Health Communications Specialist (Healthcare)
Equal Opportunity Employer
The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services. Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status. This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia's employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.
JOB SUMMARY
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), Division of Disease Control (DDC), works to prevent, control, and report on diseases and conditions that are contagious and/or affect the public's health. DDC helps prepare for public health emergencies and educate the community on how to stay safe and healthy.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), through its Immunizations program in the Division of Disease Control, oversees the purchase and distribution of federally funded vaccines to local healthcare providers. As one of 64 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded program areas, the Philadelphia Immunization Program is charged with the mission to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases and increase the immunization coverage levels among infants, children, adolescents and adults in Philadelphia.
Working with the communications team, this position will be responsible for producing clear, accessible health information for health care providers and the public. This position will be responsible for developing and disseminating clearly written, well-designed health communication materials for public health prevention partners in a variety of formats, such as web content, blogs, newsletters, training materials, reports, etc. Additionally, this position will provide support for the clearance of developed materials as needed and briefings to management and partners. The position will be largely responsible for project managing materials requested from the communications team and will take a primary role in ensuring materials are ready in a timely fashion. Funding for this position is only guaranteed until June 2026.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Responsibilities/Duties
- Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate traditional and message strategies that meet public health mission and goals.
- Translate complex medical ideas to plain language.
- Work with Medical Director to write blogs.
- Work members of the immunization program to write program updates, health advisories and other communications to providers, partners and the public.
- Work with our VFC, VFAAR, and outreach teams to create newsletters or other supportive outreach materials.
- Work with other members of the Communications Team to create copy for educational public and provider facing print and digital materials.
- Partner with organizations and online partners to develop effective opportunities for message planning, research, message development, and message delivery.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with partners, contractors, and stakeholders.
- Ensure communication activities are based on accepted principles, methods, and best practices.
- Attend internal and external meetings as requested.
- Complete assigned contract deliverables, including required reports, within established timeframes.
- Manage project work, as needed, including quality assurance and deliverable compliance
- Respond in real life public health emergencies.
- Other duties as required.
Evidence suggests those from marginalized groups often only apply to jobs if they meet all of the qualifications. However, perfect candidates don't exist! You are encouraged to apply if the above duties interest you, and the sum of your professional and academic experience balance to overcome the absence of some of the education or experience preferences highlighted below.
Education:
4+ years of relevant experience in a public health setting or equivalent combination of education and experience. Journalism, PR, and state or local health department experience is a plus.
Skills/Experience:
- Candidates should understand communication theory and practices
- Spanish speaking candidates encouraged to apply
- Knowledge of 508 compliance and accessibility
- Experience engaging public health preventions partners at the state and/or local level, as well as digital media strategy and implementation
- Previous experience working in a healthcare setting preferred
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and written as well as interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a team environment, and an interest in interacting with the public in a variety of settings
- Must be authorized to work legally in the U.S.
Work Environment: This is not a remote role. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, talk, and hear. This job may require moderate physical effort including lifting materials and equipment of less than 50 pounds and involves viewing a CRT or VDT screen 50 to 75 percent of the time. The position requires responding to public health emergencies on short notice and some after-hours activities to achieve Program Objectives.
Position Type and Work Schedule: Full time position, typical hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. As of July 15, 2024, all City employees and City-embedded contractors are expected to work in the field or in the office full-time.
Travel: Some travel may be required as public health guidance allows it.
Physical Demands: Must be able to lift 25 lbs.
Salary and Benefits: $58,000-60,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Our employees are our most valuable resource, so we offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, which can include:
- Medical with vision benefits
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending accounts
- Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance
- Short- and long-term disability insurance
- 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
- Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday
- Employee Assistance Program
Eligibility and participation is handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy.
DISCLAIMER
The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.
