Chief Communications Officer - Mat-Su Health Foundation

Position Profile

Chief Communications Officer |Mat-Su Health Foundation |Wasilla, Alaska

The Position and Leadership Opportunity

Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) seeks a strategic communications executive with a passion for building connections through communications to serve as Chief Communications Officer (CCO). A critical partner to the CEO and leaders across the organization, the CCO will create a cohesive plan to advance the organization’s mission and values through communications. With a focus on health equity, the CCO will have the opportunity to connect needs, impacts, and outcomes in meaningful ways to internal and external audiences.

As the organization moves to the next level of community impact and systems improvement, the CCO will embrace the MSHF mission, maintain a deep and broad knowledge of the services and their impacts on the community, as well as provide high-level support and direction of the public policy and advocacy initiatives. Utilizing an understanding of movement building and narrative change, the CCO will work with the CEO to develop and effectively tell the story of the Foundation’s impact while engaging the community in helping to realize the vision. This position will also create and implement flexible communication tools for communication goals keeping a focus on larger strategies, while maintaining a deep understanding of where the Foundation has been and how the vision for the future shapes current decision making.

The CCO will join a thriving, complex organization that is recognized at the local, state, and national levels for its innovative community partnerships and impact. MSHF shares ownership in and governance of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the cornerstone of Mat-Su’s healthcare system. The Foundation is funded by profits from its share of ownership in the hospital, in addition to revenue from its long-term investments. This positions MSHF to focus on systems improvements and ensure that the healthcare system yields meaningful social and health returns for Mat-Su residents. MSHF’s systemic work has been accomplished through an annual operating budget that balances three primary areas of investment: staff expertise/capacity, grantmaking/community benefit, and hospital governance. In its growth, MSHF has recently added a new Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer, and Chief Community Impact Officer to the executive leadership team. This creates a unique opportunity for the CCO to build organizational culture and strategy with fellow executives and provide strategic direction that positions MSHF to advance mission.

Mat-Su Health Foundation Strategic Priorities

MSHF produced a 10-year strategic plan with a long-term goal of making the Mat-Su Borough the healthiest borough in Alaska by 2030 through the “Quadruple Aim” of better care, healthier people, lower healthcare costs, and happier providers. The plan seeks to align hospital ownership with philanthropic objectives and strategies everywhere possible, and it builds upon strengths in the Mat-Su community to grow the local economy, add living wage jobs, and ensure that borough residents live, work, and play in healthy environments.

Organization-wide Short-term Goals

Mat-Su will demonstrate measurable progress in the following areas for all residents:

• A more connected, supportive, welcoming community
• Equitable COVID-19 recovery
• Improved racial and other disparities on key drivers of health
• Health reform efforts shifting stakeholders from volume to value
• Coordinated systems of community-based services

Chief Communications Officer 12-18 Month Priorities

In support of the MSHF strategic plan, the incoming CCO will focus on the following priorities while getting to know the people, partners, and structures of the MSHF:

• Deeply engage with and learn about the MSHF programs, including R.O.C.K. Mat-Su, Connect Mat-Su, grant and scholarship funding, and health equity journeys.
• Assess the Foundation’s communications and advocacy needs, support and develop the team, and define a structure for success that enables communications team members and MSHF staff to perform at their highest level and accomplish communications and advocacy goals.
• Collaborate with staff and contractors to complete ongoing web design and rebranding projects.

• Create a Comprehensive Communications Plan
  • Internal
    • Engage staff and board members in effectively communicating MSHF’s mission, values, and impact and to celebrate successes and learning.
    • Define and develop working relationships across departments to enhance inter-departmental collaboration to advance communications and advocacy goals.
  • External
    • Create and implement a clear, coherent narrative about MSHF’s mission, values, and impact of its partnerships, programs, and initiatives (including R.O.C.K. Mat-Su, Connect Mat-Su, philanthropy, and the Mat-Su Valley Medical Center LLC).
    • More effectively communicate the health equity value and work, and bring transparency to MSHF’s governance, decisions, and processes.
  • Create a reputation management initiative, including strengthening key governmental and stakeholder relationships and a crisis response plan template and process for navigating urgent and emergent communication issues within the community.

• Complete creation of and secure Board approval for 2025 Advocacy Priorities and corresponding implementation plan.

CCO Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the CEO as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the CCO facilitates discovery, informs prevention-focused solutions, and supports analysis to reinforce mission alignment. The CCO embraces the organization’s values of prevention, access, wellness, fairness, equity, collaboration, and leadership. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Leadership

• In partnership with the Executive Leadership Team, cultivate relationships with key partners and stakeholders.

• Structure, hire, lead, and develop the communications team with a vision toward shared responsibility.
• Provide counsel to leadership and the Board of Directors on public relations and strategic communications.
• Serve as an ambassador of MSHF; represent the organization at the local, state, and national level, which includes up to 15% travel.

Internal Communications and Management

• Develop relationships and collaborate effectively with operations managers of Connect Mat-Su and R.O.C.K. Mat-Su to ensure cohesive messaging, branding, and delivery methods.
• Create general talking points for Board and staff, as well as in-the-moment communications.

