Homeward is a technology-enabled healthcare provider delivering quality, affordable and comprehensive care to those who don’t have it. Starting in rural America. Today, 60 million Americans living in rural communities are facing a crisis of access to care. In the U.S. healthcare system, rural Americans experience significantly poorer clinical outcomes. This trend is rapidly accelerating as rural hospitals close and physician shortages increase, exacerbating health disparities. In fact, Americans living in rural communities suffer a mortality rate 23 percent higher than those in urban communities, in part because of the lack of access to quality care.
Our vision is care that enables everyone to achieve their best health. So, we’re rearchitecting the way it’s delivered – leveraging breakthroughs in diagnostics, remote monitoring, and a variety of other domains, Homeward is creating a new healthcare delivery model that is purpose-built for rural America and directly addresses the issues that have historically limited access and quality.
Most importantly, we’re aligning everyone’s incentives (ours, partner health plans’, and members’) towards getting and keeping people healthy by taking full responsibility and financial risk for the total cost of each member’s healthcare and outcomes.
Homeward is co-founded by a leadership team that defined and delivered Livongo’s products, and backed most recently by a $50 million series B co-led by Arch Ventures and Human Capital, with participation from General Catalyst for a total of $70 million in funding. With this leadership team and funding, Homeward is committed to bringing high-quality healthcare to rural communities in need.
The Opportunity
As the Vice President of Communications, you contribute to Homeward’s success by creating enterprise strategies, planning, organizing and directing Homeward’s activities in the arenas of public affairs/relations, internal communications, external communications, media relations, community affairs, government affairs, philanthropic giving and community activation. This executive will be responsible for developing and implementing communications strategies that promote, enhance, and protect Homeward's value proposition and brand reputation. The VP will oversee the communications team and work closely with senior leadership to communicate Homeward’s vision, mission, values, and achievements to various stakeholders, including employees, media, and the public.
What You'll Do
- Develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan to advance Homeward's brand identity, broaden awareness of its products, services, programs and priorities, and increase the visibility of its products, services and programs across key stakeholder audiences in ways that align with and advance Homeward’s mission, brand and reputation.
- Lead and manage Homeward's public relations efforts, including media outreach, press releases, and crisis management, to enhance Homeward's image and position within the marketplace and the general public.
- Serve as Homeward's lead point person on media interactions, actively engaging, cultivating, and managing press relationships to ensure coverage of issues of strategic importance to the organization.
- Be an active participant in Homeward’s leadership team, including being knowledgeable about the events, trends and industry developments, and corporate social responsibility.
- Oversee and elevate executive leadership and CEO communications and thought-leadership efforts.
- Advise the CEO and other key members of the senior management team on communications and public relations strategies and issues and potential impact on the organization.
- Elevate and advocate for the role of communications as a strategic business function. Understand the role of communications in driving a strategic plan and business growth, with proven experience in tying communications efforts to business results.
- Secure and support external speaking engagements through deep industry knowledge and relationships that drive opportunities.
- Proactively prepare messaging for external speaking engagements at conferences and with reporters.
- Provide leadership in the development of all communications materials, including website content, marketing collateral, and digital communications, ensuring their alignment with Homeward's brand strategy.
- Foster and maintain effective and collaborative relationships between Marketing, Growth/Engagement, and Government Affairs, particularly those departments responsible for social media, brand promotion, product promotion, and member engagement.
- Guide the development and implementation of efforts to raise awareness, both internally and externally, of Homeward’s public benefit purpose and its unique status as both a Public Benefit Corporation and a Certified B CorporationTM.
- Collaborate with marketing, sales, and product development teams to align communication strategies across all channels and initiatives.
- Provide leadership and direction to the communications team, fostering an environment of creativity, innovation, and professional growth.
- Measure and report on the effectiveness of communication strategies and campaigns, adjusting strategies as needed based on analytics and feedback to enhance Homeward’s power of voice and share of voice.
- Oversee and support investor relations activities, including the preparation and dissemination of press releases and investor briefings, ensuring clear and consistent communication of the company's financial performance and strategic direction to shareholders and the financial community.
- Responsible for the preparation and coordination of all-hands meetings and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meeting agendas, ensuring effective communication and alignment of organizational goals and initiatives across all levels of the company.
What You Bring
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field; a Master's degree is preferred.
- 5-10 years of proven experience in a senior-level communications or public relations role, preferably in a similar industry.
- Strong experience and leadership in managing a comprehensive strategic communications, media relations, and marketing program to advance an organization's mission and goals.
- Proven track record of designing and executing successful public relations campaigns at both a local and national level.
- Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to effectively interface with senior management, Homeward's board of directors, and staff.
- Exceptional media relations skills with proven experience of positive results from working with national-level press.
- Demonstrated ability to clearly articulate a compelling vision and strategy, including demonstrated ability to produce original content and translate strategy into action for key stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to work well under the pressure of deadlines, unpredictability, and multiple priorities.
- Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate in a high-performance team environment.
- Proven experience in counseling and influencing senior executives.
- Expertise in both traditional and emerging media and communications.
- Knowledge of rural healthcare dynamics and challenges is a plus.
- High energy, resilience, and a genuine enthusiasm for changing healthcare.
- A low ego and high-impact approach to leadership, prioritizing the success of the team and the organization above personal recognition.
- Leadership by example, showing a willingness to dive into tasks both big and small to drive projects to completion.
- A strong hustle mentality, proactively seeking new opportunities to advance the organization's goals, and quickly adapting to changing priorities.
What Shapes Our Company
- Deep commitment to one another, the people and communities we serve, and to care that enables everyone to achieve their best health
- Compassion and empathy
- Curiosity and an eagerness to listen
- Drive to deliver high-quality experiences, clinical care, and cost-effectiveness
- Strong focus on the sustainability of our business and scalability of our services to maximize our reach and impact
- Nurturing a diverse workforce with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and points of view
- Taking our mission and business seriously, but not taking ourselves too seriously– having fun as we build!
Benefits
- Competitive salary, equity grant, unlimited PTO
- Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision insurance with 100% of monthly premium covered for employees
- Company-sponsored 401k plan
Compensation: $190,000 - $220,000. Compensation is based on qualifications, experience, skillset, and location.
At Homeward, a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences enrich our teams and allow us to achieve above and beyond our goals. If you have yet to gain experience in the areas detailed above, we hope you will share your unique background with us in your application and how it can be additive to our teams.
Homeward is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Homeward is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.
