Director, Media Relations

Job Overview

Reporting to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, this position leads strategic media relations and communications for Tufts Medicine, the primary health system of Tufts University School of Medicine. This role develops and executes media relations strategies that elevate the visibility and protects the reputation of the health system across its hospitals, physicians, services, research enterprise, and leadership at national, regional, and hyperlocal levels. This position serves as the system's chief media relations strategist and primary spokesperson leading issues management and crisis communications on a 24/7 basis. This position partners closely with executive leadership, legal, risk management, patient safety, and the Tufts University School of Medicine communications team to ensure consistent, accurate communications across clinical care, research, and education. This role requires a seasoned communications leader who combines strategic vision with media savvy, crisis management expertise, and deep knowledge of the academic health system landscape.

Job Description

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field.

2. Eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in media relations, public relations, or corporate communications, with at least five (5) years in a healthcare, academic health system, or hospital environment.

3. Experience serving as an organizational spokesperson and managing both proactive and reactive media relations at a senior level.

4. Experience leading crisis communications and issues management, including developing playbooks, coordinating rapid-response messaging, and serving as public information officer during emergencies or reputational events.

5. Experience leading and managing high-performing communications teams, including direct people management, coaching, mentoring, and performance development of professional staff.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Master's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business Administration (MBA), or a related field.

2. Experience as a working journalist, reporter, or newsroom professional.

3. Experience in an academic health system, academic medical center, or medical school communications environment, with familiarity navigating the interplay between clinical, research, and education missions.

4. Experience successfully building or scaling a media relations program or department.

5. Experience in healthcare including academic hospitals, health systems, medical schools or life sciences.

6. Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) or certification from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), or equivalent professional body.

7. Experience serving as a public information officer (PIO) or in an emergency management / incident command structure.

8. Experience with academic medical center communications, including peer-reviewed journal embargo management, clinical trial communications, and research promotion.

9. Experience with AI-powered productivity and content platforms (e.g., WRITER, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) for content creation, media monitoring, and workflow automation.

Duties and Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities listed below are intended to describe the general nature of work and are not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned.

1. Leads, mentors, and develops a high-performing Media Relations team, establishing clear performance expectations, goals, and professional development plans that align with the system's communications strategy.

2. Directs the daily operations of the Media Relations team including budget, staffing, resource allocation, and vendor and agency management.

3. Builds and manages internal and external relationships to maximize media relations impact, cultivating strong, trust-based relationships with local, regional, and national journalists, editors, producers, and influencers.

4. Develops and executes comprehensive, data-informed media relations strategies that elevate the visibility of Tufts Medicine and its hospitals, physicians, services, research, and leadership at national, regional, and hyperlocal levels.

5. Serves as the system's chief media relations strategist and primary spokesperson for institutional, system-wide, and crisis communications, while establishing and managing the enterprise spokesperson hierarchy — identifying, designating, preparing, and coaching subject matter experts (SMEs), clinical chiefs, and executives to serve as spokespeople for their areas of expertise, and maintaining a roster of approved spokespeople by topic and service line.

6. Designs and delivers ongoing media training programs for executives, physicians, clinicians, and other designated spokespeople, including interview preparation, message development, on-camera coaching, mock interviews, and crisis scenario preparation, ensuring the organization has a deep bench of confident, prepared spokespeople across all service lines and campuses.

7. Counsels senior leaders, executives, and clinical leaders on media engagement, message development, interview preparation, and the strategic implications of media interactions.

8. Collaborates with system-wide content, digital, and internal communications teams to successfully launch major initiatives, campaigns, and announcements for the enterprise.

9. Collaborates with system and service line leaders to develop national, regional, and hyperlocal strategic communications plans based on research, data, and market intelligence.

10. Leads a structured executive visibility and thought-leadership program that positions Tufts Medicine leaders, physicians, and clinicians as recognized authorities in their fields through a deliberate calendar of op-eds and bylined articles, expert-source media placements, speaking platforms, industry awards submissions, and national ranking and reputation survey engagement (e.g., U.S. News, Forbes, Becker's).

