Manager, Communications and Public Affairs

Organization Overview

Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) is the 139-year-old national trade association representing the leading manufacturers and marketers of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, dietary supplements, and consumer medical devices. CHPA is committed to empowering consumer self-care by preserving and expanding choice and availability of consumer healthcare products. We foster employee engagement and reward staff through challenging work, competitive compensation and benefits, flexible scheduling and time-off options, as well as opportunities to grow and develop professionally.

CHPA is seeking a communications professional with a passion for health policy to help lead communications and public affairs strategies for its major health policy initiatives, including dietary supplement category advancement and regulation. This individual should have a proven ability and interest in distilling and communicating complex safety, regulatory, and consumer health policy issues that will help support the communications team’s ability to drive strategic communications and public affairs initiatives.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager of Communications & Public Affairs is a key member of CHPA’s Communications Department who reports directly to the Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs and works closely and collaboratively with the broader communications team, as well as with CHPA dietary supplements, government affairs and policy leadership. This role is a part of CHPA’s cross-functional team that includes Regulatory & Scientific Affairs, Government Affairs, Communications, Operations, and the President’s Office. This position serves as a subject-matter expert and thought-leader, and is integral in helping CHPA communicate its policy and regulatory goals.

The Senior Manager provides strategic communications support for a variety of priorities, programs, and content development opportunities (internally and externally). This includes narrative development and storytelling (often scientific and technical in nature) to influence consumer healthcare policy. Moreover, the Senior Manager has strong oral and written communications skills, and is capable of interpreting public opinion research and data surrounding the dietary supplement industry and regulatory framework, in order to effectively understand how this information should be distilled and communicated to a variety of audiences, including, but not limited to trade media, elected officials, and internal audiences. This individual also identifies opportunities for the placement and posting of content to social media and provides additional communications-related support to staff and CHPA’s member companies.

The Senior Manager will take a relationship-based approach when working with a variety of key stakeholders and partners, including CHPA staff and its member companies; external audiences in the consumer healthcare space; and third-party organizations, media, policy makers, opinion leaders, PR agencies, and consumers. The Senior Manager assists on media opportunities, particularly in the dietary supplements space, and helps develop CHPA’s response to news, events, issues, and crises as they arise, by providing critical updates and relevant background information and/or research that will help drive CHPA’s message development and rapid response efforts.

Essential Functions

- Develops and manages a variety of editorial materials bound for public audiences such as policymakers, stakeholders, media, and consumers, including byline articles, op-eds, presentations, publications, blogs, educational collateral, newsletter articles, website content, etc.

- Manages public affairs projects related to CHPA’s dietary supplements policy and legislative agenda.

- Supports the development of press releases, statements, social media posts, and responses to media inquiries.

- Supports broader media relations efforts to identify proactive and reactive media opportunities and coordinate rapid responses to breaking news, events, issues, and crises as they arise. Specifically:

o Conducts nutrition and wellness media surveillance and analyzes news stories for their relevance and content.

o Develops scientific and educational content for the CHPA Educational Foundation’s consumer-facing website HealthInHand.org.

o Coordinates technical and scientific positions and content development that advance the credibility of the dietary supplements category.

- Works with appropriate staff, member companies, and related organizations to develop positions, talking points, and press materials on issues of importance to industry.

- Assists in drafting content for “Digest,” CHPA’s bi-weekly member newsletter featuring dietary supplement news and updates.

- Organizes and leads meetings for the Dietary Supplement Communications Subcommittee.

Required Education and Work Experience

- Bachelor’s degree in science, public policy, political science, communications, or related (required).

- Deep understanding of and passion for healthcare policy.

- Minimum of six years of communications/government relations experience or a background in healthcare policy. Experience in the healthcare sector or trade associations is preferred; familiarity with nutrition, food science and dietary supplements considered a plus.

- Experience navigating policy and regulatory issues and an understanding of the consumer healthcare landscape as it relates to both challenges and opportunities for the industry.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills with ability to create diverse content for a variety of audiences, including both highly technical and basic literacy levels.

- Ability to multitask, work well under pressure, balance competing priorities, and meet deadlines.

- Ability to work collaboratively with others and contribute to a dynamic working environment.

Supervisory Responsibility:

The Senior Manager does not have direct reports.

EEO Statement

Consumer Healthcare Products Association is committed to equal employment opportunity and makes all employment-related decisions without regard to race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, family responsibilities, personal appearance, political affiliation, matriculation, veteran or military status, union affiliation or any other categories protected by federal, state, or local law (the “Protected Categories”).

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $90,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• Social media management: 3 years (Required)
• Public Relations: 2 years (Required)
• Government Affairs: 2 years (Required)
• Writing skills: 6 years (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Washington, DC 20006 (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Washington, DC 20006

Salary : $90,000 - $100,000