Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

ORGANIZATION & PROGRAM OVERVIEW

GPS exists to help people from many different communities heal and face the challenges of their lives. At its core, GPS brings people together in structured, facilitated groups that honor lived experience and create space for real connection, honest reflection, and collective care when life gets hard. Our groups support people navigating recovery, grief, perinatal mental health, and the sustained pressure and burnout carried by healthcare workers. To learn more about what we do and what we care about, please visit grouppeersupport.org

GPS is part of a larger shift in how behavioral health care is delivered. We are changing how people access support by making high-quality group care more available, more human, and easier to reach. By normalizing group-based support, we help reduce stigma, expand access, and offer a scalable way for communities and institutions to respond to the mental health crisis with connection, structure, and dignity.

MASStrong is a Massachusetts-funded program offering free group-based peer support and facilitator training to healthcare organizations across the Commonwealth. It was built for this moment: addressing burnout, strain, and moral injury in a healthcare system under tremendous pressure, and making sure support is there for the people who care for everyone else. MASStrong is time-bound, statewide, and intentionally designed to be low-burden for participating organizations while high-impact for healthcare workers themselves, helping them stay grounded, connected, and able to keep showing up for patients, teams, and communities.

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THE OPPORTUNITY

GPS is seeking a senior-level marketing, visibility, and thought leadership leader (fractional or consulting) to drive MASStrong program enrollment and ensure the program and GPS leadership remain visible, credible, and relevant in statewide and field-level conversations.

GPS partners with specialized lobbyists for legislative strategy. This role focuses on public visibility, media, and thought leadership so MASStrong stays understood and top-of-mind across Massachusetts.

The leader will work closely with the CEO to translate lived experience, program outcomes, and field insights into clear, strategic visibility.

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PRIMARY OBJECTIVES (NEXT 12 MONTHS)

This role is accountable for building and running an integrated system that:

• Fills MASStrong program seats across Massachusetts healthcare, behavioral health, and hospital settings
• Sustains a strong public presence for MASStrong as a credible, statewide workforce support program
• Positions the CEO as a recognized thought leader in group-based care, workforce wellbeing, and systems-level mental health solutions
• Keeps MASStrong visible across conferences, media, and professional platforms
• Supports long-term sustainability and renewal by maintaining public relevance and legitimacy
• Creates clarity, consistency, and follow-through across outreach, media, and digital channels

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KEY AUDIENCES

This role focuses on audiences that shape participation, perception, and legitimacy:

Primary Enrollment Audiences:

• Hospitals and health systems
• Behavioral health organizations
• Community health centers
• Healthcare associations and unions

Public & Field Audiences:

• Healthcare and behavioral health leaders
• Conference organizers and conveners
• Journalists and media covering healthcare, labor, and mental health
• Policy-adjacent audiences and public stakeholders following healthcare workforce issues
• Professional and public audiences engaging with thought leadership and field dialogue

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SCOPE OF LEADERSHIP

The marketing, visibility, and thought leadership leader owns strategy and coordination across the following integrated areas. This role is accountable for directing execution but is not expected to personally execute all tasks.

A minimal execution pod will support this role and may include social and content execution, CRM and outreach operations, scheduling and follow-up, conference submissions, and light design or production support. This pod is expected to be lean, flexible, and directly managed by the marketing and visibility leader.

1. MASStrong Enrollment & Institutional Outreach
   Design and run a targeted Massachusetts enrollment strategy, including:

• Clear articulation of the MASStrong offer and value proposition
• Segmented outreach by organization type and region
• Direct institutional outreach supported by marketing materials
• Coordination with program scheduling and enrollment logistics
• Ongoing tracking of outreach, conversations, and seats filled

• CEO Thought Leadership Strategy
• Develop and manage a sustained thought leadership approach for the CEO, including:
• Core narratives and messaging themes
• Conference and speaking strategy, including high-prestige stages and platforms
• Op-eds, articles, and long-form content
• Ghostwriting, editing, and content repurposing
• Targeting and securing high-visibility thought leadership opportunities (for example, major industry keynotes, top-tier talks, and national platforms)
• Guardrails that protect CEO time and energy

2. Conferences & Convenings Strategy
   Conferences are a primary channel for visibility and enrollment. This includes:

• Identifying high-impact Massachusetts and regional conferences
• Managing speaking submissions and panel opportunities
• Coordinating conference presence before, during, and after events
• Leveraging conferences to support enrollment, media, and visibility goals

• Media Strategy & Earned Visibility
• Ensure ongoing earned visibility through:
• Media outreach and relationship-building
• Pitching stories aligned with MASStrong and thought leadership themes
• Targeting both Massachusetts and national outlets and platforms, including high-credibility earned placements
• Preparing spokespeople and materials
• Coordinating timing with program milestones and public moments

3. Social Media & Digital Presence
   Social and digital platforms are used strategically to amplify real-world work, including:

• LinkedIn as a primary thought leadership and credibility channel
• Content that amplifies conferences, media, partnerships, and enrollment
• Consistent presence without trend-chasing or performative posting
• Targeted and geolocated promotion within Massachusetts to reinforce visibility and awareness

4. CRM, Tracking & Learning
   Use CRM tools to:

• Track institutional outreach and engagement
• Monitor which visibility efforts lead to enrollment or inquiries
• Support internal learning and reporting
• Reduce reliance on ad hoc or last-minute outreach

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WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Success in this role includes:

• Strong and steady MASStrong enrollment across regions
• A visible, coherent public narrative about MASStrong and group-based care
• Regular speaking engagements and conference participation for the CEO, including high-prestige opportunities when appropriate
• Ongoing media mentions and earned visibility, including high-credibility placements
• Social channels that reinforce credibility and legitimacy
• Reduced scramble to “get the word out” at the last minute
• Clear documentation of what works for future cycles

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WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT

This role is not:

• A lobbying or legislative affairs position
• A social-media-only role
• A generic PR retainer
• A national brand campaign
• A reactive communications function

Depth, clarity, and credibility matter more than volume.

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IDEAL BACKGROUND

The ideal candidate or firm brings:

• Senior marketing or communications leadership experience
• Experience in healthcare, public sector, or field-building contexts
• Strong thought leadership and narrative development skills
• Conference and earned media experience
• Comfort working closely with executive leadership
• CRM fluency and strategic use of data
• Ability to prioritize and integrate multiple visibility channels

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ENGAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Fractional or consulting engagement, approximately 20–25 hours per week during the first 60–90 days, with the option to adjust once enrollment and visibility systems are established. The initial phase will focus on MASStrong enrollment momentum, CEO thought leadership setup, and core visibility systems. We are hiring for senior leadership, not solo execution. We expect this person to either bring execution support or help us stand up a minimal execution pod they manage. Compensation is expected to fall within a senior fractional leadership range (approximately $150–$225/hour), depending on experience, scope, and execution support.

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WORKING STYLE

GPS values clarity over noise, substance over spin, strategic restraint, and accountability. We are seeking a partner who can hold enrollment urgency and long-term visibility at the same time, with care for the people and communities this work serves.

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How to Apply

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