Rescue Social Change Group (Rescue SCG) is seeking an experienced public health policy change professional to lead Rescue SCG’s policy change efforts in tobacco control and obesity prevention in Virginia. The Public Health Policy Campaign Manager (PHPCM) will work exclusively on campaigns associated with a youth movement called Y Street. Y Street is fully managed by Rescue SCG and is based on Rescue SCG’s proprietary Evolvement youth engagement model that focuses on tangible and quantifiable results. The Y Street program recruits, trains, and supports high school youth as they participate in policy change activities such as collecting petitions, testimonials, and letters of support. A team is currently in place to lead and support these youth, generating thousands of signatures, letters, and other policy change support items.
The PHPCM would be responsible for the development, launch, and management of the youth-generated public support to further policy change initiatives and, at times, succeed in changing health policy at the local, state, or national level. The PHPCM would be expected to serve as a strategic leader (developing campaign strategy, etc.), social media manager, project manager, and community change agent (working directly with stakeholders and partners to progress change).
Qualified candidates are experienced in developing and implementing campaign plans for grassroots advocacy campaigns. The Manager must understand the significance of youth as agents of change in the policy change process and have ability to leverage impact. The Manager must have extensive experience in developing and implementing social media strategies to further campaign efforts on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Manager will report directly to Public Health Policy Campaign Group Manager, also based in the DC metro area office.
The Manager would have six overarching responsibilities:
1) Successful development and management of public health policy campaigns on tobacco control and obesity prevention that engages hundreds of high school youth in Virginia;
2) Collaborating with Youth Engagement Coordinators on implementation strategies to maximize youth engagement and impact on policy change efforts;
3) Developing and implementing social media campaigns as part of overall policy campaign strategy;
4) Building and maintaining relationships with third-party organizations and/or coalitions to maximize campaign impact;
5) Improvements on the concepts and processes of Rescue SCG’s proprietary youth engagement model to meaningfully engage youth in policy change efforts in a quantifiable and tangible manner; and
6) Regular reporting on Y Street’s campaign progress and social media efforts.
To achieve these responsibilities, the Manager must have strong skills in reporting, communications, new media, advocacy, and mobilizing the public while being a self-starter, inquisitive, up-to-date on best practices in youth engagement, and able to effectively as part of a team. In addition, because of the high-tech nature of the youth engagement system, the use of social media, and the need to communicate with youth on their devices and platforms, a strong understanding of current technologies is necessary. Non-tech savvy individuals need not apply.
Rescue SCG’s youth-led policy change and public awareness campaigns in Virginia include the following topics:
- Point of sale advertising in supermarkets, gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience stores;
- Flavored tobacco products;
- Sugar-sweetened beverages;
- Mandatory physical education in schools.
Company Description
Rescue Social Change Group (Rescue SCG) is a for-profit social change agency with a mission to improve people’s lives through cost-effective and evidence-based behavior change programs. Clients include local, state and national government organizations as well as not-for-profits, schools, universities, and foundations addressing issues such as tobacco, violence, underage drinking, and after school programs. Rescue SCG provides services in marketing, research, and strategic planning to execute social change efforts nationwide. Rescue SCG has been named one of San Diego’s 100 fastest growing companies for five years and expects 2012 to be its sixth year. Rescue SCG is based in San Diego, with offices in Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Washington, DC, and new offices expected this year in 5 – 8 other cities. Rescue SCG’s efforts are focused on youth and young adult populations to cause behavior change and/or policy change. The Rescue SCG team is youthful and energized, challenging industry standards to develop effective and sustainable solutions for public health issues.
The PHPCM will focus exclusively on Y Street, Virginia’s statewide youth-led movement that utilizes Evolvement, Rescue SCG’s proprietary youth engagement model. Y Street members promote healthy lifestyles by educating the public and presenting a call to action with specific campaigns. Specifically, Y Street focuses on tobacco control and physical activity promotion efforts. Y Street does not focus on traditional health messages, but rather on social justice issues and consumer advocacy. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids awarded Y Street the 2011 Group Youth Advocate of the Year Award, a highly prestigious award in the tobacco control community. Additionally, Y Street has also been recognized by the Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products, Governor Kaine, and various other important decision makers.
Y Street recruits new members annually through a Mini-Grants program for school- and community-based organizations throughout Virginia. Recipients receive $2,000 in unrestricted funds and promote Y Street amongst youth members and their peers. Once trained, youth become official youth members with exclusive access to the members-only site where they sign up for projects. Rescue SCG staff train and guide youth on projects and events that are based on different policy change objectives. The Campaign Manager will be responsible for developing and managing the campaign to ensure that all youth efforts on the ground contribute effectively towards a policy change strategic plan.
