The Organization
International hotelier Conrad N. Hilton established the grantmaking foundation that bears his name in 1944 to help people living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage worldwide. Today, the work continues, concentrating on efforts to improve early childhood development outcomes, support older youth as they transition from foster care, ensure opportunity youth can access career pathways, prevent homelessness, identify solutions to safe-water access, help integrate refugees into society and lift the work of Catholic sisters. Additionally, following selection by an independent, international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. The Foundation is one of the world’s largest, with assets recently growing to approximately $7.5 billion. It has awarded grants to date totaling more than $2 billion, $207 million worldwide in 2020. Please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org for more information.
Job Summary
The Director of Communications is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating the Foundation’s internal, external and program-related communications efforts in a highly interactive and collaborative team environment.
In these efforts, the Director will work effectively with internal stakeholders including leadership, the board of directors, and program teams; and external stakeholders including grantee organizations, the media, peer funders, policymakers to advance the goals and the mission of the Hilton Foundation and its partners.
The position reports to the Vice President, Partnerships, Advocacy, and Communications and oversees a staff of four, including a senior communications manager, an internal communications manager, a digital and creative manager, and a senior communications coordinator.
Responsibilities
Communications Strategy:
- Develop, implement, and evaluate the Foundation’s strategic internal, external, executive and program-related communications plans
- Expand capacity for program-related communications by implementing and executing a strategy to support the communications needs for each of the Foundation’s program areas
- Ensure the Foundation’s vision, mission, strategic framework, and core activities are effectively communicated to relevant and specified audiences
- Work collaboratively with Foundation staff to effectively promote all Foundation-supported and funded activities and products to relevant audiences through appropriate communications channels
- Direct, supervise, and evaluate all aspects of the development of the Foundation’s new website based on a novel approach to build the site from the perspective of people in the communities we serve
- Increase visibility of the Foundation’s efforts through effective media presence, working with global, national, regional, and trade media covering issues important to the foundation
- Increase the Foundation’s public presence by proactively seeking out and assisting in the development and preparation of opportunities for the President/CEO and appropriate Foundation staff to represent the Foundation externally through speaking engagements, press appearances, conferences, and others
Internal and External Partnerships and Communication:
- Serve as a key advisor to program teams on media grants, advocacy communications plans and tactics, agenda-setting activities, convening, and narrative shaping. Creatively contribute to communications-related grantmaking with both the program and partnership teams
- Collaborate on and support the Foundation ethical image, narrative and storytelling work as well as its branding efforts
- Ensure internal/external communications alignment
- Ensure consistency of communication processes and branding of Foundation products by maintaining a comprehensive infrastructure for internal communication activities, including guidelines, protocols, and procedures for responding to and handling media inquiries, the creation and circulation of internal and external communication materials, style and formatting consistency for written materials, and approval processes
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with the Foundation staff and with relevant external individuals and groups and collaborate with other philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Attend conferences to gain additional knowledge for the Foundation to keep up to date on Communication trends and best practices
- Collaborate with cross-function departments on special projects or organization initiatives as needed. Represents the Foundation at work engagements when needed. Identify and coordinate external communications opportunities for Foundation senior leadership
Leadership and Management:
- Effectively manage direct reports and provides mentorship in developing professionally
- Proactively address performance issues through timely constructive feedback and coaching
- Build collaborative and positive working relationships and effective communication channels with team members and staff
- Lead in the establishment, delivery, and accountability for team goals as well as for management of the staff members within the team
- Build a successful team and organizational culture
- Contribute to successful team functioning by accomplishing the above and other related results in a highly integrated team environment
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Journalism, or related field
- At least ten years experience in planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating strategic communication and media campaigns
- Ability and desire to work as a member of a highly interactive team, including effectively supervising direct reports
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to build and facilitate good working relationships with staff at all levels
in the Foundation and external stakeholders - Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills with strong attention to detail and focus on a message-oriented approach
- Extensive experience with media relations, including interactions with both seasoned reporters covering complex issues related to the work of the Foundation and its external stakeholders
- Outstanding strategic thinking, planning and communications skills, and must be an innovative thought and action leader
- Substantive experience working on social issues, branding/positioning, media relations and public policy-related communications strategies
- Ability to communicate about complex topics effectively, as well as programmatic activities commissioned by the Foundation and a passion for the mission of the Foundation is essential
- Demonstrated ability to establish strategy, develop work plans, multi-task, and deliver quality work on time and within budgetary guidelines. Strong sense of priorities and objectives and a conscientious approach to problem identification and resolution
- Demonstrated technology savvy with proficiency in Microsoft Office, social media applications and analytics, Internet research, and web development and management tools. Knowledge of Drupal content management system, InDesign, Adobe suite, email marketing, and webinar conferencing systems is highly desirable
- Understanding of global development and/or U.S. policy and practice environment highly desirable
Desired
- Master’s Degree Preferred
About our Benefits
We value the health and well-being of our employees, some of the benefits we offer include:
- Comprehensive and generous health and life insurance options
- Relocation pay
- Fitness benefits
- Paid holidays, time off, and parental leave
- Flexible work schedules and technology benefits
- Foundation-funded retirement savings plan
- Professional learning and development and educational assistance
- Employee matching gifts to qualified non-profit organizations
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an equal opportunity employer with values grounded in promoting equality and inclusion and embracing diversity. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, colors, gender identities, sexual orientations, economic classes, ages, religions, national origins, and ability/disability statuses. Veterans and individuals with lived expertise are encouraged to apply. We respect and seek to empower every member of our Foundation community. We support and celebrate our collective array of cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, skills and experiences; fully realizing that such diversity is what makes our organization flourish and better enables us to fulfill our mission in the world.
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Position Overview
The Director of Communications is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating the Foundations internal, external and program-related communications efforts in a highly interactive and collaborative team environment.
How To Apply