Communications Officer, Co-Chair Communications
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA, United States
Your Role
The Communications Officer (CO), Co-chair Communications will support the Deputy Director, Co-chair Communications, and be a member of the team responsible for planning and leading communications related to the activities of our foundation’s co-chairs. In this role, you will collaborate with the senior editor, writers, project manager, and colleagues in various functions within the communications division and across the foundation to deliver on-message communications. Reporting to the Deputy Director, Co-Chair Communications, you will also be responsible for developing high-quality co-chair correspondence and executing the process working with the project manager and colleagues across the foundation.
What You’ll Do
- Support the Deputy Director in maintaining co-chair voice calendars and trackers, strategies, and plans.
- Implement co-chair communications strategies, including developing early thinking on communications plans for trips and moments throughout the year with inputs from colleagues across the division, including regional offices.
- Review materials (talking points, briefs, event plans) and advise colleagues on co-chair engagements to enhance their voices.
- Prepare and lead calls with partners across the foundation and with the private offices of the co-chairs.
- Partner with the CEO Communications team and Executive Leadership Team communication contacts to maintain line-of-sight as to how the most senior voices in the foundation are being deployed against our key priorities.
- Partner with the Channels and Brand, Editorial, and Content teams to coordinate co-chair voice across the foundation’s digital channels and personal co-chair channels across key moments and events (ensuring integrated voice planning across media, digital, in-person appearances).
- Write correspondence for the co-chairs based on trips and other moments that require email or letter communications with partners.
- Ability to travel up to 20% globally and domestically.
Your Experience (i.e., Qualifications and Education)
The CO, Co-chair Communications should have demonstrated experience in public relations roles at an agency, non-profit foundation, or private sector company. Support for executive, CEO, board member voice preferred. You will have extensive writing experience for senior-level executives.
You are strategic, proactive, adaptable, and a problem-solver. You can work under pressure with poise and operate with alacrity in a fast-paced and respectful environment, ideally with experience navigating large, matrixed, global organizations. You also bring respect and curiosity to working with colleagues from around the world with a client service approach. You are creative, resourceful, and have excellent judgment, and you enjoy collaboration.
- Bachelor’s or advanced degree with 5+ years of related and direct experience in designing and delivering internal/external executive communication strategies OR equivalent combination.
- Strong written and oral skills and an understanding of and analytical approach to crisis and reputational communications strategies and tactics particularly for correspondence writing.
- Experience leading multiple complex projects at one time, such as principal trips, publications, or product development.
- Ability to build trusting and effective relationships with colleagues, leadership principals, and external partners.
- Willingness to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines with attention to detail and strength in composing and delivering quality materials.
- Sense of humor, positive, professional attitude, especially in stressful and time-sensitive situations.
- Ease working with different types of people and working styles and commitment to DEI and understanding of cultural empathy.
- Experience working with philanthropies, or in the fields of global health & development and/or education.
*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.
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