Manager, Communications

Peer Health Exchange

The Opportunity

As the Manager, Communications you will support with building, executing, and managing communications strategies organization-wide that align with PHE’s strategic plan. Additionally, you will be a key player in driving all media relations and media placements in national and regional markets across the country and supporting a proactive national media engagement strategy. You will report directly to the VP, Marketing and Communications. 

This is a full-time, salaried position based in any of our PHE cities: Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, Oakland, CA. This is a full-time, salaried position. All PHE staff are currently temporarily remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s what you will do as a part of our team:

Public Relations and Traditional Media

• Manage PR supports and logistics (e.g. creating and maintaining contact and media database, training PHE stakeholders, and tracking coverage, etc.) and support national team event presence and speaking opportunities

• Draft media advisories, press releases, quotes, OpEds, letters to the editor, fact sheets, and other external communications to drive national and regional traditional media placement of Peer Health Exchange and selfsea

• Co-develop and implement a plan to maximize media for broad-based awareness

• Work across the organization to identify stories and earned media opportunities with the goal of securing national and regional placements of earned or opinion pieces

• Monitor and respond to media inquiries, requests, and mentions of PHE and selfsea including follow-up marketing for increased reach

Externally-Ready Content Creation

• Create written content for externally-ready collateral materials including newsletters, brochures, one-pagers, web content, annual reports, blog posts, videos, event materials, e-newsletters, etc.

• Manage and update external templates for quick and easy customization by other team members

Systems Support and Metrics Reporting

• Create a resource library for internal departments and maintain the organization of communication materials

• Draft, track, and report all communications metrics

• Partner with internal departments to maintain a current, compelling language bank for external use (e.g. Development, Community Partnerships, and Direct to Youth Teams)

The Skills You'll Need

Minimum qualifications:

• Demonstrate a strong passion for PHE’s mission to build healthier communities with young people; strong alignment with PHE’s core values of Health Equity, Commitment, Communication, Agency, and Impact

• Commitment to centering youth inclusion, community partnership, and acting on diversity, equity, & inclusion work visibly, broadly, in action in part through deep listening and hearing with a lens of inclusion

• 2 years of relevant professional experience in traditional communications, managing media relationships and pitching stories

• Experience developing messaging and communication materials centered on education, health, politics and/or advocacy topics

• Experience implementing PR strategy and managing a database or CRM to maximize workflows

• Exceptional writing and editing skills

• Savvy online/social networking skills with a strong working knowledge of social media channels

• Exceptional work flow management skills

• Strong research and analytical skills combined with excellent attention to detail

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (preferably in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field)

• Experience with event planning and event materials creation

• Experience with Cision, Meltwater and/or Salesforce.com

The People

About the Marketing & Communications team

Marketing and Communications is the team that is driving digital transformation at Peer Health Exchange. The Manager of Communications will report to the Director of Marketing and Communications.

The Organization

Peer Health Exchange (PHE) is a national non-profit organization that creates education opportunities for peers to share the tools and resources young people need to make healthy decisions. Since 2003, we have trained more than 15,000 college students to deliver in-person health education to over 188,000 high school-aged young people in communities across the country. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we re-designed our in-person programming to be delivered virtually and partnered with high school students to understand their mental health needs. Following that collaboration, we launched our app selfsea.org for young people ages 13 – 18. In the past year, we’ve expanded from two in-person program models to five in-person and digital program offerings and we are continuing to grow! Our mission is critical, our team is diverse, and our work is vibrant. Check us out on TikTok (@peerhealthexchange)!

Learn more about our responsiveness and shift to digital in this article co-authored by our colleagues “Youths Know What They Need to Support Their Mental Health”!

The Next Steps

Please submit your resume and cover letter telling us why you are interested in our team and this role!

At Peer Health Exchange, we celebrate difference and are committed to providing equitable opportunities, addressing the effects of power and privilege. PHE is proud to be an equal employment opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, physical disability, veteran status or length of time spent unemployed. We want to empower people to change lives!

Note: Peer Health Exchange reserves the right to add additional duties, as needed. All Peer Health Exchange employees are encouraged to be flexible and responsive to changes in scope of duties.