Director, Program Influence, Health

Position Overview

The Program Influence team helps advance The Rockefeller Foundation's programmatic “Big Bets” and strategic priorities by using communications, policy, and advocacy as tools for influence — translating program strategy and evidence into public narrative, policy engagement, and stakeholder mobilization that strengthen the Foundation's institutional narrative. The Director, Program Influence, Health spends roughly 85% of their time on Health program priorities and 15% on cross-program and institutional work.

Reporting to the SVP, Program Integration, with secondary reporting lines to the SVP, Health and SVP, Strategic Communications, the Director, Program Influence operates as a hands-on individual contributor, delivering results through close partnership with program leadership, fellow Program Influencers, and institutional colleagues in Communications.

Work Schedule: This role is based in the Foundation's New York Office and is required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Hiring Range: $175,000 - $210,000. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an evidence-based program influence strategy — identifying priority audiences and building outreach and engagement plans that advance program objectives, expand media engagement, and deepen public, private, and philanthropic investor interest.
• Partner with program leads to surface proof points and impact stories, and pipeline them to Communications and Policy on a standing cadence so the institutional narrative stays credible, current, and grounded in programmatic impact.
• Craft a unifying external narrative for the program that amplifies its impact and builds on the Foundation’s institutional message architecture, which the Communications team manages, translating complex program work into persuasive messaging for policymakers, partners, and philanthropic audiences.
• Lead the identification and execution of strategic convenings and tent-pole moments, and represent the Foundation and its leadership at regional, global, and multilateral events.
• Advance the program’s ideas, solutions, and partnerships by working through institutional channels — Communications, Policy & Advocacy, Connected Leaders, and the media accelerator — rather than building parallel capacity, coordinating closely with fellow Program Influence colleagues so strategies are built together rather than in isolation.
• Partner with the Communications team to develop the program’s annual channel and content plan — priorities, formats, and platforms — and execute against it. Use audience insight and analytics to track reach, recognition, and influence, and refine the plan with Communications accordingly.
• Work within institutional editorial standards, message architecture, prioritization, voice, and visual identity across all program content and channels.
• Help shape where the Health program’s evidence base can be most persuasive with policymakers, and work with regional teams to monitor policy risk and validate impact claims before they are used externally.
• Serve as a thought partner to program leadership on narrative positioning, and contribute to cross-Foundation learning on storytelling, audience engagement, and influence.
• Oversee a project management system tracking milestones and deliverables, contribute to Board-level materials as needed, and select and manage grantees, consultants, and vendors.
• Support colleagues on other programs and institutional projects as assigned, deliver against annual goals covering both the program’s Big Bet objectives and the coherence of its narrative with the institutional story, set jointly with Program Strategy and Communications, and participate in the weekly institutional communications meeting, applying the Foundation’s communications playbook to decisions about what the Foundation says publicly.

Education, Experience, and Skills

• Generally expected to have 10+ years of strategic communications, policy, and advocacy experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Strong understanding of international public health, and preferably experience working with international health organizations.
• Experience working with or in low- and middle-income countries.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholders in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and coalition-building skills; comfortable working with senior leaders and external partners.
• Experience managing complex initiatives, with multiple vendors and stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into compelling stories and narratives, with strong command of the new media environment (social, podcasts, creator and influencer channels, and emerging digital platforms).
• Proven exceptional writing, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, and professional presence.
• Skilled in media relations, digital strategy, and content creation.
• Experience in handling sensitive information, including crisis management.
• At ease navigating between nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors, globally, with an emphasis on Asia, Africa, Latin America, as well as the United States.
• Self-motivated, creative, and entrepreneurial, with a strong work ethic.
• Experience designing and leading high-profile convenings and events preferred, and representing an organization at external forums.

Competencies

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder. 
• Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food, health, energy, and finance, including through our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.

As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status. 

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.