11.  Highlights the health system's commitment to education and research, working closely with the Tufts University School of Medicine communications team to publicize key scientific discoveries, clinical trials, and education programs as well as developing amplification strategies for published research findings.

12. Ensures all media relations activities, materials, and messaging adhere to Tufts Medicine brand standards, including brand voice, visual identity, messaging frameworks, and approved talking points, and serve as a brand steward in all external communications.

13. Leads the health system's crisis communications and issues management function on a 24/7 basis, serving as the primary point of contact for breaking news, patient safety events, clinical incidents, and reputational threats, and maintaining round-the-clock readiness to coordinate rapid-response messaging across all channels in collaboration with executive leadership, legal, risk management, and patient safety teams.

14. Develops and maintains comprehensive, living crisis communications plans, playbooks, holding statements, media protocols, and escalation procedures — reviewing and updating them on a regular cadence to reflect organizational changes, new clinical programs, regulatory developments, and lessons learned from prior incidents.

15. Designs and conducts regular crisis communications tabletop exercises, simulations, and scenario drills with executive leadership, clinical leaders, and the communications team to test readiness, validate protocols, and build organizational muscle memory for crisis response; lead post-incident reviews to refine playbooks and improve future response.

16. Leads proactive issues management and reputation risk monitoring, using real-time media intelligence and social listening to identify emerging risks, conduct issue triage, and advise leadership on communication strategies to mitigate reputational impact before situations escalate.

17. Navigates HIPAA, patient privacy, and consent requirements in all media relations activities, including reviewing and approving media requests involving patient stories, coordinating patient consent and authorization forms, ensuring compliance with state and federal privacy regulations in all external communications, and partnering with legal and privacy officers on complex cases.

18. Oversees the system's media monitoring and listening program to track coverage across earned, shared, and owned media in real time, identify breaking stories and emerging issues, monitor competitor and peer coverage, and measure the impact of media relations efforts.

19. Tracks, analyzes, and reports media relations performance metrics to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and senior leadership on a regular cadence, including share of voice, media sentiment, coverage volume and quality, message pull-through, spokesperson placements, and reputation indicators, using data to refine strategies and demonstrate the ROI of media relations investments.

20. Builds and protects the system's public reputation through consistent messaging, storytelling, and campaigns nationally, regionally, and locally.

21. Maintains production schedules and ensure timely, high-quality delivery of all media relations projects, press releases, media advisories, and related materials.

22. Serves as the communications interface with the Government Relations and Public Affairs team, aligning media and external communications strategies with the system's legislative, regulatory, and community advocacy priorities, supporting communications around policy initiatives, legislative testimony, and regulatory matters, and coordinating joint messaging on issues of shared interest.

23. Supports communications for the system's community benefit and community health improvement programs, including developing stories and media strategies that highlight Tufts Medicine's community health investments, outreach programs, partnerships, and community benefit reporting, ensuring these efforts are visible to the communities the system serves.

24. Stays current with industry trends, media landscape evolution, and emerging technologies, integrating new media channels, digital platforms, and AI-powered tools into communications strategies to enhance reach, efficiency, and measurement.

25. Applies expertise in public relations, media strategy, crisis communications, digital and social media, and content development to deliver impactful, measurable results across the enterprise.

26. Fosters a collaborative, high-performing team culture that values strategic thinking, accountability, continuous learning, and a commitment to positioning Tufts Medicine as the preeminent integrated academic health system in New England.

27. Fosters and cultivates relationships across the health system (hospitals, departments, medical school), establishing MarCom as a trusted, strategic partner.

Physical Requirements:

1. Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer workstation.

2. Manual dexterity to operate computer keyboard and mouse for content creation and editing.

3. Visual acuity to review web content, proofread text, and analyze digital interfaces and analytics dashboards.

4. 24/7 on-call availability required to respond to breaking news, patient safety events, and crisis situations outside of standard business hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

5. Ability to travel occasionally between Tufts Medicine sites and to off-site meetings, conferences, or media events.

Skills & Abilities:

1. Strategic thinking and planning expertise with the ability to translate enterprise goals into actionable, multi-channel media relations and communications strategies.

