Job Information
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Communications Officer – Media Relations and Engagement in Beijing, China
The Foundation
We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.
The Team
The Communications team in the China Country Office is responsible for protecting and strengthening the foundation’s brand and reputation in China and advancing the foundation’s advocacy and programmatic goals through communications. The team’s areas of focus include the development and implementation of integrated campaigns and management of owned social channels and platforms, engagement with media and digital influencers, strategic deployment of leadership voices, and cultivation of champions and partnerships to support priority issues. Undercutting these efforts is our ability to engage priority audiences with compelling themes, content and stories.
We work in close partnership with a diverse range of grantees and partners, and our internal colleagues from the policy & advocacy and government relations team, programmatic teams focusing on health and development, as well as the communications teams based in Seattle/other regional offices.
Application deadline: October 9th, 2024.
Your Role
As a Communications Officer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the foundation's media relations within China, fostering connections with key Chinese media outlets, and nurturing media influencers and advocates aligned with our core issues. You will collaborate with the foundation’s communications teams across different locations on proactive and reactive media opportunities. Your efforts will aim to help shape media agendas around priority Global Health (GH) and Global Development (GD) topics, and strengthen understanding of the foundation's work in China and globally.
We seek a candidate with a comprehensive understanding of current affairs globally and in China, as well as China's media landscape encompassing both traditional and social media platforms. Your proven expertise in devising sustainable, impactful media engagement strategies, coupled with a solid grasp of the relevant GH and GD matters, will be crucial.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-cultural environment. They should be a versatile, open-minded collaborator, adept at engaging with a variety of partners, including peers, agencies and grantees, to mobilize support for the shared goal of improving GH and GD outcomes for the world's most vulnerable groups.
This position reports to the Deputy Director Communications & Advisor to the Director, China Office.
What You’ll Do
In this dynamic role, the incumbent will collaborate with a broad spectrum of partners, including colleagues within the Global Communications Division, the Global Policy and Advocacy Division, the China Office and other regional offices, relevant program strategy teams at the foundation, and external entities from both the public and private sectors engaged in GH and GD. Key responsibilities will include:
Establishing and nurturing relationships and partnerships with top tier Chinese media outlets.
Crafting media engagement strategies and plans to build trust and credibility in the foundation and support its key advocacy objectives in China.
Contributing to large-scale, coordinated communications campaigns through the development and execution of media activities, in partnership with global colleagues.
Collaborating with global colleagues to share information and enhance internal understanding of the China landscape and the foundation’s work in China.
Performing the press desk function, including addressing media inquiries daily, collaborating with the global media team on global media requests, key events and initiatives, crafting local press releases, adapting global announcements for Chinese audiences, gatekeeping grantee/partner press announcements involving the foundation's brand and voice, and preparing media statements, presskits and briefing papers as needed.
Overseeing existing initiatives like the Media Academy series, Media Day and community building, and creating new programs to further strengthen engagement with the media.
Proactively identifying media story opportunities and pitching stories to targeted media outlets in support of the foundation’s brand and advocacy goals.
Providing training and support for the foundation’s spokespersons.
Leading the foundation's strategic response to the news cycle, monitoring issues that affect the foundation and critical GH and GD agendas, and coordinating with relevant colleagues to proactively manage issues and risks.
Overseeing media monitoring and insight tracking to inform media strategies and narrative framing.
Managing a diverse array of agency partners.
Your Experience
A Bachelor’s degree or higher in journalism, communications, or a related field with a focus on global health and development, is preferred.
A minimum of 5 years of experience in public relations or a similar communications role, including leading media engagement strategies and execution.
Proficiency in Chinese for verbal and written communication, along with fluency in English, is required.
A deep understanding of the media landscape in China, with substantial experience engaging with a variety of media types, including print, broadcast, and digital.
A track record of cultivating long-term, strategic relationships and partnerships with media entities and successfully pitching high-quality media reports.
An analytical approach to real-time data and insights, and sound judgment.
The ability to quickly grasp and communicate complex topics, including those in scientific, medical, agricultural, and development finance policy areas.
Skilled in fostering effective collaboration with both internal and external partners.
Demonstrated flexibility, efficiency, and empathy in a fast-paced, multifaceted setting.
Ability to gracefully lead and manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines with strong project and time management skills.
Ability to travel up to 15% domestically and internationally.
*Must be able to legally work in China without visa sponsorship.
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Hiring Requirements
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
Candidate Accommodations
If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.
Inclusion Statement
We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.
All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.