Summary
Description
Position Summary:
The Director, Community and Government Relations leads Craig Hospital’s coordinated external engagement across community relations, community health improvement & required community benefit activities, and coalition-based government relations/advocacy. Reporting to the President/CEO, this role strengthens Craig’s visibility and relationships, stewards mission-aligned partnerships and community investments, and ensures external engagement is disciplined, consistent, and outcomes-oriented.
Craig has an established baseline (experienced internal partners; contracted state and federal lobbyists; existing community commitments). The Director will keep that baseline moving—and will also help build a signature strategic initiative focused on improving “life after discharge” supports for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI).
This position is an individual contributor role that succeeds through influence, clarity, and execution in a matrixed environment.
Position Requirements:
- Licensure/Certification/Registrations: None
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s preferred (e.g., MPH, MPA, MBA/MHA, MSW, JD or related). An equivalent combination of education and experience is considered.
- Experience: 8+ years progressive experience in community affairs, external affairs, government relations/advocacy, public affairs, partnerships, or related cross-sector work; some healthcare experience required (rehabilitation specialty experience welcomed but not required). Demonstrated success leading multi-stakeholder work through influence (matrixed environments; without reliance on direct authority). Experience managing complex projects with clear deliverables, timelines, and external stakeholders.
- Skills & Abilities: Executive presence; excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Strong relationship-building with political and coalition fluency; able to navigate complex stakeholder environments with tact and integrity. Builder mindset: converts ambiguity into structure (cadence, priorities, deliverables). Strong prioritization; able to protect time for strategic work while maintaining baseline commitments. Sound judgment and comfort escalating “red flag” issues quickly and appropriately. Ability to rapidly synthesize detailed information and translate it into clear options, recommendations, and messaging. Ability to support occasional after-hours/weekend community engagements as needed. Model expected leadership behaviors (see Leadership Cultural Covenants below).
Essential Functions:
Strategic Partnerships & Community Presence
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Identify, cultivate, and manage partnerships with external entities aligned with Craig’s mission and strategic priorities, improving experiences and outcomes for those we serve.
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Serve as a key “face of Craig” in community and civic settings aligned with mission and strategic priorities.
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Build and maintain relationships with community organizations, civic/business leaders, disability-focused partners, and referral-community stakeholders.
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Coordinate participation in selected events/engagements that support Craig’s mission, visibility, and partnership goals (emphasis on purposeful participation over volume).
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Collaborate with Integrated Marketing & Communications (IMC) to ensure consistent messaging and to share mission-aligned stories and impact.
Government Relations/Advocacy (Coalition-First)
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Coordinate with contracted state and federal lobbyists and relevant coalitions/associations to monitor and respond to legislative and regulatory issues affecting Craig and the populations served.
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Provide timely updates to the CEO and relevant internal stakeholders; coordinate internal subject matter expertise (clinical, quality/data, compliance/legal, communications) as needed for coalition-based advocacy.
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Maintain a simple tracking/log of priority issues, Craig's letters of support, and coalition activity.
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Support disability advocacy, awareness, and community education consistent with Craig’s mission.
External Affairs/Community Relations
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Serve as a point of contact and organizer for community-facing activities that advance Craig Hospital’s mission and visibility.
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Coordinate and track external speaking engagements, board participation, and key relationship touchpoints; maintain an “evergreen” contact/relationship history system.
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Coordinate staff-facing community engagement and volunteer opportunities in partnership with internal stakeholders.
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Lead Craig’s sponsorship and donation portfolio within an approved annual budget; evaluate value/ROI and recommend refinements over time.
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Ensure documentation for community investments is complete and audit-ready, including IRS-compliant acknowledgment letters and impact/outcomes summaries demonstrating how funded dollars were used and what was accomplished (to support Craig’s Form 990 and related reporting obligations).
Community Health Improvement & Required Community Benefit Activities
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Partner with Quality to coordinate Craig’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) work and implementation alignment.
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Support required documentation and reporting inputs associated with Craig’s tax-exempt community commitments (e.g., IRS/community benefit reporting elements), in partnership with CFO/Finance.
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Ensure community investments and partnerships align with identified priorities and measurable community health improvement goals.
Budget, Operations, and Reporting
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Develop and manage the annual Community and Government Relations budget in partnership with CEO/CFO; allocate resources for impact and evaluate ROI.
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Establish a pragmatic operating cadence (standing meetings and deliverables) that leaders will use.
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Produce concise monthly reporting organized around outcomes (partnerships/investments, community presence, advocacy/GR updates, community health improvement & required community benefit activities).
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Become familiar with and follow hospital-wide and department-specific policies and procedures; seeking assistance from management when clarification or assistance is needed.
SIGNATURE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY: Strengthening “Life After Discharge” Supports
- Craig’s mission extends beyond inpatient care. A major opportunity is to work with partners nationwide to improve access to essential services, structures, programs, and supports that enable independence and quality of life for people living with SCI/BI after they return home. In this role, the Director will:
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Convene and lead an internal, decision-capable working group of Craig experts (e.g., social work/care management, clinical leads, IMC, provider relations and others as relevant) to inform priorities and execution.
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Convene, coordinate, and manage a Patient and Family Advisory Council to inform priorities, improve feedback loops, and strengthen Craig’s understanding of barriers and opportunities after discharge.
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Convene, coordinate, and manage a Community/Business/Nonprofit Advisory Group (including community leaders and local government partners as appropriate) to provide input, strengthen relationships, identify opportunities, and support shared solutions aligned with Craig’s mission.
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Help design and advance a national peer convening with rehabilitation leaders to develop shared understanding of needs/opportunities, secure commitment to move work forward, and align on next steps.
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Lead and manage a comprehensive environmental scan (ideally national in scope) of access to essential post-discharge supports (e.g., attendant care/home health, outpatient therapy access, benefits navigation), coordinating partners/consultants, milestones, synthesis, and translation into an actionable roadmap.
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** This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties. Employee may perform other related duties as assigned.
Craig Hospital Benefits:
Benefit Eligible Positions:
At Craig Hospital, we offer a wide range of outstanding benefits that allow our employees to tailor a benefits package that meets their individual needs. Planning a family or looking forward to retirement, we have options. Our medical insurance is a self-funded plan administered by Allegiance Benefit Plans with a CIGNA network of providers offering two different comprehensive plans. We offer dental insurance through Delta Dental, and vision insurance through EyeMed. Craig offers Health Care and Dependent Care Spending Accounts. Craig also provides, and pays for both Short Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance plans for every benefit-eligible employee. We offer generous time off benefits to allow you to enjoy your time away from work too! Additionally, we have a 403b Retirement Plan with a generous matching contribution through Empower Retirement that you are eligible for upon hire. Do you want to go back to school? We have Tuition Assistance. Unexpected emergency? We have Employee Assistance Programs. For Craig, we believe in offering best-in-class benefits, and we prioritize benefits to support you.
Salary Range: $102,939.20/ Year – $148,241.60/ Year
