Director, Public Relations-Watertown, MA.

Pathfinder Overview:

Pathfinder International is a global leader in sexual and reproductive health. We place reproductive health care at the center of all that we do—believing that it is not only a fundamental human right, but is critical for expanding life opportunities for women, families, communities, and nations, and paving the way for transformations in environmental stewardship, decreases in population pressures, and innovations in poverty reduction. Pathfinder provides women, men, and adolescents with a range of quality health services—from contraception and maternal care to HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment. Pathfinder strives to strengthen access to family planning, ensure availability of safe abortion services and post-abortion care, advocate for sound reproductive health policies, and, through all of our work, improve the rights and lives of the people we serve.

Program Overview:

The External Relations group is responsible for all individual fundraising (from channels including major gift cultivation, direct mail and online), internal and external communications, stewardship of the organization’s brand and positioning and management of Pathfinder’s online properties and channels. The External Relations group partners with all departments within Pathfinder and successfully communicates Pathfinder’s core values and mission.

Position Purpose:

The Director of Public Relations is responsible for leading a team charged with raising the awareness and visibility of Pathfinder as well as managing Pathfinder’s online properties. He/she will do this by developing strategy, improving content and messaging and leading online experience and capability improvements. The successful individual will manage a budget aimed at developing content, cultivating external contacts and awareness and improving online content and capabilities. She/he will collaborate extensively with Senior Management and colleagues to create new communications platforms and capabilities. This is a highly collaborative role requiring very strong communication, influencing and strategic skills and the ability to interact with a very diverse group of internal and external stakeholders. The Director of Public Relations leads by example using Pathfinder values and competencies to build exceptional partnerships worldwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide the strategic vision and collaborative leadership necessary to create an effective and comprehensive three-year strategic plan for public relations, communications and online capabilities/infrastructure. This will include generating ideas, mobilizing department and organization-wide participation, and producing and evaluating outcomes.
• Lead cross functional teams of senior staff, colleagues and external vendors to implement the public relations, communications and online strategic and annual plans to raise Pathfinder’s external profile.
• Ensure the PR, Communications and Online Unit has a high performing staff and staffing structure in place to advance the development goals and effectiveness. Supervise and develop staff’s potential, support career growth opportunities and provide ongoing and annual performance management.
• Responsible for the public relations, communications and online annual budget planning and oversight.
• Oversee Pathfinder online assets including websites, vendors and content, including enhancing online capability and content.
• Collaborate with the Marketing and Development staff to enable integrated fundraising efforts and communications / public relations effectiveness.
• Stay informed of developments in online innovation, communications, branding and public relations.
• Perform other related communications, branding and online special projects as needed.

Basic Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree and at least 12 years of professional experience in successful communications, public relations, social media and online operations and development with increasingly responsible positions.
• Strong management skills. Success in increasing the effectiveness of direct and cross-functional staff through established objectives, performance standards, quantifiable benchmarks, and coaching.
• Strategic thinker and excellent communicator with the ability to present information, make recommendations, and positively influence across various levels of the organization while exercising professionalism and diplomacy to accomplish objectives.
• Excellent computer/software skills in Microsoft Office applications, in particular Word, Excel and accounting software packages, with proven ability to learn new systems.
• Excellent communications skills (oral and written), including editing and proofreading.
• Solid interpersonal, networking and cross-cultural skills.
• Ability to exercise sound and timely judgment and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed up to 35% time.
• Integrity and highest ethical standards.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to assess priorities manage a variety of activities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work with budgets and financial reports.
• Ability to establish solid working relationships with donors, volunteers, program management, technical staff, and diverse employees in various other business areas of the organization.
• Experience and/or strong interest and familiarity with the fundamental connection between development and communications both broadly and in the context of on-line engagement.
• A multi-disciplinary thinker with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to translate Pathfinder’s mission and work to diverse constituencies.
• Commitment to Pathfinder’s mission, purpose, and values.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong knowledge of and/or experience with international reproductive health, family planning, maternal health concepts and trends, and institutions in the field.
• Experience living or working in developing countries that aids in the understanding of program context, field realities, and technical needs preferred.
• Master’s Degree.

Pathfinder International is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.

To be considered for this position, please apply online at:http:www.pathfinder.org/about-us/careers/employment-opportunities/