Director, Program Influence (Communications & Advocacy), USPP

Position Overview
The Program Influence team helps advance The Rockefeller Foundations programmatic Big Bets and strategic priorities by using communications policy and advocacy as tools for influence translating program strategy and evidence into public narrative policy engagement and stakeholder mobilization that strengthen the Foundations institutional narrative. The Director Program Influence (Communications & Advocacy) US Program and Policy (USPP) spends roughly 85% of their time on US Program priorities and 15% on cross-program and institutional work.

The U.S. Program and Policy team advances the mission of The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) by partnering with communities policymakers employers and other stakeholders to expand economic opportunity and improve outcomes for people across the United States.

Reporting to the SVP Program Integration with secondary reporting lines to the SVP US Program and Policy and SVP Strategic Communications the Director Program Influence (Communications & Advocacy) operates as a hands-on individual contributor delivering results through close partnership with program leadership fellow Program Influencers and institutional colleagues in Communications.

Work Schedule:This role follows a hybrid schedule and is required to be in the New York City office Monday through Thursday.

Pay Range:$175000 - $210000. This represents the present low and high end of the Foundations pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors including but not limited to experience.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an evidence-based program influence strategy identifying priority audiences and building outreach and engagement plans that advance program objectives expand media engagement and deepen public private and philanthropic investor interest.
• Partner with program leads to surface proof points and impact stories and pipeline them to Communications and Policy on a standing cadence so the institutional narrative stays credible current and grounded in programmatic impact. Craft a unifying external narrative for the program that amplifies its impact and builds on the Foundations institutional message architecture which the Communications team manages translating complex program work into persuasive messaging for policymakers partners and philanthropic audiences.
• Lead the identification and execution of strategic convenings and tent-pole moments and represent the Foundation and its leadership at regional global and multilateral events.
• Advance the programs ideas solutions and partnerships by working through institutional channels Communications Policy & Advocacy Connected Leaders and the media accelerator rather than building parallel capacity coordinating closely with fellow Program Influence colleagues so strategies are built together rather than in isolation.
• Partner with the Communications team to develop the programs annual channel and content plan priorities formats and platforms and execute against it. Use audience insight and analytics to track reach recognition and influence and refine the plan with Communications accordingly.
• Work within institutional editorial standards message architecture prioritization voice and visual identity across all program content and channels.
• Help shape where USPPs evidence base can be most persuasive with policymakers and work with regional teams to monitor policy risk and validate impact claims before they are used externally.
• Serve as a thought partner to program leadership on narrative positioning and contribute to cross-Foundation learning on storytelling audience engagement and influence.
• Oversee a project management system tracking milestones and deliverables contribute to Board-level materials as needed and select and manage grantees consultants and vendors.
• Support colleagues on other programs and institutional projects as assigned deliver against annual goals covering both the programs Big Bet objectives and the coherence of its narrative with the institutional story set jointly with Program Strategy and Communications and participate in the weekly institutional communications meeting applying the Foundations communications playbook to decisions about what the Foundation says publicly.

Education Experience and Skills

• Generally expected to have 10 years of strategic communications policy and advocacy experience
• Bachelors degree in a relevant field.
• Strong understanding of U.S. economic opportunity and workforce development and preferable experience working with domestic policymakers.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholders in a fast-paced matrixed environment.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and coalition-building skills; comfortable working with senior leaders and external partners.
• Experience managing complex initiatives with multiple vendors and stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into compelling stories and narratives with strong command of the new media environment (social podcasts creator and influencer channels and emerging digital platforms).
• Proven exceptional writing verbal and interpersonal communication skills and professional presence.
• Skilled in media relations digital strategy and content creation.
• Experience in handling sensitive information including crisis management.
• At ease navigating among nonprofit government and corporate sectors both domestically and globally.
• Self-motivated creative and entrepreneurial with a strong work ethic.
• Experience designing and leading high-profile convenings and events and representing an organization at external forums

Competencies

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency high energy and enthusiasm.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex high-quantity and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organizations goals.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science technology and innovation that enable individuals families and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food health energy and finance including through our public charity RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information sign up for our newsletter at and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment a generous 401K parental leave and various forms of paid time off all to help our employees feel energized cared for and engaged.

As an organization we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent Optimistic Accountable Collaborative Trusted and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal state and local laws concerning employment discrimination including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race color age gender sexual orientation religion marital status national origin or ancestry citizenship lawful alien status physical mental and medical disability veteran status liability for service in the United States Armed Forces or any other protected status.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.