Director of Communications and Marketing

Director of Communications and Marketing

Boston, MA ( • Communications

Job Type

Full-time

Description

The Director of Communications and Marketing leads Fenway Health’s communications and marketing department and is responsible for the organization’s brand, its reputation, and the marketing that grows the patient base across all programs. Reporting to the Executive Vice President of Donor Engagement and External Relations, the Director sets and carries out the communications and marketing strategy, leads the department’s staff, and directs the work of Fenway’s external agencies, consultants, and vendors. The role expands patient access for LGBTQIA+ and underserved communities while protecting Fenway’s credibility in a demanding political and regulatory environment. This is a hands-on leadership role: the Director both sets direction and executes on it directly, building and scaling the function as the department grows. The Director also serves as the primary communications advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, with direct responsibility for protecting and strengthening the CEO’s voice, credibility, and influence across media, policy, and community audiences.

Representative Duties:

Lead the communications and marketing department

• Set department priorities and carry out the marketing and communications strategy across all Fenway programs.

• Determine what work comes first when programs and leaders compete for the team’s time.

• Maintain clear systems for intake, prioritization, and project tracking so the work does not depend on any one person.

• Ensure marketing and communications efforts align with Fenway’s strategic priorities, organizational goals, and broader brand and positioning work.

Serve as the primary communications advisor to the CEO

• Shape the CEO’s message, positioning, and external presence across media, stakeholders, and public forums.

• Independently lead message development for the CEO in high-stakes situations, including crisis response, public positioning, and executive communications.

• Protect and strengthen the CEO’s voice, credibility, and influence across media, policy, and community audiences.

• Anticipate and mitigate reputational and political risks affecting the CEO and the organization.

Manage Fenway’s brand and message

• Keep Fenway’s brand, voice, and visual identity consistent across all programs and channels.

• Set and enforce brand standards and lead the rollout of the brand across the website, donor materials, the annual report, and signage.

• Own and evolve Fenway’s organizational narrative, keeping a consistent story across care, research, education, advocacy, fundraising, executive communications, and media engagement.

Drive marketing and patient growth

• Lead the marketing that brings in new patients, framed as expanding access for LGBTQIA+ and underserved communities.

• Plan and run integrated paid, owned, and earned campaigns from strategy through results.

• Track where new patients come from and strengthen the path from awareness to a booked appointment.

• Set marketing targets and manage spending against industry and health-center benchmarks.

• Coordinate with Operations and Clinical teams so demand matches capacity.

Manage media relations and reputation

• Serve as a senior media contact and build relationships with local and national press.

• Maintain a pulse on the rapidly evolving media, healthcare, and public affairs landscape, identifying opportunities, emerging issues, and potential reputational risks before they become challenges.

• Cultivate relationships not only with traditional media but also with trusted influencers, content creators, advocates, and other voices shaping public conversations around LGBTQIA+ health, HIV care, and health equity.

• Proactively identify opportunities to position Fenway’s research and expertise in national and local media, shaping narratives on LGBTQIA+ health, HIV, and health equity.

• Direct outside agencies on reputation and crisis work within a clear scope.

• Lead issues management and crisis communications, including rapid-response messaging, message development, and coordination with leadership and external partners during high-profile or fast-moving situations.

• Apply a trauma-informed approach to communications, including the ability to communicate through complex, sensitive, or high-profile issues affecting patients, staff, and community members.

Elevate research and thought leadership

• Build strong working relationships with The Fenway Institute to align research priorities with communications strategy and external positioning.

• Translate and amplify the work of The Fenway Institute into accessible, compelling narratives that reach media, policymakers, funders, and the public, ensuring key research outputs do not remain internal or academic.

• Develop and execute strategies to ensure Fenway’s research informs public discourse, including proactive placement of op-eds, media coverage, and speaking opportunities.

• Partner with research leadership to identify high-impact findings and convert them into external visibility and influence.

• Integrate research insights into executive communications, including op-eds, speeches, and media engagement led by the CEO and senior leadership.

Oversee digital, web, and marketing technology

• Manage the website, email, social media, and marketing tools, including analytics and CRM.

• Set up tracking so channel performance and patient results can be measured.

• Keep the website accessible and current and manage digital vendors.

• Regularly assess Fenway’s communications channels and digital presence, working with internal teams and external partners to identify opportunities for optimization and audience engagement.

Lead executive and internal communications

• Lead and advise on the voice of Fenway’s leadership team, including executive communications, thought leadership, speaking opportunities, op-eds, talking points, and media preparation.

• Lead internal communications, with input from Human Resources and organizational leadership, spanning staff communications, change management, employee engagement, and messaging on organizational changes.

Support advocacy and donor communications

• Work with Government Relations on policy messaging and coalition communications.

• Work with Development on the case for support, event and donor materials, and the annual report.

Partner across the organization

• Work with Business Development on growth strategy, new service lines, and partnerships that expand patient access.

• Partner with Operations, Human Resources, and Clinical and Medical leadership on patient experience, recruitment and employer-brand marketing.

• Serve as a connective communications partner across the organization, collaborating closely with the Development (DevEx) team, advocacy and public affairs, clinical and research leadership, Human Resources, and other key stakeholders to align messaging and build trust.

Manage outside agencies, consultants, and vendors

• Manage external communications and marketing partners — including public relations, marketing, strategic communications, creative and design, and public affairs and lobbying firms — with clear scopes of work and escalation paths.

• Direct contractors on campaigns, paid media, and benchmarking, with clear ownership and deliverables.

• Ensure outside partners deliver quality work on budget.

Manage operations, budget, and staff

• Build the department budget and manage spending against it; maintain a simple dashboard linking work to results.

• Lead, train, and evaluate department staff following Fenway policies, with clear goals, delegation, and regular feedback.

Meet agency participatory expectations

• Follow all Fenway policies, work cooperatively across departments, protect patient confidentiality, follow safety rules, attend required meetings, and perform other duties as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or related field.

• 8–12 years of marketing and communications experience spanning brand, media, digital, and campaign work, with a record of growing patients, customers, or members.

• Experience leading a team and managing outside agencies, consultants, and vendors.

• Experience managing a budget.

• Strong writing and editing skills and sound judgment under pressure.

• Experience advising a CEO or other senior executives on communications strategy, positioning, and reputational risk, including independent message development in high-stakes situations.

• Experience communicating through complex, sensitive, or high-profile issues affecting patients, staff, and communities, and familiarity with trauma-informed communication practices.

• Comfort with marketing analytics, web, and CRM tools.

• Commitment to cultural competence with LGBTQIA+ and underserved communities.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant marketing and design technologies.

• Demonstrated ability to work respectfully and effectively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. This includes engaging constructively with colleagues, patients, clients, and vendors in a manner that reflects professionalism, empathy, and cultural awareness, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or other protected characteristics as defined by applicable law.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Healthcare, federally qualified health center, or nonprofit experience.

• Experience working with an ethnically, culturally and racially diverse work staff.

• Advanced degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or related field.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to meet the following with or without reasonable accommodation: sit at and use a computer workstation for extended periods.

• Occasional evening or weekend work for events and media.

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position leads the Marketing and Communications department, supervises the department’s internal staff (creative, digital, and content functions), and directs the work of Fenway’s external communications and marketing agencies, consultants, and vendors.

We offer competitive salaries, and for those who qualify, an excellent benefits package; including comprehensive medical and dental insurance plans, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, and more.

LGBTQIA+ identified persons, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), and individuals from other historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary Description

$134,800 - $168,500 /year