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Description
For more than a century, Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA), has provided outstanding and highly innovative medical care; shared its passion for the land, people and future of Israel; and empowered women to take charge of their health and their lives. Every year, our hospitals in Israel treat more than 1 million patients of every race, religion and nationality, and our medical breakthroughs save lives all over the world. In the United States, our wellness initiatives create healthier communities and our advocacy efforts empower women to effect change on a wide range of issues. None of these achievements would be possible without Hadassah’s unique partnership among its highly experienced volunteer leaders and staff; more than 300,000 dedicated members, Associates, donors and supporters; and an outstanding professional team.
The Director, Media & Public Relations, plays a key role in shaping the way Hadassah presents itself to the world, managing everything related to external communications and collaborating with the Division Director, Marketing & Communications, and the talented team of marketing, editorial, digital, social media and design specialists. The Director, Media & Public Relations, is a key contact for HWZOA’s Israel-based public relations team, who are the liaison with the doctors and other healthcare professionals at Hadassah’s hospitals.
The Director’s primary responsibility is to raise the profile of HWZOA, i.e., Hadassah’s U.S. programs, while supporting and promoting Philanthropy’s work on behalf of the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) in Israel.
To achieve this twofold goal, the Director will focus on six priority areas. The Director will secure US media coverage of HMO’s cutting-edge medical treatments and research, and of the 360 Degrees of Healing Capital Campaign. To support HWZOA’s US initiatives, the Director will secure media coverage of HWZOA itself, of its leadership, of the volunteer efforts across the country undertaking Advocacy efforts, of trending and breaking news that aligns with HWZOA’s mission and special initiatives, and of profile-raising region and chapter grassroots events and activities.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with Hadassah’s Israel Director of Public Relations to identify newsworthy information about HMO and to ensure that HWZOA receives timely and complete information about medical innovations, groundbreaking treatments, pioneering research, patient success stories and other important HMO news.
- Position HWZOA as the ”go-to” authority on breaking news on topics not only of Jewish interest, but also of national interest in alignment with HWZOA goals and mission.
- Identify and cultivate secular media outlets, platforms and publications (on-line or hard copy) and that can broaden the scope of HWZOA information and story placement, e.g., health, women’s and civic publications.
- Develop an effective “rapid response” for HWZOA leadership to respond to breaking news and trending news stories on a national level in collaboration with Marketing & Communications strategy for Crisis Communication or in collaboration with any outside agency hired to manage such situations.
- Keep up-to-date on the work being done by outside public relations firms, like PlusPR, that support other divisions and/or for crisis communications.
- Identify potential news stories by keeping abreast of Hadassah’s myriad activities, programs, initiatives and success stories in the US, in Israel and around the world, to craft compelling pitches that leverage those opportunities.
- Manage the development and distribution of all media materials, including news releases, media statements and alerts, story pitches, biographies, backgrounders, fact sheets, FAQs, op-eds, letters-to-the-editor, presentations, and speaking points.
- Manage the website Press Room.
- Using Cision PR software and the Director’s own knowledge of relevant media, keep up to date on key local, regional and national journalists covering topics relevant to Hadassah, including medicine, medical research, medical technology, hospital management, women’s health and wellness, Israel, Zionism, Judaism, Jewish culture and philanthropy.
- Develop a sophisticated thought-leadership program tied to recognition major events, like Election Day, Giving Tuesday, major Israel holidays and disease-awareness month (February Heart Health, October Breast Cancer Awareness, ALS, MS, Melanoma, etc.). The program will include podcast opportunities and a 12-month plan for op-eds and blog posts in both Jewish and mainstream media outlets bylined by Hadassah leadership, volunteer leaders and staff and written by freelancers as appropriate.
- Prepare the President, CEO and other Hadassah leaders for media opportunities and presentations.
- Represent the Media & Public Relations office on Hadassah committees, task forces and teams.
- Provide training opportunities for volunteers and staff across the country, providing guidance and tools to help them secure media coverage in their local markets.
- Cultivate and manage content-creation by chapter leaders, members and staff for local and national media platforms like Thrive Global.
- Develop annual and project-specific media relations and public relations plans and budgets.
- Negotiate and manage logistics for media events and broadcast, digital production and film shoots, as needed.
- Keep HWZOA leadership, Board committees and Hadassah colleagues abreast of Hadassah news coverage through periodic reports and presentations, and through daily coverage reports from Cision.
- Oversee the day-to-day operation of the Media & Public Relations department, including budgeting, planning, staff development and the creation of processes and procedures that streamline department workflow.
- Recruit and supervise freelancers, consultants, photographers, videographers, production companies and other vendors as appropriate and in consultation with other M&C division staff.
- Respond to and service media inquiries.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in English, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Communications, Marketing or Nonprofit Management
- A background in mission-driven work, particularly on behalf of healthcare and/or Jewish organizations
- Experience supervising, training and mentoring direct reports
- Experience managing media appearances and interviews and providing media training
- Experience managing media crises and serving as organizational spokesperson
- Familiarity with MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.), Cision PR software (or similar) and Basecamp project management software (or similar)
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Exceptional writing, editing, proof-reading and oral communication skills
- A demonstrated creativity and "sales sense" in identifying story ideas and strategizing about placement opportunities
- Strong storytelling skills and the ability to craft compelling pitches with the right mix of information, anecdotes, expert commentary and facts and figures
- A strong editorial sensibility and the ability to distill and organize information so that it has the greatest impact and supports Hadassah messaging
- The ability to negotiate deals with sponsored-content outlets that provide maximum exposure for minimum cost during an age in which more and more media outlets are moving toward a pay-for-play vs. an earned-media model.
- Familiarity with all media platforms (print, broadcast, digital and social media)
- The ability to collaborate with colleagues at all levels across a complex organization as well as with partner organizations and volunteers
- Superb organization and time-management skills
- Ability to master new technology platforms as they become available and are incorporated into the work of the Marketing & Communications Division.
- Knowledge of Jewish culture, Judaism, Israel and the Middle East