Director of Communications

About Neighborhood Health Center

Neighborhood Health Center (NHC) is a nonprofit organization in Portland, OR, dedicated to serving underserved populations through primary care, internal medicine, dental services, and more. NHC embraces a patient-centered care model that addresses the whole person, considering their unique circumstances beyond the clinical setting. The organization collaborates with integrated clinical teams, patients, families, and communities to deliver holistic care focused on prevention and ongoing support.

NHC is committed to equal employment opportunity, celebrating diversity and prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, or other protected characteristics.

Why Join Us?

• Work for a nonprofit passionate about serving underserved medical and dental patients throughout the Portland area with a meaningful daily impact.
• Benefit from a competitive compensation and benefits package, including 20 days of paid time off, 9 holidays, health/dental/vision insurance, quarterly wellness reimbursements, a generous 401(k) with employer match, employer-paid disability insurance, employee assistance programs, and life insurance.
• Be part of an award-winning workplace recognized consecutively as a Top Workplace from 2020 through 2025.

Position Overview

Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Communications leads and manages all communications, marketing, community relations, and brand management activities. This role involves crafting and executing integrated communication strategies to increase organizational visibility and foster community engagement, firmly aligned with NHC's mission to provide accessible, high-quality care regardless of financial or insurance status.

The Director works closely with leadership, including the Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors, ensuring consistent internal and external messaging. This role demands strategic insight, operational management, strong communication skills, and the ability to cultivate sustainable relationships with media, policymakers, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design and lead comprehensive communications and marketing plans to raise brand awareness and strengthen community involvement.
• Manage all outward messaging, such as social media, website content, newsletters, press releases, annual reports, and media interactions.
• Oversee internal communications to foster knowledge sharing, teamwork, and employee engagement.
• Build and maintain partnerships aligned with organizational strategic goals, including community outreach initiatives.
• Create and uphold brand messaging standards and a communications style guide to ensure uniform, mission-centered communications across staff, board members, and public materials.
• Customize communication strategies for distinct audience groups including patients, donors, policymakers, community partners, and employees.
• Support the Director of Advancement in enhancing Board of Directors' communication engagement efforts.
• Collaborate across departments to maintain alignment with NHC’s mission, values, and long-term plans.

Essential Duties

• Serve as the primary media spokesperson, ensuring consistent and brand-aligned messaging externally.
• Lead brand management and engagement initiatives promoting NHC’s mission internally and externally.
• Direct digital communications, including social media and digital marketing campaigns to boost awareness and patient access.
• Guide both internal and external messaging to ensure consistency among staff, patients, donors, policymakers, and the community.
• Manage public relations activities and media relations to increase NHC’s profile and influence.
• Produce and oversee organizational publications such as newsletters, annual reports, and press releases.
• Maintain brand messaging frameworks and communication style guides for uniformity across all platforms and speakers.
• Lead crisis communications responses including support for executive-level Incident Command Center protocols to manage media relations and public reputation risks.
• Analyze communications performance metrics to refine strategies and enhance outcomes.

Patient & Community Storytelling

• Develop storytelling programs that capture patient and community experiences to personalize and humanize NHC’s mission for donors, media, and policymakers.
• Ensure all communication targeting patients and communities meets plain language and health literacy standards, with special consideration for multilingual, low-literacy, and underserved audiences.
• Promote anti-racist, culturally competent communications consistent with NHC’s commitment to health equity and community service.

Community & Stakeholder Relations

• Forge and support strategic partnerships with community organizations, healthcare providers, and local stakeholders to broaden brand reach, donor engagement, and referral networks.
• Oversee community relations programs that align with organizational objectives.
• Coordinate educational campaigns to improve health literacy and spread awareness about NHC’s services.
• Provide communication strategy assistance to the Advancement team to enhance awareness and engagement with donors and policymakers.

Leadership & Administration

• Lead, mentor, and evaluate communications team members, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and excellence.
• Manage communications budgets to ensure resources support strategic goals effectively.
• Encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout all communications efforts.

Executive-Level Special Projects

• Support special projects for executive leadership such as staff meetings, town halls, proposals, presentations, and strategic initiatives requiring high-level vision and alignment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related discipline is required; master’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive communications and marketing experience, including at least 4 years in senior leadership roles.
• Proven track record managing multi-channel campaigns, media relations, and brand management.
• Experience within nonprofit, community health, or healthcare sectors highly valued.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience considered.

Skills & Attributes

• Exemplary written, verbal, and public speaking capabilities.
• Strong public affairs expertise.
• Ability to design and implement strategic communications with measurable impacts.
• Leadership skills for managing cross-functional teams and fostering collaboration.
• Digital marketing and social media proficiency.
• Experience creating accessible, health-literate content for underserved populations.
• Expertise in crisis communications and rapid response protocols.
• Competency with communications analytics and translating data into actionable strategies.
• Commitment to racial equity, cultural competency, and anti-racist communications.
• Dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all practices.

Working Conditions

• Regular prolonged sitting for computer work requiring manual dexterity and color/screen differentiation.
• Frequent standing and walking for meetings and events.
• Occasional lifting or moving of materials weighing 20-25 lbs, sometimes up to 40-50 lbs.
• Typical moderate office noise levels.
• Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, or weekends as necessary.
• May require travel during workdays for meetings and events.

Employment Terms

Employment offers are contingent on successful completion of reference, background, and drug screening checks, tuberculosis testing, and any position-specific credential or licensure requirements.