Responsibilities

• Cultivates and maintains proactive, productive relationships with key members of the media across major, mid-size, and small media markets in California and at a national level. Routinely provides the media with information about health care issues (reports, CHA-generated materials, third-party information), pitches news stories, editorials, etc.
• Leverages strong, trusting relationships with reporters in service of coverage that helps legislators and the public understand the challenges facing California’s health care system at large, hospitals’ unique role in that system, and the obstacles hospitals face in meeting their mission of care.
• Proactively initiates responses to hospital- and health care-related issues that surface in traditional and digital media outlets. Works collaboratively with advocacy, policy, and data teams to mobilize and hone responses.
• Responds to media inquiries, coordinating with advocacy, policy, and data teams.
• Working with the Communications Team, develops and disseminates press releases, op-eds, talking points, media statements, opinion editorials, FAQs, and other communications to internal and external audiences.
• With support from Manager, Communications, maintains an active, professional presence on social media (with journalists and policymakers as key audiences) to leverage digital channels to share critical information, respond to issues of interest, promote hospitals’ good work, debunk misleading statements, and advance policy ideas.
• Plans and executes far-reaching media opportunities including press conferences, media calls, reporter roundtables, editorial board discussions, and more.
• With SVP, Communications, contributes to development of an effective and efficient annual communications strategy to support short-, mid-, and long-term advocacy and policy goals.
• Generates opportunities for regional hospital associations, member hospitals, allies, and others to serve as spokespeople for key issues, in service of overarching media strategy.
• Develops and maintains a CHA- and hospital-based cohort of media-trained spokespeople on a variety of key issues. Works closely with communications leads at member hospitals to maintain a current list of media-ready spokespeople from the field.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, Communications, or related field
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in media relations, journalism, public affairs, or public relations; preferably in a health care or nonprofit setting
• Experience working with the California Capitol Press Corps helpful
• Ability to understand and interpret legislative and political issues affecting hospitals
• Ability to accurately write, edit, and organize material in an interesting and informative manner
• Proficiency with MS Office applications, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Comfort with the use of social media to advance information and ideas
• Strong writing and proofreading skills
• Excellent communication skills to cultivate and maintain effective relationships among teammates, working collaboratively and proactively within the communications team, with other CHA teams, and with member hospitals

Preferred

• Experience working with the California Capitol Press Corps helpful