Director, Communications & PR

Description

The Director, Communications & PR is a senior communications professional responsible for strengthening GMHC’s external profile through earned media, executive visibility, thought leadership, and strategic external communications. As GMHC expands its service model to include primary care, dental care, mental health services, and comprehensive programming for LGBTQ+ communities, long-term survivors, women, trans youth, and other communities affected by HIV and health inequities, the Director helps shape how external audiences understand and engage with GMHC’s evolving mission, services, and impact.

Reporting to the Vice President, Communications & Branding, the Director develops and executes earned media and external communications strategies that advance organizational priorities. This is a hands-on role requiring strong media relationships, advanced writing and editorial skills, sound judgment, and a current understanding of traditional and emerging media platforms. The Director serves as one of GMHC’s primary day-to-day media contacts, prepares executives and subject matter experts for public engagement, and identifies opportunities to position GMHC’s work, expertise, and community impact before relevant audiences.

Essential Job Functions

Communications Strategy & Organizational Positioning

• Develop and execute earned media, external communications, and thought leadership strategies in partnership with the Vice President, Communications & Branding.
• Translate GMHC’s organizational priorities, programs, advocacy efforts, and service expansions into clear and compelling external communications.
• Develop messaging frameworks and communications materials that support GMHC’s rebrand, evolving organizational narrative, and expanding service model.
• Support external positioning for major organizational initiatives, including program launches, service expansions, campaigns, events, and institutional milestones.
• Recommend communications approaches that strengthen GMHC’s credibility, visibility, and relevance among media, partners, donors, community members, and the broader public.

Media Relations & Earned Media

• Serve as one of GMHC’s primary day-to-day contacts for media inquiries, coordinating with the Vice President and senior leadership to determine the appropriate response and spokesperson.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with journalists, editors, producers, podcast hosts, digital creators, and other media professionals across health, HIV, LGBTQ+, community, nonprofit, and mainstream outlets.
• Develop, pitch, and secure earned media opportunities across print, broadcast, digital publications, podcasts, YouTube, independent media, and other relevant platforms to advance GMHC’s mission, services, expertise, advocacy priorities, and organizational objectives.
• Draft and edit press releases, media advisories, pitches, statements, talking points, briefing documents, and other external communications materials.
• Coordinate media interviews and appearances, including scheduling, background preparation, and follow-up.
• Represent GMHC in external communications settings when authorized by the Vice President or senior leadership.

Thought Leadership & Executive Visibility

• Develop and execute thought leadership initiatives, in alignment with priorities established by the Vice President and senior leadership, that position GMHC leaders and subject matter experts as credible voices in HIV, public health, healthcare access, LGBTQ+ advocacy, community care, and related areas.
• Identify and recommend speaking engagements, panels, conferences, op-ed placements, podcast appearances, interviews, and other visibility opportunities.
• Research, draft, and edit op-eds, bylined articles, speeches, remarks, presentations, interview materials, and other executive communications that reflect GMHC’s voice, expertise, and organizational priorities.
• Prepare executives and subject matter experts for media interviews, public appearances, panels, and other external engagements.

Issues Management & Rapid Response

• Monitor emerging news, public conversations, policy developments, and reputational issues; assess their communications implications; and promptly flag significant risks, opportunities, or information gaps to the Vice President.
• Coordinate internal fact gathering and support rapid-response communications by developing draft statements, holding messages, talking points, and recommended approaches for review by the Vice President, senior leadership, and other appropriate stakeholders.
• Prepare authorized spokespeople and execute approved responses for sensitive, urgent, or high-profile media inquiries accurately and within required timelines.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Creative & Brand to ensure external communications support GMHC’s visual identity, rebrand, and organizational messaging.
• Collaborate with Digital & Social to amplify earned media coverage and align external messaging across owned channels.
• Partner with Development on earned media and external communications that support approved fundraising campaigns and donor engagement priorities.
• Work with Programs, Community Relations, Public Policy, and subject matter experts across GMHC to identify stories, verify information, and translate complex programmatic or technical content into accessible public communications.
• Ensure communications involving clients, program participants, personal stories, photographs, health information, or other sensitive content follow applicable consent, confidentiality, and approval requirements.
• Use inclusive, stigma-free, culturally responsive, and people-first storytelling that centers the dignity and lived experiences of the communities GMHC serves and avoids tokenizing, exploitative, or unnecessarily identifying narratives.

Media Landscape Strategy & Innovation

• Maintain current knowledge of changes in journalism, digital media, podcasts, video platforms, independent media, audience behavior, and public trust.
• Identify and recommend emerging media outlets, platforms, formats, and opportunities based on GMHC’s priorities and how key audiences seek information and engage with public issues.
• Test and refine pitches, messaging, media lists, and engagement strategies, and recommend practical improvements based on results, audience behavior, organizational priorities, and available resources.

Project, Resource, & Workflow Management

• Manage multiple communications projects through clear work plans, timelines, briefing materials, and approval processes, escalating resource, scheduling, approval, or reputational concerns to the Vice President in a timely manner.
• Identify and recommend consultants, contractors, vendors, platforms, and other communications resources based on approved priorities and available budgets.
• Coordinate deliverables and provide day-to-day project direction to approved contractors, consultants, vendors, interns, and temporary communications resources.

