Coordinator, Communications and Advocacy

Coordinator, Communications and Advocacy (In-Unit Position)

About AccessMatters

AccessMatters, a non-profit, public health organization located in Center City Philadelphia, envisions a future where every person has the health care and information they need to thrive. In service to that vision, AccessMatters’ mission is to protect, expand, and enhance equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care and information for all people. Our team strives to advance our mission in accordance with these guiding principles: (1) sexual health is an essential component of health and wellbeing across the life span; (2) access to quality, affordable health care – including sexual and reproductive health care – is a fundamental human right; (3) every person, family, and community deserves to be treated with dignity and respect; (4) programs and services should be evidence-based, prevention-focused, and person-centered; (5) organizational excellence is best achieved through a culture of inclusion, diversity, innovation, and accountability; (6) clients, volunteers, staff, partners, and supporters should be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect in a trauma-informed and culturally responsible environment; and (7) everyone deserves a caring workplace environment that fosters trust, teamwork, creativity, and work-life balance where work is enjoyable and where staff are supported in their professional development and their pursuit of excellence.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Communications and Policy, the Communications and Advocacy Coordinator will use excellent writing, research, and organizational skills to support AccessMatters’ ongoing communications and advocacy work. This position will be a member of the Communications and Policy team, which resides within the Strategic Initiatives department of AccessMatters, and will participate in all departmental meetings and activities as needed. This position is full time and non-exempt.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Communications and Advocacy Coordinator will:

Keep AccessMatters Externally Engaged and Visible in Current Public Policy Dialogues By:

• Work with the Senior Manager, Communications and Policy, as well as members of the management team to develop and implement a comprehensive city, regional, and national policy agenda to advance sexual and reproductive health goals; updating agenda annually in collaboration with the Senior Manager, Communications and Policy. 
• Maintain legislative policy tracker to monitor bills of interest to AccessMatters and recommending opportunities for action.
• Assist in developing and implementing inclusive strategies to cultivate and mobilize supporters and other constituents to take action, including coordinating and leading educational programs for supporters and/or offline/online outreach.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with likeminded organizations doing related issue work; representing AccessMatters in local and state coalitions, at conferences, and on tasks forces related to this work, as needed.
• Conduct issue-related research for current or future communications and advocacy work.
• Support the Youth Advocacy Board of our adolescent health equity project(s), educating and mentoring youth on practicing advocacy skills.

Use Strong Writing and Organization Skills to Produce Timely Communications Advocacy Messages and Materials By:

• Support the day-to-day implementation of communications and advocacy work at AccessMatters, including but not limited to: assisting with communications planning and implementation,  drafting and launching social media content, preparing written remarks for presentations, compiling reports, developing and drafting policy briefs, preparing comments, supporting communications and marketing content and campaigns, updating website content, and writing correspondence.
• Collaborate with the Senior Manager, Communications and Policy, to develop appropriate and inclusive framing and messaging for various presentations and written communications, including print and digital communications.
• Assist with developing communications pieces on highly sensitive subjects within short turnaround times, including talking points for media interviews, action alerts, public comments, testimony, op-eds, letters to the editor, website content, updates for providers and external partners, and social media content.
• Create and maintain online policy/issue advocacy toolkits that can be used by external stakeholders to increase visibility and advocacy around key sexual and reproductive health issues.

Provide Operational Support to Advance All Communications and Advocacy Needs for AccessMatters By:

• Craft and schedule social media content using scheduling tools and managing online interactions.

• Support staff with brand and messaging education and training regarding brand fidelity.

• Provide support for regular updates to staff, board, and providers, on communications and advocacy work.
• Maintain contact databases (i.e., key policy influencers, elected officials, supporter lists, and relevant media contacts).
• Provide support for development and fundraising activities as needed, including: assisting with launching appeals, handling mailings for appeals, drafting content for funding proposals, helping to identify prospective funders, etc.
• Participate in other efforts to raise funds and other resources to support this work.
• Perform administrative tasks and other duties as assigned.

Advance the Mission of AccessMatters and Fulfill Organizational Duties:

• Responsible for modeling AccessMatters’ core values and contributing to a learning culture that is supportive and inclusive of diverse perspectives and ideas, in which leaders foster an environment where staff feel valued and appreciated, where all staff hold themselves accountable to each other and to our community and stakeholders.

• Commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, illustrated by knowledge and experience working with diverse communities and colleagues with cultural humility and responsibility, and the ability and desire to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team environment, serving diverse populations and institutions across a broad spectrum of community and clinical providers within the fields of sexual and reproductive health and maternal and child health.
• Create and maintain an inclusive and equitable work environment that is respectful of all, embraces diversity and equity, and includes diverse perspectives and talents in problem solving.
• Contribute to the achievement of organizational goals by analyzing information, managing assets, recognizing barriers to success, and suggesting ways to improve operations.
• Maintain high ethical standards and conduct regarding confidentiality, integrity, and dual relationships while representing AccessMatters effectively and positively to all stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Needed:

• Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communications, especially with a wide variety of diverse audiences. Demonstrated ability to comprehend and synthesize complex topics, and distill them into key points and summaries that are written clearly and accurately, and are relevant and accessible to AccessMatters’ staff and constituents as well as the general public.  
• Proficiency using social media, crafting social media content, and reviewing social media analytics in a work environment, including: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIN, Snapchat, Tik-Tok, etc. 
• Experience using social media scheduling software (Hootsuite, etc.) and Canva required.
• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Adobe Premiere preferred.
• Demonstrated skills in HTML coding, CRM, and other website production software preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated familiarity with online and traditional advocacy work, including online advocacy tools and ability to use online analytics to measure campaign success.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws and regulations that impact our mission and goals. 
• Knowledge of and passion for expanding access to sexual and reproductive health care, including family planning, HIV prevention and treatment, perinatal/postpartum health, adolescent/family health, and related public health and social justice issues.
• Knowledge and experience working with diverse communities and colleagues with demonstrated cultural humility and responsibility.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity and trauma-informed care principles.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team environment.
• Ability to perform with a high level of confidentiality, discretion, and integrity.

• Able to shift priorities and deliver accurate, high-quality work as needed in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage time efficiently and stay organized while working on multiple projects simultaneously.

• Ability to travel and work in the field approximately   (5-10%) of the time.
• Ability to work outside normal business hours, on occasion as needed (e.g., scheduled nights and weekends with advance notice).
• Eligible for all city and state mandatory clearances, e.g. Federal and State criminal clearances and child abuse clearances required.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required in political science, public administration, public policy, health communications, or related public health field.
• We welcome applications from recent graduates; although this role is open to individuals with limited professional experience, we are seeking candidates with a minimum of 2 years of experience with nonprofit/healthcare communications, advocacy work, or public policy. Experience with community organizing a plus, but not required.

ANNUAL SALARY: $50,000.00

HOW TO APPLY:  Submit both a cover letter and a resume to the Coordinator, Communications and Advocacy position posted at our online career site, by going to this link: https://bit.ly/343YwKD. Address cover letter to Raeann Billey, Vice President of Human Resources.  Please include salary requirement and potential start date. **NOTE: This is a hybrid remote position; candidates are expected to reside within commuting distance of our headquarters in Center City, Philadelphia. ** No calls, please. ACCESSMATTERS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.