TO APPLY: Please submit your resume with a cover letter as one pdf document to HR@caregiving.org, by the deadline: Friday, May 3, 2024. Resumes without a cover letter will not be accepted.
Job Description: Chief External Affairs Officer
About Us
The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) is seeking a dynamic leader to shape the future of caregiving through strategic advocacy and impactful communications. The Chief External Affairs Officer will spearhead the development and execution of a comprehensive external engagement strategy, leveraging NAC's policy, advocacy, and thought leadership to champion America's 53 million family caregivers.
Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) is a national membership coalition that brings together more than 50 national healthcare companies and nonprofits, care innovators, caregiving advocacy organizations, and financial services leaders to advance a common agenda of building health, wealth, and equity for family caregivers. From championing our nation’s first-ever national caregiving strategy to releasing new insights on the realities of caregiving, NAC works tirelessly to make caregiving more sustainable and equitable through agenda-setting research, programming, and policy change.
The Opportunity
The Chief External Affairs Officer will work with the President and CEO to strengthen collaboration and impact across the organization's policy, programs, and communications departments to achieve system change goals in support of family caregivers. This individual will play a pivotal role in amplifying our voice, advancing our organizational objectives, and elevating public awareness of critical issues facing family caregivers.
Responsibilities
Government Affairs
- Oversee NAC’s policy and advocacy department, working hand-in-hand with the VP for Policy and Advocacy to guide and empower a growing team of advocates, maximizing their impact through strategic outreach, coalition building, and targeted communications.
- Provide senior counsel in the development and implementation of a national government affairs strategy to achieve legislative and regulatory policy objectives that support family caregivers.
- Expand NAC’s presence on Capitol Hill and with relevant federal agencies, building and maintaining strong relationships with policymakers and advocates across the caregiving space.
Communications and Strategic Positioning
- Lead the communications team in developing and executing a strategic communications plan to raise awareness of family caregiver issues and amplify the organization's message across policy, research, and programs.
- Oversee all aspects of external affairs and communications, including media relations, public awareness campaigns, and social media.
- Manage and collaborate effectively with the communications team, including an associate director and vendor relationships.
- Lead the team in executing external engagements and events that support our partnerships and positioning objectives.
Organizational Capacity and Growth
- In coordination with department heads, drive the identification, development, and coordination of joint projects by involving relevant departments in the planning process, leveraging their expertise, and ensuring shared ownership of deliverables.
- Create a platform for knowledge exchange where departments can share their expertise and insights on caregiving issues. This could involve internal knowledge repositories, brown bag lunches, or cross-departmental training sessions.
- Own the development and execution of the policy and communications related annual objectives, ensuring cross-team engagement and collaboration in execution.
- Facilitate a long-term partnerships strategy to benefit the organization collectively, and individual departments.
- In partnership with the CEO, champion and implement NAC’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, including a commitment to equity and centering the voices of family caregivers.
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s or Master's degree in public policy, public administration, communications, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- Minimum 10-15 years of experience in government affairs, healthcare advocacy, and/or public policy with a successful track record in advancing issues related to aging, healthcare, disability, financial security, and caregiving (or the intersection of these issues).
- Demonstrated expertise in building relationships with policymakers, stakeholders, and the media.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft persuasive messages for diverse audiences.
- Proven ability to manage and lead a team effectively.
- Deep passion for the mission of supporting family caregivers.
- Candidates located in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area is preferred, while still being open to remote work.