Director, Internal Communications

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF; the Foundation), located in Princeton, N.J., is the largest philanthropy in America dedicated solely to health. Since 1972, we have focused on developing and promoting innovations in health and healthcare to improve the lives of millions. In partnership with others, we are working toward a nation that is rooted in equity, compassion, and respect; a nation that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. This requires addressing many harmful obstacles to well-being, including poverty, powerlessness, and discrimination.

We take seriously our responsibilities, and we pledge to work in ways that reflect our Guiding Principles. These are rooted in equity and influence everything we do at RWJF. Equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and collaboration allow our staff’s wide range of experiences, passions, and perspectives to enrich our work and strengthen our ability to address our nation’s most pressing health issues. Our efforts to build a Culture of Health and achieve health equity requires us to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Part of this work includes actively shaping a multicultural, inclusive, antiracist organization where all staff thrive as we build and use our capabilities, voice, and power to advance health equity. The Foundation offers a collaborative, collegial, and creative work environment. With a career at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, you will make a difference.

About This Opportunity

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation seeks a director of Internal Communications. This strategic leader will establish a cutting-edge internal communications practice that leads to a more engaged workforce and inclusive culture. This visionary leader will play a critical role in bringing our brand to life and elevating our internal communications by connecting, informing, and inspiring employees at all levels and functions of the organization.

As with staff at all levels of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the director is expected to demonstrate a passionate commitment to equity, to the Foundation’s mission, and its Guiding Principles.

Focus Areas

Reporting to the associate vice president, the director of Internal Communications will be responsible for managing four areas of work:

1. Establish the Internal Communications Practice: The director will set a strategic vision for how the Internal Communications team exists and serves staff within the Foundation. The director will build and deepen strong relationships with executive and departmental leadership to gain their support in formalizing the practice at RWJF.
2. Build and Lead the Internal Communications Team: The director will build a team of creative internal communications professionals who can effectively support executive and departmental leadership in their communication and engagement with Foundation staff, leading with an equity lens. The director will build a team that represents a broad set of identities and backgrounds to ensure diverse perspectives are embedded in the team’s work.
3. Operationalize the Internal Communications Practice: The director will create and implement the systems, processes, and practices that guide how to partner with the Internal Communications team and set quality-control standards to maintain consistent clarity, brevity, voice, and tone in all employee communications.
4. Steward Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Internal Communications: The director will demonstrate a passionate commitment to equity and to the Foundation’s mission, vision, and Guiding Principles. The director will work to ensure internal communications support a culture of belonging and leverage a wide range of staff voices to uplift diverse experiences and expertise. The director will ensure the systems, policies, and practices concerning the team’s decisionmaking embed accountability for equity.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategic Direction

• Immediately establish and formalize the Internal Communications practice within the Foundation, while providing a long-term roadmap for the team’s evolution into a highly-functioning resource for RWJF departments that can effectively respond to the wide-ranging needs and fast pace of the organization.
• Set the vision, core beliefs, purpose, and pursuits of the Internal Communications team.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive, yearly Internal Communications plan that enables the Foundation's strategic priorities and goals.
  

Channels and Content Strategy

• Establish internal voice and tone guidelines to be applied to all staff communications at the Foundation.
• Analyze the performance of current channels and communications and revise existing communication strategies accordingly.
• Create and maintain an internal editorial calendar of employee communications for the Foundation and make strategic recommendations on the organization’s overall employee communications cadence.
• Partner with the Equity and Culture department to design and lead Internal Communications programs that celebrate EDI and highlight the contributions of different cultures, identities, and ethnicities to the Foundation and to society.
• Partner with the Human Resources department to design and implement internal communications that provide critical information clearly and consistently and advance professional development and employee engagement initiatives.
• Cross-collaborate with departments to find compelling content and oversee a team writing for diverse audiences through a variety of internal communication mediums, such as emails, newsletters, presentations, and the intranet.
• Ensure that internal communication channels and tools are regularly updated, maintained, and elevated.

Leadership Management

• Collaborate with leadership to ensure that internal communication efforts support the Foundation's overall mission, objectives, and initiatives.
• Work with leaders and departments to communicate complex organizational change initiatives impacting the employee experience.

Policies and Procedures

• Create Internal Communication policies and approval systems that staff throughout the organization can clearly follow.
• Identify and implement new software or technology that makes employee communications efficient and automated at the Foundation.
  

Minimum Requirements

• Commitment to racial and health equity and the Foundation’s vision, values, and Guiding Principles, and a demonstrated track record of embedding EDI into work.
• Ability to build trusting and collaborative relationships with multicultural staff.
• Self-aware about personal identity.
• Interrupts observed implicit bias and advocates or leverages EDI in workstreams and on teams.
• Experience working effectively in and fostering an inclusive environment as part of a multidisciplinary team with people from diverse cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategic internal/employee communications, planning and project management, employee engagement, change communication, or related field, preferably with a sophisticated organization with various departments and a multidisciplinary staff.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills and experience with the ability to synthesize information clearly and concisely in speech and writing.
• Organized, structured, and able to manage and advance projects and structural change with a clear implementation focus.
• Extensive writing and editing experience, including the planning, development, and distribution of internal communications materials in multiple formats.
• Strong storytelling skills to humanize RWJF’s community impact through a variety of mediums.
• Proven ability to pull insights from data, craft recommendations, and implement internal communication testing strategies to drive improvements to KPIs.
• Smart use of techniques and software to guide digital-first content development and automate internal communications processes.
• Strong leadership skills to supervise a team of employees and agency resources who require strategic direction, motivation, and guidance through a time of great organizational change.
• Ability to drive adoption of change by working with leadership and staff to implement change-management plans.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work with senior leaders to drive a single strategy specifically for employees.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, organizational development, or a related field. A combination of equivalent education and work experience may be substituted for the above requirements.

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

The director of Internal Communications will perform job duties in a typical business office environment. Specific physical abilities required by this job include operating basic office equipment. Will be required to attend meetings, potentially both in person and off-site via phone or videoconference. Some domestic travel may be required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Salary

The starting salary range for the director of Internal Communications is $180,000 to $185,000. Why work at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? Learn more about the benefits of working at RWJF.

Application Deadline: April 16, 2023

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented applicants.