Sr Vice President - Communications

At ALSAC you do more than make a living; you make a difference.

We like people who are different…because we’re different, too. As one of the world’s most iconic and respected nonprofits, we know what it’s like to stand out. That’s why we’re looking at you. Your background, perspective, and desire to make an impact set you apart. As we work to help St. Jude cure childhood cancer, we're calling on the game-changers, innovators and visionaries to join our family. Not just for the kids of St. Jude, but also for you. Because at ALSAC, we develop and celebrate our employees. So, bring your whole, authentic self and become part of our shared mission: Finding cures. Saving children.®

Job Description

The Marketing and Communications team at ALSAC is responsible for elevating and unifying the St. Jude brand globally through narrative and design. The Senior Vice President (SVP) of Communications will collaborate closely with the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and lead ALSAC’s communications department, overseeing all aspects of brand narrative, including publicity and earned media, crisis and reputation management, as well as community management, which encompasses social media and influencer marketing, talent and entertainment strategy. This role is crucial in managing and enhancing our organization’s reputation, driving strategic communication initiatives, and ensuring St. Jude’s brand voice resonates across all platforms.

The SVP of Communications will work in close collaboration with the C-Suite to align communication strategies with overarching business goals. This role is instrumental in fostering strong relationships with key stakeholders, navigating crisis situations, and spearheading all publicity efforts to elevate our brand’s presence and impact. Additionally, the SVP of Communications will provide counsel to key ALSAC leaders across the organization on reputation management and media relations issues to ensure the protection and enhancement of the St. Jude brand.

Essential Job Functions

• Leadership and People Management: Effectively manage and inspire the communications team, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment centered around strategic communications and community engagement. Set clear expectations, provide constructive feedback, and support professional development, ensuring that the team consistently delivers high-quality, on-brand content that aligns with ALSAC’s goals and values. Conduct performance reviews to ensure the team consistently meets their goals.
• Brand Narrative: Lead the evolution and implementation of a cohesive brand narrative that aligns with the organization’s mission, vision and values, and is informed by the global brand strategy. Ensure consistent messaging across all communication channels to effectively tell the St. Jude story across audiences and platforms.
• Publicity and Earned Media: Design and oversee comprehensive publicity strategies to enhance St. Jude’s visibility and public image. Cultivate relationships with media outlets, journalists, and influencers to secure positive coverage and manage the distribution of press releases and media kits. Oversees all public relations activities. Build and maintain relationships with journalists, influencers, and industry leaders, while coordinating with the overall marketing team to ensure PR efforts align with marketing campaigns in a PESO approach. Establish and drive strategies that elevate ALSAC and St. Jude in thought leadership venues, such as top-tier publications, op-eds, and major conferences.
• Crisis and Reputation Management: Develop and implement proactive strategies to protect and enhance the organization’s reputation. Ensure ongoing monitoring while proactively identifying potential risks and opportunities. Develop and lead innovative and creative messaging and communications plans both proactively and for crisis management. Develop and own crisis communication plans and lead the response to any reputational issues. Foster positive relationships with key stakeholders, including media, employees, and the public. Solve brand reputation and communications-related business problems.
• Community Management: Strategically build, grow, and manage the organization’s online/social communities by overseeing audience engagement through social media platforms and other online channels. Foster interaction and cultivate a positive brand perception within the community. Develop a talent and influencer strategy and manage talent in the entertainment and influencer industry by cultivating, securing, and managing pro-bono celebrity and influencer ambassadors across entertainment, gaming, sports, fashion, and other industries.
• Social Media: Develop and execute a comprehensive social media strategy to build and drive audience engagement and enhance brand presence . Oversee the creation and curation of content for social media platforms, and monitor trends and analytics to optimize performance. Partner with Development and other ALSAC teams to explore monetization opportunities, with an audience-engagement lens first.
• Measurement and Reporting: Establish metrics to measure the effectiveness of communication strategies and provide regular reports to the CMO and executive team on communication activities and outcomes.
• Collaboration and Communication: Foster cross-departmental collaboration to ensure cohesive and integrated communication campaigns, effectively articulating vision and strategy to stakeholders to ensure alignment with overarching business objectives.
• Department Management: Ensure the Communications department runs smoothly and efficiently and delivers high-quality output. Allocate resources effectively to meet the department’s needs and goals. Guide goal setting to drive the department’s performance. Actively recruit new talent, conducting interviews, and hiring new team members as needed, ensuring the department is staffed with talented and diverse team members.
• Strategic Leadership: Works proactively to provide strategic input to the CMO, CRO, CEO and other senior leaders to ensure the protection of corporate identity and institutional reputation on issues related to messaging, brand management and creative quality. Represents CMO as a member of the Executive leadership team as needed. Serves as a member of the ALSAC’s senior management team, responsible for long-range planning and decision making that has impact on the Division’s fiscal year performance. Works closely with the CMO, ALSAC and St. Jude liaison teams to collaborate with the St. Jude executive and marketing teams.
• Ethical Compliance: Adheres to all ethical standards related to patient usage in all fundraising activities and materials. Ensures compliance with all federal and regulatory standards related to patient information and policies as determined by hospital compliance team.
  
  

Job Requirements

• Requires thorough knowledge of marketing, communications, social media, public relations and general management methods within for-profit, marketing agency and non-profit agencies; speak and write in a clear and understandable manner for internal/external relations;
• Understand extremely complex verbal or written instructions; thorough grasp of rhetorical tools used in marketing, creative design, public relations and marketing communications;
• Thorough knowledge of English spelling, grammar and usage; news writing and editing knowledge; excellent typing skills and knowledge of design tools and software; detailed knowledge of all mediums of marketing/communications and tools used in those mediums to include understanding of the research, creation, production and distribution of end products; general knowledge of communications and copyright law;
• General knowledge of purchasing and inventory control;
• Knowledge ordinarily acquired through a Bachelor's degree and 10 years’ experience in Marketing, Communications and/or Public Relations including 7-10 years supervisory experience involving budgeting, strategic planning, organizational development and cost control; possess excellent diplomatic skills; must possess a valid driver's license. Master’s Degree preferred.
  
  

Benefits & Perks

The following Benefits & Perks apply to Full-Time Roles Only.

We’re dedicated to ensuring children and their families have every opportunity to enjoy life’s special moments. We’re also committed to giving our staff excellent benefits so they can do the same.

• Core Medical Coverage: (low cost low deductible Medical, Dental, and Vison Insurance plans)
• 401K Retirement Plan with 7% Employer Contribution
• Exceptional Paid Time Off
• Maternity / Paternity Leave
• Infertility Treatment Program
• Adoption Assistance
• Education Assistance
• Enterprise Learning and Development
• And more
  
  

ALSAC is an equal employment opportunity employer.

ALSAC does not discriminate against any individual with regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or other protected status.

No Search Firms

ALSAC does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All resumes submitted by search firms to any ALSAC employee or ALSAC representative via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without being contacted and approved by our Employee Experience team and without a valid written search agreement in place will result in no fee being paid if a referred candidate is hired by ALSAC.