Senior Director, Public Relations and Celebrity

The March of Dimes has always approached its mission with a spirit of adventure. Born on the eve of World War II as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP), the Foundation achieved an instantaneous popularity that reflected the contemporary popularity of its founder, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Partner with Revenue and Mission Leadership to further the Foundation’s general awareness, advocacy and revenue goals. Serve as strategic advisor to Marketing Directors, Mission and Revenue Leadership building Public Relations plans that map to the Foundation’s strategic goals annually. Develop relationships with media and celebrities to further our mission. Lead all national celebrity engagement activities and oversee celebrity engagement across the organization. Manage crisis communications when needed.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Marketing Directors, Revenue and Mission Leadership; developing a strategic public relations plan for the Foundation annually that includes:

  • Engaging national celebrities

  • Placing long-format stories in media

  • Establishing key senior staff as a resource for media “expert sources”

  • Continuous stream of community public relations that increase awareness , protect our reputation and build our image

  • Placement of PSAs and other educational broadcasts

• Lead research to understand our best media opportunities and how to reach our most important constituencies. Understand the competitive landscape and lead education efforts across the organization to impart critical competitive market information.
• Cultivate national relationships with the media and celebrities.
• Develop relationships with Regional Leadership and Field Communications to ensure a constant flow of information between National and the Field
• Ensure that limited, shared resources are allocated proportionately to the highest priority initiatives.
• Manage Public Relations overall project plan and ensure the timely implementation of all tactics across the organization.
• Attend important events and manage celebrity volunteers
• Serve as a senior member of the Marketing and Communications Leadership team. Manage the PR/Celebrity team.
• Manage projects to deadlines and within budgets.
• Establish a robust internal customer service approach within PR/Celebrity area
• Apply consistent brand standards across the organization and to reduce the amount of redundant, unnecessary or “off brand” templates being used across the organization
• Manage important vendor relationships

• MBA or Masters Degree in PR/Communications
• 10-12 years of directly related experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong people manager and influential leader.
• Proven experience with Celebrity Engagement, Strategic Planning, Budget Management,