Responsibilities

• Creating public-facing key messages for the company
• Identifying and creating opportunities for executive leaders to speak publicly on key topics
• Serving as the primary resource for local, regional, and national news media
• Working closely with Independence departments on external communications efforts, including thought leadership campaigns, sponsorship opportunities, special events, and social media content
• Protecting the company brand through reputational risk planning and brand protection
• Developing public health awareness campaigns
• The co-op will support the work of the External Communications team in advancing departmental goals.
• collaborating with External Communications team members on a variety of projects, as well as contributing to executive communications initiatives
• assisting with the creation of communication plans and strategic messaging
• drafting media alerts and/or press releases
• building media lists
• developing media pitches
• conducting media monitoring
• help write social media posts and contribute to the development of social media plans
• assisting with a range of writing and editing needs, such as audience-specific publications and executive briefings
• conducting research to support Corporate Communications team projects
• providing support for photo shoots, video shoots, and special event planning and coordination
• work on projects for other teams within the division, including Associate Communications and Provider Communications

Requirements

• Strong writing and verbal communication skills
• Solid organizational and time management skills
• Basic understanding of common public relations activities and terminology
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
• Ability to take initiative and work independently as a self-starter
• Maturity and professionalism to work effectively as part of a team
• Junior or Senior undergraduate students
• Recent graduate (must be within one year or less of the program start date)
• Minimum GPA: 3.2 or higher
• Must have an Android or iOS device which is compatible with the free Microsoft Authenticator app

Preferred

• Digital and/or social media experience is a plus