Position Summary
The Director of Communications provides strategic leadership for the Austen Riggs Center’s communications, marketing, branding, and external engagement. Reporting to the Medical Director/CEO and serving as a member of the senior leadership team, the Director builds and executes an integrated, long-range communications strategy that advances the Center’s mission, strengthens its national reputation, and supports organizational priorities, including referral development, patient census, philanthropy, education, research, and public engagement.
The Director combines broad knowledge of the national behavioral health care landscape with sophisticated communications judgment. The successful candidate will understand the distinct dynamics of community-based, nonprofit, academic, independent, investor-backed treatment organizations and will be able to position Austen Riggs clearly and credibly within this complex and rapidly changing environment.
This is both a strategic and hands-on leadership role. The Director will navigate a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary workplace; align diverse stakeholders around shared messages and priorities; lead a small communications and marketing team; and strengthen the Center’s digital presence through strong web, search, social, content, analytics, CRM, and responsible AI-enabled marketing practices.
Key Responsibilities
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Develop and lead a comprehensive, multi-year communications and marketing strategy aligned with the Center’s strategic plan, mission, clinical identity, and institutional priorities.
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Serve as a senior advisor to the Medical Director/CEO, senior leadership, and Board committees on reputation, positioning, executive communications, public affairs, emerging issues, and communications risk.
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Translate the distinctive value of Austen Riggs’ treatment model, institutional history, research, education, and thought leadership into clear, compelling messages for national audiences.
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Maintain a current, nuanced understanding of the behavioral health care marketplace, including private equity activity, nonprofit and community-based systems, payer and referral trends, workforce pressures, regulatory developments, consumer behavior, and evolving models of care.
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Develop audience-specific strategies for prospective patients and families, clinicians and referrers, alumni, donors, researchers, educators, policymakers, media, and the broader mental health community.
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Partner closely with Admissions and Referral Relations to strengthen the referral pipeline, improve market intelligence, support census goals, and evaluate the effectiveness of outreach and conversion strategies.
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Collaborate with Development and Alumni Relations, the Erikson Institute, clinical leadership, theOnlineIntensive Outpatient Program, and other departments to ensure that communications are coordinated, mission-aligned, and mutually reinforcing.
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Lead brand stewardship and ensure consistency, accuracy, accessibility, and quality across all internal and external communications, including publications, presentations, campaigns, events, media relations, and executive messaging.
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Direct the Center’s digital strategy, including website governance and optimization, search engine optimization and marketing, social media, email marketing, content strategy, online reputation, CRM integration, marketing automation, and performance analytics.
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Evaluate and implement responsible uses of artificial intelligence in communications and marketing, including content workflows, audience insights, personalization, search strategy, operational efficiency, quality control, privacy, and brand governance.
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Establish clear goals, dashboards, and key performance indicators; use data to assess reach, engagement, referral activity, conversion, reputation, and return on investment; and present actionable recommendations to senior leadership.
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Lead media relations and serve as an organizational spokesperson, asappropriate, in partnership with the Medical Director/CEO and subject-matter experts.
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Develop andmaintaincrisis and issues-management communications plans, ensuringtimely, coordinated,accurate, and values-based responses.
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Strengthen internal communications so that employees understand organizational priorities, changes, decisions, and the connection between their work and the Center’s mission.
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Lead, mentor, and develop communications and marketing staff; manage external agencies, consultants, freelancers, technology vendors, budgets, and project portfolios.
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Create effective decision-making and workflow structures across a complex organization, balancing consultation and inclusion with accountability, timeliness, and execution.
Qualifications
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Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, public relations, business, health care administration, orrelatedfield; advanced degree preferred.
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At least 10 years of progressively responsible communications and marketing experience, including significant leadership experience in behavioral health, health care, or a closely related mission-driven field.
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Demonstrated national knowledge of behavioral health carelandscapes includingcommunity, nonprofit, academic, and independent provider settings.
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Proven success leading communications within complex, multidisciplinary organizations thatrequireinfluence across clinical, operational, administrative, governance, and external stakeholder groups.
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Strong record of developing and executing integratedbrand, communications,referral, and growth strategies tied to measurable organizational outcomes.
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Advanced knowledge of digital marketing, website strategy and governance, content management systems, SEO/SEM, social media, email platforms, CRM systems, marketing automation, analytics, and online reputation management.
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Demonstrated ability to assess and apply AI-enabled tools strategically and responsibly, with attention to accuracy, privacy, ethics, governance, and organizational readiness.
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Exceptional writing, editing, presentation, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex clinical and institutional ideas understandable without oversimplifying them.
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Experience with media relations, executive communications, crisis communications, and reputation management.
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Strong financial and operational judgment, including budget management, vendor oversight, prioritization, and resource allocation.
Leadership Attributes
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A strategic thinker who can connect mission, market context, audience needs, and organizational goals.
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A collaborative, politically astute leader who can build trust, manage competing perspectives, and move work forward in a complex workplace system.
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A credible and curious learner with respectforclinicalexpertise, institutional culture, and the lived experience of patients and families.
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A decisive, accountable operator who combineshigh standardswith practicality, responsiveness, and follow-through.
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A thoughtful steward of the Austen Riggs brand and reputation, grounded in integrity, discretion, empathy, and sound judgment.
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A modern communications leader who is comfortable with experimentation, data, technology, and responsible innovation.