2. Strong leadership and people management capabilities, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, and building high-performing, collaborative teams.

3. Advanced project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple complex initiatives and rapid-response situations simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

4. Deep expertise in public relations, media strategy, media relations, and marketing communications, with proven success securing high-impact coverage in national, regional, and local outlets.

5. Demonstrated crisis communications and issues management expertise, including playbook development, rapid-response coordination, spokesperson duties, and experience serving as a public information officer.

6. Excellent on-camera and on-the-record spokesperson skills, with the ability to represent the organization effectively in live interviews, press conferences, and challenging media situations.

7. Ability to counsel and prepare senior executives and clinical leaders for media engagement, including message development, interview coaching, and crisis scenario preparation.

8. Excellent writing, editing, and publishing skills, with the ability to craft compelling press releases, media advisories, op-eds, talking points, and holding statements under tight deadlines.

9. Proficiency with media monitoring and analysis platforms for real-time coverage tracking, social listening, issues monitoring, and competitive intelligence.

10. Data-driven mindset with the ability to analyze media coverage, measure performance using metrics such as share of voice, sentiment, coverage quality, and message pull-through, derive actionable insights, and communicate recommendations to senior leadership.

11. Proficiency with digital and social media platforms and content management systems, with understanding of how earned media integrates with owned and shared channels.

12. Knowledge of healthcare regulations including HIPAA, patient privacy and consent requirements, and their application to media relations and external communications, including patient story authorization and coordination with legal and privacy teams.

13. Familiarity with the academic health system landscape, including the interplay between clinical care, research, and education missions.

14. Understanding of brand standards management, including brand voice, visual identity, messaging consistency, and adherence to approved messaging frameworks across all external communications.

15. Experience with AI tools and platforms, particularly WRITER for content creation, workflow automation, and marketing optimization.

16. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

17. Strong interpersonal, relationship-building, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence without authority and build trust with journalists, executives, clinicians, government relations partners, and cross-functional teams.

18. Flexibility and adaptability to respond to breaking news, emerging issues, and shifting priorities, including 24/7 availability for crisis response.

Job Profile Summary

This role focuses on the marketing activities of the organization, including promoting and marketing healthcare services to the community and supporting business growth by disseminating information that promotes a favorable view of the organization.  In addition, this role focuses on performing the following Marketing Leadership duties: Controls, directs, and participates in the activities of the organization through a hierarchy of managers and supervisors. Responsibilities also include long-term strategic planning, determining the policies of the organization, and allocating its resources and making decisions regarding organization growth and diversification to accomplish entity's vision.  A management role that supervises employees focusing on tactical, operational activities within a specified area, with the majority of time spent overseeing area of responsibility, planning, prioritizing and/or directing the responsibilities of employees. Goal achievement is typically accomplished through performance of direct and/or indirect reports. A role that manages experienced professionals who exercise latitude and independence in assignments.  Responsibilities typically include:  policy and strategy implementation for short-term results (1 year or less), problems faced are difficult to moderately complex, and influences others outside of own job area regarding policies, practices and procedures.

At Tufts Medicine, we want every individual to feel valued for the skills and experience they bring. Our compensation philosophy is designed to offer fair, competitive pay that attracts, retains, and motivates highly talented individuals, while rewarding the important work you do every day.

The base pay ranges reflect the minimum qualifications for the role. Individual offers are determined using a comprehensive approach that considers relevant experience, certifications, education, skills, and internal equity to ensure compensation is fair, consistent, and aligned with our business goals.

Beyond base pay, Tufts Medicine provides a comprehensive Total Rewards package that supports your health, financial security, and career growth—one of the many ways we invest in you so you can thrive both at work and outside of it.

Pay Range :

$147,995.12 - $188,688.50
based on full-time equivalent