Measurement & Accountability

• Establish goals and maintain scalable systems to track media outreach, placements, coverage quality, audience reach, message alignment, sentiment, and the strategic value of communications results.
• Provide regular reports and recommendations to the Vice President, using results and stakeholder feedback to improve messaging, pitches, outlet selection, workflows, and future strategies.
• Establish and maintain organized, scalable systems for media outreach, contact management, communications materials, coverage tracking, and reporting. 

Requirements

Special Skills and Knowledge

Required

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in communications, public relations, media relations, journalism, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success securing meaningful earned media coverage across traditional and emerging platforms.
• Strong knowledge of the current and evolving media landscape, combined with experience developing and executing media relations, external communications, or thought leadership strategies across traditional and emerging platforms.
• Advanced writing, editing, proofreading, and message-development skills, including the ability to translate complex health, policy, programmatic, and organizational information into clear and accessible communications.
• Experience preparing executives, organizational leaders, or subject matter experts for interviews and external appearances.
• Strong editorial judgment, discretion, and professionalism, including the ability to identify communications opportunities, reputational risks, and sensitive or time-critical issues.
• Ability to independently manage multiple projects, deadlines, and urgent requests while seeking appropriate review, approval, and guidance.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively with executives, program leaders, community stakeholders, media professionals, vendors, and colleagues across departments.
• Demonstrated ability to develop inclusive, accurate, culturally responsive, stigma-free, trauma-informed, and people-first communications in partnership with LGBTQ+ communities, communities of color, people living with HIV, and other communities affected by health inequities.

Preferred

• Experience developing communications for nonprofit, healthcare, public health, HIV services, LGBTQ+ advocacy, fundraising, public education, community engagement, or social justice initiatives.
• Established relationships with journalists, editors, producers, podcast hosts, digital creators, or other media professionals relevant to GMHC’s work.
• Experience supporting an organizational rebrand, service expansion, or significant change in organizational positioning.
• Experience with crisis communications, rapid response, or reputation management.
• Experience coordinating the work of communications consultants, contractors, vendors, or interns.

Education and Certification

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, English, public health, or a related field is preferred.

Technical Skills

• Applicants must demonstrate an intermediate to advanced level of proficiency in the following areas:
• Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and comparable virtual meeting, collaboration, and document-sharing platforms.
• Media databases, journalist relationship-management tools, and monitoring platforms, such as Muck Rack or Cision, including systems used to maintain media contacts, editorial calendars, outreach records, briefing materials, and coverage reports.
• Project management and workflow tools such as Asana or comparable platforms.
• Basic media analytics and reporting, including the ability to interpret coverage, reach, engagement, sentiment, and other available indicators of communications effectiveness.

Familiarity with the following is preferred:

• Familiarity with major social media platforms and related scheduling, listening, and analytics tools, such as Sprout Social.
• Familiarity with content management systems, email marketing platforms, Google Analytics or comparable analytics tools, and basic design applications such as Canva, Adobe Express, or Adobe Creative Cloud.

Work Environment & Schedule

• Hybrid and Office Work: This is a hybrid position requiring residence within New York City or the surrounding tri-state area. The combination of in-office and remote work will be determined based on department priorities and supervisory direction, with regular on-site attendance required for meetings, media engagements, interviews, content development, agency events, and other business needs.
• Schedule Flexibility: Ability to work non-traditional hours (evenings and weekends) as needed to support events, campaigns, urgent communications needs, developing media inquiries, and time-sensitive reputational matters.
• Events: Attendance is required at designated agency events to provide communications and media relations support.
• Travel: Local travel within New York City and the surrounding area is required for community events, media opportunities, interviews, meetings, and other off-site engagements. Occasional additional travel may be required based on organizational needs.
• AIDS Walk New York: Participation in the annual AIDS Walk New York event is mandatory for all GMHC staff.

Physical Demands

While carrying out the responsibilities of this role: 

• Travel & Mobility: Regular local travel within New York City and the surrounding area is required to attend community events, media engagements, interviews, meetings, and other off-site activities. Responsibilities may include transporting a laptop, communications materials, presentation materials, or other small equipment.
• Physical Activity: Primarily sedentary office work with periods of active engagement at agency events, media opportunities, and community-based activities. The role may require walking through event venues, navigating office and community settings, and assisting with communications-related event needs. May include occasional lifting, carrying, or moving of event materials up to 25 pounds.
• Sitting/Standing: Extended periods of sitting for computer-based work, writing, research, meetings, and media monitoring, with periods of standing and walking during events, interviews, and external engagements.
• Communications: Frequent verbal and written communication is required with executives, staff, consultants, contractors, media professionals, community partners, vendors, and other external stakeholders. The position includes public-facing interactions during events and media activities.
• Computer & Documentation: Regular and prolonged use of a computer, keyboard, telephone, and other standard office equipment is required. The position requires reviewing, drafting, editing, organizing, and maintaining electronic and printed communications materials.

GMHC is committed to fostering a racially and gender-diverse environment that contributes to a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming atmosphere for all. Our work is grounded in serving communities that are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, systemic inequities, and barriers to care. As such, working at GMHC requires a demonstrated awareness of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse lived experiences of the communities we serve.

We seek individuals who are committed to equity, inclusion, and social justice, and who approach their work with cultural humility, empathy, and a people-first mindset. Staff are expected to engage thoughtfully and respectfully with clients, colleagues, and community partners across a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences. GMHC values diversity in all forms and strives to create a workplace where all employees feel supported, heard, and empowered to contribute meaningfully to our mission.