AVP, Chief of Staff, Communications, Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility

Job Description

The role requires a highly resourceful individual with strong emotional intelligence, self-motivation, and strong analytical skills.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Preparation for, and facilitation of, “critical path” CCMCSRO meetings (e.g., with executive leadership, Board of Trustees, current or potential partners, government officials, and peer executives). While members of any one of these groups may initiate these meetings through the SLT member’s Executive Assistant and be responsible for inviting and preparing participants, the CoS is accountable to ensure that the meeting objectives are realistic, that preparation is appropriate, and that the CCMCSRO is well-prepared. This responsibility is less about logistics and more about content and the CoS’s judgment about the appropriateness and sufficiency of the intended preparation.

• Coordination/orchestration of projects or commitments, as assigned that directly involve the CCMCSRO and direct reports. This responsibility primarily focuses on ensuring alignment among often disparate stakeholders and, when such alignment is absent, sharing this fact with the CMCSRO and recommending mitigating approaches. While this responsibility envisions the CoS “going deep” on a relatively limited number of projects, s/he would also need to understand the breadth of the projects within the CCMCSRO’s purview.

• Independent leadership, coordination and orchestration of special projects or commitments related to CCMCSR Officer’s ELT and Board of Trustees responsibilities.

• Partnering with Corporate Communications, coordinate the development of draft executive thought leadership communication on behalf of the CCMCSRO and/or research in support of these. Communications range from ELT and Board of Trustees materials to follow up correspondence related to meetings with partners and staff, to speaking engagements involving external audiences. In addition to the drafting of key communications, the CoS should also be able to accurately reflect the CCMCSRO’s position in internal meetings to help drive understanding of views, though the role does not entail devolved responsibility to act for the CCMCSRO unless so specified.

• Proactive identification of issues that could impact the successful execution of the CCMCSRO’s commitments: This responsibility involves elevating those issues about which the CCMCSRO should be aware and framing/positioning ideas to resolve the problem/mitigate the risk.

• Support the division’s senior leadership team’s communications with the CCMCSRO: The CoS will help facilitate decisions the division SLT staff need receiving feedback on from the CCMCSRO. S/he will support the needs of the SLT staff in their ability to raise critical issues with the CCMCSRO and receive needed responses, guidance and decisions.

• Oversee the CMCSR division’s employee engagement strategy, including the creation of an annual strategy and engagement survey.

• Plan and manage the weekly CMCSR SLT meetings, ensuring structure, time for ideation and alignment with run-the-business goals for the division.

Additional specific responsibilities include:

• Work closely with the Executive Assistant to remain apprised of/schedule upcoming commitments, confirm objectives for meetings and recommend participants and best approach

• A strategic thinker with the ability to execute on high-level vision while ensuring operational excellence.

• Develop background materials for meetings (Note: CCMCSRO’s Executive Assistant will assist with basic preparation)

• Work closely with the CMCSRO to monitor and address issues that may arise across the communications, marketing and CSR spectrum, including public relations, brand reputation, digital media and special projects.

• Provide leadership and support to cross-functional teams on priority initiatives, ensuring a deep partnership with the Strategy, Planning and Performance team within the CMCSR division.

• Help ensure participants are aware of and prepared for the meeting

• Attend meetings, capture major action items, and work with executive team to ensure follow up

• Work with the Executive Assistant to ensure appropriate and timely communication to participants

• Monitor progress/achievement of next steps Project Coordination/Orchestration

• Develop and maintain an inventory of critical path projects in which the CCMCSRO is especially interested and/or for which his awareness and involvement is essential

• Work with Executive staff to align their actions and communications in support of agreed upon goals. CoS’s role will be to work with all staff to ensure that the CCMCSRO needs are conveyed, that progress is being made in a timely way, and that any demands on CEO’s schedule are understood and agreed upon. The CoS will also work to ensure the Executive team’s needs are conveyed to the CCMCSRO for consideration.

• Create inventory of upcoming communication “events”—including articles, columns, speeches, panel discussions, etc.

• Create, maintain and leverage a relationship mapping of the CCMCSRO and the company’s key external relationships and their respective interconnectivity.

• Work with CCMCSRO to determine the role the COS will play in outlining, drafting, and/or researching in support of each event.

• Prepare follow up correspondence for internal and external meetings.

• Conduct fact checking-in support of all communications.

• Represent the CCMCSRO in outside forums that the CCMCSRO cannot attend. Often, this will mean accompanying another company executive to a meeting as well as participating in the existing Chiefs of Staff network internally.

• Follow up with copies of communication materials as appropriate.

Hiring Requirements

• Bachelor's degree is required with minimum of 10 years related work experience.

• This role provides privileged access to the inner workings of Blue Cross NC and to highly sensitive information. The successful candidate will be discreet, high-energy, agile-minded, strategic, proactive, a direct communicator, highly-organized and committed to the vision and values of Blue Cross NC.

• Experience in crisis management and issue resolution, with a keen understanding of brand and reputation protection.

• Minimum - two year commitment to the role that may prepare the incumbent for a more general management role at Blue Cross NC.

• Results/action-oriented with exceptional project management skills

• Organizational and political agility; well-developed negotiation skills

• Strong strategic/financial analysis skills

• In lieu of degree, 12+ years of experience in related field

Salary Range

At Blue Cross NC, we take great pride in a fair and equitable compensation package that reflects market-price and our starting salaries are typically planned near the middle of the range listed. Compensation decisions are driven by factors including experience and training, specialized skill sets,  licensure and certifications and other business and organizational needs. Our base salary is part of a robust Total Rewards package that includes an Annual Incentive Bonus*, 401(k) with employer match, Paid Time Off (PTO), and competitive health benefits and wellness programs. 

*Based on annual corporate goal achievement and individual performance.