Marketing, Public Relations, Reputation Management

• Represents MSHF before the media, industry groups, and at public events with or in the stead of the CEO.
• With the CEO, create a consistent, engaging narrative that relates the MSHF story, and helps to promote and own that story within the Foundation and the community.
• Deepen understanding and ability to connect with each of MSHF’s diverse audiences to match the right communication tools to audiences.
• Serve as the primary resource for communicating the connection between MSHF’s work and outcomes to community needs.
• Oversee the development, implementation and evaluation of communication, branding, and marketing strategies across all audiences.
• Creates cohesive outreach strategies to media, funders, and partners to ensure consistent message delivery.
• Create and maintain a crisis communication plan.
• Analyze evolving media, engagement strategies, and new mediums to help the Foundation move message.
• Identify, implement, and evaluate best practice for communication and marketing standards within the nonprofit, foundation, and public health sectors.

Public Policy and Advocacy

• Continue to build upon prior successes and expand the vision of MSHF’s public policy and advocacy goals and priorities with the future Director of Public Policy.

• Interface with state and local political leaders, building relationships to better understand and connect advocacy goals and priorities and to move mission.

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Attributes

• Ability to engage all staff and board members to more effectively communicate MSHF’s mission, values, and impact.
• Ability to engage with key external stakeholders, contractors, and government officials to more effectively communicate MSHF’s mission, values, and impact.
• Ability to collaboratively and independently engage in strategic decision-making that prioritizes the MSHF mission and reflects the values and social contract of MSHF.
• Ability to identify and execute communications strategies that shift mental models and create narrative change to improve systems and create a healthier community in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
• Ability to bridge communication between internal and external stakeholders in advancement of mission.
• Ability to grasp complex subjects and data and communicate information in ways that promote understanding and engagement.
• Diplomatic communication style with a focus on equity, welcoming and honoring differences in perspective, identity, and culture.
• Flexible work style with the ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment while prioritizing competing demands and effectively communicating across the organization.
• Inclusive leadership style with a strong commitment to a relationship-based, ‘people first’ approach; establishing trust at all levels of interaction.
• Ability to empower and elevate team members to perform at their highest level.
• Lifelong learner; an individual who never stops forging themselves; continuously studying, experimenting, and evolving.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, marketing, or related field and 10 years of progressive experience in related environments.

Skills and Expertise

• Solid understanding of and experience in communicating complex stories to complex audiences.
• At least 7-10 years of experience in organizational storytelling, public relations, marketing, governmental affairs/advocacy, and communications and advocacy strategy development.
• A minimum of 10 years of organizational management experience, including coaching, managing, and developing high-performing teams.
• Superior oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills demonstrated across multiple media.
• Experienced and informed in the most effective ways to reach and engage diverse audiences in a changing, evolving media environment.
• Strong work experience in driving communication strategy with interrelated brands.
• Demonstrated self-motivated conduct with excellent project management, contract management, and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to nurture and sustain relationships with employees, board members, elected officials, and nonprofit leaders to more effectively collaborate.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to think strategically, politically, and programmatically.
• Alaska and Mat-Su knowledge and experience preferred.

About Mat-Su Health Foundation

Mat-Su Health Foundation is a place-based funder with a goal to measurably improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Matanuska Susitna Borough (Mat-Su), while improving the quality of healthcare and reducing healthcare costs through the intersection of its philanthropy and hospital ownership. Because of its public charity status, MSHF is uniquely suited to deploy its assets strategically and patiently and to tolerate volatility in the grantmaking budget based on community and project readiness.

MSHF is responsive to the health needs of the community and data-driven. Programmatic bodies of work include five philanthropic focus areas: Healthy Minds, Healthy Families, Healthy Futures, Healthy Aging, and Healthy Foundations and two initiatives: R.O.C.K. Mat-Su (Raising Our Children with Kindness) and Connect Mat-Su.

In the last 15 years, MSHF increased its ownership percentage in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center from 25% to 35%, ensuring a greater percentage of hospital profits remain in Mat-Su. Additionally, MSHF grew its balance sheet from $78M in assets to $330M in 2021, increased its community benefit payout from $2M to $19M and growing, and grew the staff from four to 40. The Foundation has leveraged millions in investments from state and national funders to Mat-Su, resulting in significant economic impact in jobs and wages and increased capital investment from its LLC partner to add more licensed beds and services, including behavioral health. MSHF has established itself as a credible source of Mat-Su health data, analysis, and recommendations. Through community partnerships, it has achieved significant population level health outcomes for Mat-Su residents and strengthened the continuum of care for behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, transportation, senior services, and prevention.

Application Process

The target salary range is $149,500 to $179,500 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience. Mat-Su Health Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package and is an at-will employer. To apply, email your credentials to Loren Abbey, Director of People and Culture, at labbey@healthymatsu.org. Applicants should include a resume and cover letter describing interest and qualifications. Communications will be treated in confidence.

Deadline for application submission is January 2, 2025. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Resume reviews begin immediately. The search process will include a multi-step interview process.

Mat-Su Health Foundation is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. MSHF is especially interested in candidates whose background and experience have prepared them to grow our commitment to engagement and inclusion with culturally diverse audiences.