Communication Assistant

Brief Overview:

We are seeking a Communication Assistant to manage Helpline social media and website content, support marketing campaigns, and provide administrative and logistical support on communication-related activities.

Position Description:

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a non-profit, public health consulting organization with a mission to help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy, and research.  With an emphasis on community engagement and commitment to racial and healthy equity, HRiA has earned a national reputation as a leader in the fields of public health and social change. We work with diverse clients who share our vision of healthier communities, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state and local health departments, community-based organizations, hospitals, and private/corporate philanthropic entities.

Since its founding in 1957, HRiA has been at the forefront of public health, leading the way to promote healthier and more vibrant communities. Our work recognizes how structural racism and social and economic factors impact health outcomes. Our health equity framework centers on racial equity and guides our work with communities, partners, and clients as well as our internal policies and processes. HRiA is a member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes, comprising over 40 affiliates across the country.

Health Resources in Action offers exciting, engaging, and challenging employment opportunities for researchers, facilitators, analysts, trainers, policy specialists, and more. People come to HRiA because of our commitment to social justice and health equity, our wonderful clients and partners, and our dedicated and dynamic staff. People stay at HRIA because of our collaborative approach to problem solving, our friendly work environment, and our commitment to providing employees with challenging and exciting professional opportunities.

Equity & inclusion are core values of our organization. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through varied backgrounds. As public health practitioners with a social justice focus, we are committed to better understanding and learning from the institutional structures that create disparities among us and our work. We are actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff. We provide an energizing and supportive environment in which to work and to build a career. For more information about the organization visit http://www.hria.org.

HRiA’s core services focus on: (1) capacity building assistance, (2) grantmaking for biomedical research and community health initiatives, (3) research and evaluation, (4) policy and systems change, and (5) public health services – all with a central vision of advancing health and racial equity. HRiA’s health and racial equity team collaborates across all of our service areas and externally with partners and clients to disrupt the systems that have created inequities and injustices within the communities we serve and develop and strengthen internal policies and practices to support our own organizational culture transformation.

About the Helplines: HRiA manages an extensive portfolio of behavioral health initiatives, including statewide substance use Helplines in Vermont and substance use and problem gambling Helplines in Massachusetts and Illinois. The Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances (Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery) was launched in 2017, building upon our experience operating the MA Substance Use Helpline (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services) for over 23 years. HRiA launched the Vermont Helplink (Vermont Department of Health, Division of Substance Use Programs) in 2019. HRiA began operating the MA Problem Gambling Helpline (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Problem Gambling Services) in 2020 and the Illinois Problem Gambling Helpline (Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery) in 2022. In the fall of 2023, HRiA was awarded a contract for the Behavioral Health Resource Network Helpline for the Oregon Health Authority, which is now in development. To learn more about HRiA and our Helplines, visit:

Opportunity

HRiA is seeking an energetic and proactive Communication Assistant to support marketing and communication strategies primarily for the substance use and problem gambling Helplines operated by HRiA. This is an excellent opportunity to apply and build communication and marketing skills and experience, and to gain exposure to public health broadly and behavioral health specifically.

Position Description

The Communication Assistant will manage Helpline social media and website content, support marketing campaigns, and provide administrative and logistical support on communication-related activities. The Communication Assistant will report to the Associate Director, Helplines Marketing (to be hired); be a member of the Health and Racial Equity Cluster; a member of the Helplines team; and will work closely with communication, outreach, and project management staff of the Helplines. As a member of the Health and Racial Equity Cluster, the Communication Assistant will contribute to the Communication and Narrative Practice Area and be part of a cluster that works to transform culture, community, and systems by shifting narratives, building community power, and advancing equitable policies and practices.

This is an exempt, full-time position with a salary range in the high 40s to low 50s, based on skills and experience. The Communication Assistant may work remotely or in the Boston office. Residency or experience in MA, IL, VT, and/or OR is a bonus. Occasional travel to the Boston office and states in which HRiA operates Helplines is required (for example, 2-4 times a year); travel is paid for and/or reimbursed by HRiA or funded projects.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Work

  • Support communication and marketing strategies and tasks for HRiA’s multiple substance use/problem gambling Helplines, including marketing campaigns, website enhancements, and other ongoing communication needs
  • Contribute to content strategy and develop content for Helpline social media and web-based assets
  • Monitor multiple social media channels on a daily basis
  • Work closely with web and communication staff to support the development of web-based assets
  • Support project management tasks including adhering to workplans; keeping staff, consultants, and clients on task; and administrative needs such as invoicing, budget tracking, scheduling, and notetaking
  • Manage production of print materials as needed and coordinate with internal and external fulfillment partners
  • Provide additional communication and administration support as needed on other non-Helpline projects

Thought Leadership

  • Contribute to the development and formatting of reports, presentations, and other client- or external-facing products
  • Engage in ongoing learning about communication and marketing strategy and best practice
  • Be an active contributor to the Health and Racial Equity Cluster, communication and narrative practice area, and Helpline team
  • Offer ideas and improvements in project and/or organizational processes and systems through participation in teams and committees

New Business Development

  • Contribute to the development of proposals and scopes of work as needed

Training in addiction, harm reduction/treatment/recovery services, and service systems will be available. Coordination with team members in different time zones will be required; standard office hours are 9-5 Eastern Mon-Fri and may be flexible.

This description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties that will be required in this position.  It is not intended to limit, or in any way modify, the rights of any supervisor to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under his/her supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.

Candidate Qualifications:

  • At least two years’ relevant working experience and/or bachelor’s degree  
  • Skilled in MS Office products including Word, PPT, Excel  
  • Familiarity or expertise with social media and content management platforms 
  • Strong writing and editing skills 
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and commitment to a collaborative, team-based work culture  
  • Ability to work with people across a diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives 
  • Ability to manage multiple, competing demands and seek guidance when needed 
  • Flexibility and ability to approach work with a sense of humor  
  • Commitment to advancing health and racial equity and social justice 
  • Familiarity with substance use disorder, problem gambling, behavioral health, and/or public health a plus 
  • Design skills a plus (including design in PPT, Canva, and other platforms) 
  • Bi-cultural/bi-lingual a plus (particularly Spanish-speaking) 
  • Residency or experience in MA, IL, VT, or OR a plus 

How to Apply:

To apply, submit your resume and cover letter online.

HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff. The organization encourages multiple perspectives and experiences, supports a multicultural environment, and strives to hire and retain a diverse work force that reflects the populations we work with and the communities where we work. Diversity is a core value of HRiA resulting in culturally competent services, materials, resources, and programs. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through different backgrounds.

HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. 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.

HRiA offers an attractive benefits package including medical, dental, and life insurance, short term disability insurance, retirement plan, tax-deferred annuity, flexible work schedules, and generous paid time off, including vacation starting at four weeks, sick time, and office closure at the end of December.



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