that highlights affiliate best practices, showcases state/local advocacy successes, and keeps field staff up-to-date on state advocacy issues; periodically conducts surveys of field staff to assess need for training and resources; in collaboration with national communications consultant for field staff, Communications Advisory Team, Director of Media Advocacy, and other communications staff devise ways to elevate the importance of media advocacy in achieving state advocacy agenda. Other responsibilities will include:
  • Serves as communications manager for advocacy issues in collaboration with federal advocacy staff. Duties include working with media advocacy director to draft communication plans for campaigns and initiatives, media outreach, development of press materials (including releases, advisories, statements, etc.), social media activities, blog stories, op-eds, letters to the editor, Web copy and messaging. Leverages new public relations techniques, media trends and emerging proactive and collaborative opportunities. Issues could include health care reform, prevention, tobacco, sodium, nutrition, health equities, women's health, stroke, federal appropriations, and regulatory topics
  • Responsible for fostering strong relationships with key national and political reporters to promote assigned advocacy issues, and proactively engaging media on priority issues when appropriate. Collaborates with congressional press secretaries, regulatory and executive-branch press officers, partner health organizations, and internal AHA units to ensure alignment, integration and coordination of related strategies
  • Provides media advocacy support to field communications staff at the state and local levels via tactics, tools, training and surveys to help them more effectively execute media advocacy campaigns and strategies for the association’s state/local advocacy efforts
  • Shares responsibility for monitoring, tracking and analyzing daily media coverage of AHA advocacy issues; alternately reviews, selects and distributes daily media clips, monitors reporter coverage, especially on assigned issues, helps with maintaining issue media lists, distribution of advocacy press releases, and examining media analytics
  • Assists with planning and logistics for press events, volunteer congressional visits, congressional briefings, and special Capitol Hill events, when needed
  • Weekly on-call media duty rotation which requires employee to be available and have their cell phone, laptop and internet access available nights and weekends, on weeks assigned