Director, Media Relations

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Directs the daily operations of the Media Relations team including budget, staffing, resource allocation, and vendor and agency management.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Counsels senior leaders, executives, and clinical leaders on media engagement, message development, interview preparation, and the strategic implications of media interactions.
• Collaborates with system-wide content, digital, and internal communications teams to successfully launch major initiatives, campaigns, and announcements for the enterprise.
• Collaborates with system and service line leaders to develop national, regional, and hyperlocal strategic communications plans based on research, data, and market intelligence.
• 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).

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field.
• 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.
• Experience serving as an organizational spokesperson and managing both proactive and reactive media relations at a senior level.
• 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.
• Experience leading and managing high-performing communications teams, including direct people management, coaching, mentoring, and performance development of professional staff.

Preferred

• Master's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business Administration (MBA), or a related field.
• Experience as a working journalist, reporter, or newsroom professional.
• 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.
• Experience successfully building or scaling a media relations program or department.
• Experience in healthcare including academic hospitals, health systems, medical schools or life sciences.
• 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.
• Experience serving as a public information officer (PIO) or in an emergency management / incident command structure.
• Experience with academic medical center communications, including peer-reviewed journal embargo management, clinical trial communications, and research promotion.
• Experience with AI-powered productivity and content platforms (e.g., WRITER, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) for content creation, media monitoring, and workflow automation.