Position Description
The PHPCM responsibilities would include, but are not limited to:
1. Developing and implementing campaign strategies to achieve policy change;
2. Leading policy change related public relations and social media strategies;
3. Managing initial campaign branding process and ensuring consistent branding throughout campaign life, including but not limited to brainstorming campaign imagery, developing campaign brands with the design team, testing brands, and effectively launching the campaign;
4. Recruiting and coordinating with third-party organizations, partners, legislators, community leaders, and stakeholders to support campaign objectives;
5. Assessing the readiness of a community to change certain policies to encourage clients to pursue relevant policy change efforts;
6. Achieving campaign objectives which at times may be leading efforts that directly affect policy change and others times may be achieving voluntary or corporate-based policies;
7. Providing policy change updates to Youth Action Managers who guide youth efforts and ensuring a collaborative process in campaign development and implementation when possible;
8. Contributing youth training materials that are relevant to policy change campaigns;
9. Manage campaign-related tasks, including regular reporting on campaign progress;
10. Managing campaign progress including data entry and report development (data entry will be completed by support staff);
11. Utilizing best practices in policy change strategies to contribute to the development of Rescue SCG’s approach to practical policy change in a manner consistent with the OOYE model;
12. Directing, mentoring, and training any lower level personnel working on the campaign;
13. Working with top performing youth activists to increase their engagement in policy change process;
14. Ensure earned media coverage on Y Street campaigns;
15. Providing necessary updates and reports to supervisors and clients.
16. Further Rescue SCG’s proprietary youth engagement model to include best practices;
17. Stay up-to-date on advocacy, grassroots, and youth engagement strategies and be active in the youth engagement forum at large to ensure that Rescue SCG’s practices remain innovative, unique, and of top quality;
18. Contribute to the ongoing development of Rescue SCG’s proprietary technologies to manage youth engagement.
Candidate Requirements
Work Experience:
3 years of professional experience in grassroots advocacy, public health policy, youth programs and/or youth engagement required
Education Level:
Bachelor’s Degree in public health, psychology, community health, sociology, communications, or public relations required. Masters in Public Health strongly preferred.
Minimum Age:
Must be 21 y/o or older
Environment:
Must have valid driver’s license, a reliable vehicle, computer and Internet access, must be available to work non-traditional hours such as late nights and weekends, must be a non-smoker, and must be able to lift 30 lbs. Virginia/DC-based travel averages around twice per month, out of state air-travel averages once per quarter. Travel may occur on short notice.
Required Skills:
Strong organizational skills to oversee numerous projects at once;
Strategic vision to identify objectives and strategies to achieve them;
Savvy with technology and new media;
Strong research skills;
Strong with numbers for analyzing reports;
Strong networking and communication skills to build partnerships and recruit supporters;
High-level competency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint (or Mac equivalent)
Able to operate independently and run projects from inception to completion;
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively in teams;
Strong verbal and written communication skills;
Strong editing and writing skills for various client reports, campaign materials, etc.;
Demonstrated professionalism with people throughout all organizational levels;
Ability to excel in high-stress, fast-paced environments;
Highly attentive to detail and perfectionist with ability to quickly identify and solve problems;
Ability to see the big picture while keeping track of details;
Excellent interpersonal skills;
Ability to quickly identify problems and troubleshoot;
Strong public speaking skills;
Ability to remain flexible and modify priorities as needed;
Action- and results-oriented with attention to proper process implementation;
Team player with a positive attitude.
Desired Skills:
Demonstrated success in public health policy change efforts;
Demonstrated experience working with youth leaders;
Experience/connections with existing health-focused coalitions;
Creative experience to support creative team members and review creative ideas;
Experience in tobacco control;
Experience with quantitative data analysis software such as SPSS, STATA, or other.
Training:
A comprehensive training would be provided to the selected candidate reviewing Rescue SCG’s Evolvement youth engagement model concepts and processes. The training is conducted at RSCG’s Washington, D.C. area office and paid for by RSCG.
Location:
Washington, DC metro area
Salary/Status:
Salary Based on Salary History, Experience and Education Level - Full Time, Exempt Position / Salary Range Possible - $45,000 – $58,000
Benefits:
Eligible to participate in Performance-Based Bonuses and company benefit plans
Target Start Date:
ASAP
Apply Online
All applications must be submitted through RSCG’s online careers system at RescueSCG.com/careers. We will not accept applications via email, mail, fax or in-person delivery. No calls please. Send questions to careers@rescuescg.com.