Lead, Media and Public Relations

Canadian Blood Services; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation 4 weeks

Performance bonus up to 8%

Health, dental and vision benefits

Employee discounts

Wellness program

Professional resources

Job summary

Canadian Blood Services is seeking a Regular full-time Lead, Media and Public Relations to join our dynamic Communications team in the Donor Engagement and Corporate Reputation division.

As Lead, Media and Public Relations, you will develop and execute strategies that enhance public trust, strengthen brand and donor recruitment, and partner with senior leaders to shape messaging. The role blends strategic counsel, media training, analytics and storytelling.

Qualifications

• University degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of professional experience in public/media relations, strategic communications, or journalism.
• Proven track record in public relations and engagement, earned media, and strategic storytelling.
• Analytical mindset with experience using data to inform strategy and measure impact.
• An exceptional writer with the ability to tailor messaging according to audience and medium.
• Strong multimedia content creation skills (video, graphic, written).
• Ability to communicate complex, ethical, or scientific concepts clearly to general audiences.
• Leverage AI tools to optimize content creation, support strategy planning and development, and strengthen analysis and reporting.
• Experience in a healthcare or regulated environment is an asset.
• Bilingualism or proficiency in a second language (e.g., French, Mandarin, Punjabi) is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Identify and lead public and media relations strategies that strengthen brand credibility.
• Explore emergent trends, technologies and narratives that shape public perception and donor engagement.
• Lead media training for spokespeople, with coaching across the country.
• Use data analytics tools to listen, measure and report on communications effectiveness.
• Translate insights into actionable recommendations that inform strategy and outcomes.
• Advise on strategies to ensure accurate representation, including in generative AI outputs and search results.
• Develop communications playbooks for crisis and reputation management.
• Provide informed public relations support around active issues affecting corporate reputation.
• Represent Canadian Blood Services in media interviews nationally and locally.
• Coordinate national media availabilities, including press conferences and scrums.
• Capture compelling multimedia content to support brand-aligned strategies.
• Provide on-the-ground communications support for regional initiatives and events.

Skills

Public relations

Media relations

Strategic storytelling

Data analysis

Writing skills

Multimedia content creation

AI tools usage

Bilingualism

Education

University degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or related field

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

This role requires a minimum of 40% on-site presence. Additional on-site work may be required based on business needs. On-site expectations are subject to change and may be adjusted on a temporary or permanent basis.

Job posting ID: 9107

Employment status: Regular full-time
Salary/Rate of pay:$99,600 - $117,200

• This external job posting may close earlier than the advertised deadline. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

Application requirements:

• Your up-to-date resume.
• We recommend you save a copy of the job posting for reference throughout the recruitment process.

Do you currently work for Canadian Blood Services? All employees must apply via the internal career page .

Together, the work we do connects people and changes lives — including your own.

Be part of a dynamic, collaborative and caring organization committed to saving and improving lives. Thousands of patients depend on us every day for reliable access to safe blood, plasma, stem cells and organs and tissues.

About the role

Canadian Blood Services is looking for a Regular full-time Lead, Media and Public Relations to join our dynamic Communications team in our Donor Engagement and Corporate Reputation (DECR) division.

The Communications team empowers and motivates individuals to joinCanada’s Lifelineby creating engaging content, building brand affinity and preserving confidence in Canadian Blood Services.

As the Lead, Media and Public Relations, you are dynamic, adaptable and energized by challenge. You are imaginative, curious and always looking for new ways to capture attention and spark conversation. You will play a strategic role in building public trust, enhancing Canadian Blood Services’ brand, and advancing our mission, vision and values through proactive, data-informed, innovative communications. You will lead the development and execution of public and media relations strategies that reflect the evolving nature of communications and are designed to enhance the organization’s reputation and strengthen donor recruitment efforts. You will act as a thought partner to colleagues and senior leaders, identifying emerging trends, issues and opportunities. To achieve success, you will collect and analyze relevant data to inform effective communications strategies and plans. You will explore and embrace emerging technologies, incorporating new tools to enhance your work, and champion new opportunities for the broader communications team.

• Harnessing your demonstrated knowledge and expertise, you will identify and lead creative public and media relations strategies that strengthen brand credibility, build trust and support organizational priorities.
• Focusing on your innovative and continuous growth mindset, you will explore and recommend action on emerging trends, technologies and narratives that shape public perception and serve to enhance donor recruitment and community engagement.
• Using your excellent presentation and coaching skills, you will lead the organization’s media training program, preparing Canadian Blood Services spokespeople for interviews and public appearances, with constructive feedback, and coaching and supporting communications colleagues across the country to deliver training as needed.
• Leveraging your experience with media monitoring and analysis, you will use data analytics tools to listen, measure and report on communications effectiveness.
• Building on your key learnings from media and engagement metrics, you will translate your insights into actionable recommendations that inform strategy, identify opportunities, improve outcomes and support organizational priorities.
• You will advise on strategies that help ensure Canadian Blood Services is accurately represented, including in generative AI outputs and search results.
• Leaning into your experience with issues management, you will contribute to the development of communications playbooks for crisis and reputation management.
• You will provide informed public relations support around active issues relating to matters that may impact corporate reputation.
• As a seasoned spokesperson, you will represent Canadian Blood Services in media interviews and public forums, nationally and locally, to further corporate goals, build brand affinity and foster meaningful community connections.
• Applying your strong media relations and organizational skills, you will coordinate national media availabilities, including press conferences and scrums.
• Drawing on your strong multimedia content creation skills, you will identify opportunities and capture compelling content to contribute to multimedia content strategies aligned with Canadian Blood Services brand and mission.
• You will be responsible for providing on-the-ground communications support for regional initiatives and public engagement events.

Desired education and skills

• University degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of professional experience in public/media relations, strategic communications, or journalism.
• Proven track record in public relations and engagement, proactive communications, earned media, and strategic storytelling.
• Analytical mindset with experience using data to inform strategy and measure impact.
• An exceptional writer with the ability to tailor messaging according to audience and medium.
• Strong multimedia content creation skills (video, graphic, written).
• Ability to communicate complex, ethical, or scientific concepts clearly to general audiences.
• Leverage AI tools to optimize content creation, support strategy planning and development, and strengthen analysis and reporting.
• Experience in a healthcare or regulated environment is an asset.
• Bilingualism or proficiency in a second language (e.g., French, Mandarin, Punjabi) is an asset.
• An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered.

What we offer you

• 4 weeks' vacation
• Annual performance award up to 8%
• Comprehensive group health, dental and vision benefits for you and your family
• Employee discounts, wellness program, professional resources

What you can expect

• This role will work in a hybrid environment with requirements to be onsite at Canadian Blood Services location 40% of the time/days of the week.
• You will work Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week, 7.5 hours per day.
• You may be expected to travel a couple of times per year, and occasionally, when required, support media events or issues outside of regular working hours.

We acknowledge that the work of Canadian Blood Services spans many Territories and Treaty areas across the country, and we are grateful for the Traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who have guided us in this important work. We recognize the land and waters that have inspired our work and offer gratitude to those Indigenous peoples on whose territory we work, live and play.

Diversity and inclusion play a vital role in ensuring health equity for patients across Canada. We are committed to reflecting Canada’s population in our organization and fostering an environment where all employees can be their authentic selves, with equal opportunities to succeed and contribute.

We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those considered for an interview or those invited to participate in an assessment will be contacted. Emails are sent directly from our system, to ensure you receive them please add [e-mail] and [e-mail] to your safe senders list.

Applicants who require accommodation should discuss their needs with us.