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| Job Title: | Media Relations Manager |
| Organization: | Compassion & Choices |
| Region: | DC Metro Region |
| Description: | Compassion & Choices is a nonprofit organization working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life. As a national organization with more than 60,000 supporters, we help patients and their loved ones face the end of life with calm facts and choices of action during a difficult time. We also aggressively pursue legal reform to promote pain care, put teeth in advance directives and legalize physician aid in dying. Compassion & Choices? mission is built upon three main pillars of service: client services, advocacy and education. Compassion & Choices is committed to providing accurate information on end-of-life issues to the general public, to health care and legal professionals, to lawmakers, and to the media. Compassion and Choices? vision: a society where everyone receives state-of-the-art care at the end of life, and a full range of choices for dying in comfort, dignity and control. Summary: The Media Relations Manager will direct all aspects of the public and media relations program for Compassion & Choices in support of strategic goals and issue agenda to improve care and expand end-of-life choices in the U.S. The Media Relations Manager implements the media relations program and is a member of the Communications Team that reports to the Director of Communications and Marketing. The Media Relations Manager responds to media inquiries, manages proactive outreach, and forms and maintains relationships with journalists covering relevant issues relevant to Compassion & Choices? goals. The Media Relations Manager works closely with Compassion & Choices? policy and government affairs teams, as well as with communications staff in all of our offices. Exceptional writing skills are essential for this position. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Core duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Manage a media relations program that includes regular, proactive communications that imprint C&C as a key national expert source on end-of-life issues. Provide quick response to relevant developments, stories and commentary throughout the U.S. (examples include preventable violent deaths, bad deaths, religious directive issues, prosecutions for assisted death, and progress of related legislation). Increase C&C?s profile with the U.S. media through aggressive outreach. Steward the production of stories for targeted demographics in specific targeted television, magazines, newspapers and online outlets. Maintain a database of journalists, editors, publishers, freelance writers and others in broadcast, print and Internet media outlets. Record contacts and events in a contact management database. Cultivate and steward relationships with key journalists, producers, etc., to write, publish and air stories that advance the goals of C&C. Emphasize opportunities to broaden C&C?s brand and identity beyond aid in dying. This includes specific promotion of coverage of voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) and reimbursement for unwanted, unnecessary medical treatment. Respond to opposition attacks including those from the U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops. HIghlight restrictions on patient choices related to religious-based health care and Ethical & Religious Directives (ERDs). Develop strategic media relations and communications steps to attract millions of new supporters and raise C&C?s national profile to stimulate growth of its advocacy and donor base. Respond to media inquiries, vet them, provide background information and ensure timely response by appropriate C&C and volunteer spokespersons. Identify, vet, and prepare individuals and their family members.Keep a directory of stories and storytellers. Approach, support and train these individuals to travel on behalf of C&C, tell their stories and communicate with the media and others. Provide speaker training to C&C staff, leaders and volunteer spokespeople Act as a disciplined spokesperson for C&C at press conferences. Provide information on background to specific journalists. Assist in developing PR and media relations plans for target states, and support the on-site staff and contractors in implementing communications plans. Lead and participate in a twice-weekly national media relations team teleconference, with one focused on operations and current efforts, and the second focused upon the broader strategic objectives and steps needed to attain them. Write and issue press releases, background briefings, issue-specific fact sheets, talking points and content for website. Maintain and utilize media clip service to monitor daily news coverage and propose responses, releases, interviews or new media tactics based on that coverage. Maintain C&C media relations guidebook for staff that includes protocols and procedures. Maintain a database of key spokespersons, including physicians, surviving family members, clergy and others to enable new or substitute staff to quickly and effectively manage communications activities. Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in communications or related field. Minimum 5 years experience with progressively increasing responsibility in media relations with a minimum of 2 years as a media relations manager or director in a non-profit setting. Demonstrated ability as a spokesperson with the media with a proven record of performance in the national and federal media environments Demonstrated placement in national media of organization-generated story ideas. Familiarity with and relationships with reporters, editor and producers in sectors related to healthcare and aging issues or audiences preferred. Working knowledge of Internet/web, media tracking; Spreadsheet, Database, and Word Processing software. Location: This position will be based in Washington DC, Portland OR, or New York, NY and will require occasional travel. To Apply: Please send cover letter and resume to Victoria Nolten at vnolten@compassionandchoices.org. Please put ?YourLastName, Media Relations? in the subject line. No phone calls. |
| Contact: | Victoria Nolten |
| Phone: | |
| E-Mail: | vnolten@compassionandchoices.org |
| Website: | http://www.compassionnadchoices.org |
| Closing Date: | November-10-12 |
