Senior Communications Advisor

Blue Cross NC; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Parental leave and adoption/surrogacy

401k with company match

Tuition reimbursement and career dev

Total rewards package with incentives

Job summary

Blue Cross NC is seeking a Senior Communications Advisor who partners with business leaders to shape the enterprise's communications strategy and protect reputation. You will lead strategic messaging, engage stakeholders, and guide risk-informed decisions in a dynamic healthcare policy environment.

You will develop proactive communications across internal and external audiences, coordinate with agencies, and drive execution from planning through measurement, while helping the organization

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or advanced degree and 5+ years of experience in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing or a related field.
• Experience in health care, health insurance, public policy or a regulated industry is preferred.
• Experience supporting enterprise-wide initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic communications advisor to business leaders and recommend approaches considering stakeholder, business, and reputational factors.
• Develop and execute communications strategies, messaging frameworks, and engagement plans to advance enterprise priorities and mitigate risk.
• Engage leaders early to identify risks and opportunities and advise on approaches to influence decisions.
• Lead issues management and response materials, including plans, holding statements, FAQs, and Q&As.
• Provide counsel on complex topics, prepare leaders for media interviews and public engagements.
• Deliver clear, accurate communications for internal and external audiences and translate complex topics for diverse audiences.
• Collaborate with agencies and vendors; strengthen processes and tools for better team readiness.

Skills

Strategic communications

Stakeholder engagement

Crisis communications

Reputation management

Media relations

Messaging frameworks

Risk assessment

Executive coaching

Public relations (PR)

Storytelling

Education

Bachelor's degree or advanced degree

Job description

Job Description

The Senior Communications Advisor serves as a strategic communications partner to business leaders, bringing a clear point of view and shaping business decisions and communications strategies that advance enterprise priorities and protect organizational reputation.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a strategic communications advisor to business leaders, bringing a point of view and recommending approaches that account for stakeholder, business, and reputational considerations.
• Develop and execute communications strategies, messaging frameworks, and engagement plans that advance enterprise priorities, influence outcomes, and position the business to navigate risk.
• Engage leaders and business teams early to identify risks, opportunities, and stakeholder implications; recommend approaches that help shape key initiatives, decisions, and organizational changes.

Issues & Reputation Management

• Anticipate and assess developments across the business, health care industry, legislative and regulatory environment, media landscape, and stakeholder community to identify potential risks and opportunities before they escalate.
• Identify, assess, and triage emerging issues; recommend actions to mitigate risk, shape outcomes, and determine appropriate escalation based on business, stakeholder, and reputational implications.
• Serve as a central communications leader during significant issues, convening appropriate stakeholders, driving alignment, and helping lead a timely, coordinated response.
• Advise leaders on complex or sensitive topics, recommend communications approaches, and prepare them for media interviews, stakeholder discussions, public appearances, and other engagements.
• Develop issues management and response materials, including communications plans, holding statements, key messages, FAQs, and Q&A documents.
• Develop proactive communications, stakeholder-readiness, and narrative strategies that shape the external environment, reduce reputational risk, and help the business prepare for foreseeable high-impact moments.

Communications Execution

• Create and oversee the development of clear, accurate, and strategically aligned communications for internal and external audiences.
• Translate complex business, policy, and health care topics into compelling, audience-appropriate communications.
• Identify proactive storytelling opportunities that strengthen organizational reputation and elevate enterprise priorities.

Operational Excellence

• Lead communications initiatives from early planning through execution, influencing direction and coordinating stakeholders, timelines, approvals, and resources.
• Establish appropriate measures to evaluate communications effectiveness and apply insights to future strategies.
• Collaborate with agencies, consultants, and vendors as needed.
• Help strengthen communications processes, tools, and practices that improve team effectiveness and organizational readiness.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree or advanced degree (where required) and more than five years of experience in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing or a related field.
• In lieu of degree, 7+ years of experience in related field.

Preferred

• Experience in health care, health insurance, public policy, government affairs or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience supporting enterprise-wide initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with legislative, regulatory, and political issues affecting the health care industry.
• Experience developing communications strategies for high-profile or reputationally significant matters.

Bonus Points

• You thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift rapidly, and complex issues require thoughtful, timely action.
• You bring order to ambiguity, anticipate potential risks, and exercise sound judgment about how to influence outcomes, mitigate risk, and elevate when necessary.
• You understand how business decisions and communications strategies can affect organizational reputation and stakeholder trust.
• You confidently bring a point of view, advise leaders, and help shape decisions in sensitive, high-profile, or rapidly evolving situations.
• You build credibility and alignment through strong relationships, collaboration, responsiveness, and consistently high-quality work.
• You remain informed about issues affecting the health care industry, Blue Cross NC, and its stakeholders, and you balance strategic thinking with a willingness to execute.

What You’ll Get

• The opportunity to work at the cutting edge of health care delivery with a team that’s deeply invested in the community
• Work-life balance, flexibility, and the autonomy to do great work
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage along with numerous health and wellness programs
• Parental leave and support plus adoption and surrogacy assistance
• Career development programs and tuition reimbursement for continued education
• 401k match including an annual company contribution
• Learn more

Where You’ll Work

Our Hybrid Flex approach is built on presence with a purpose, providing the flexibility to work remotely while creating intentional opportunities for in-person connection. The approach supports a workplace that is flexible, connected and future-focused.

In a Hybrid Flex role, you will be based in the Durham area and work in the office at least two days each week for collaboration and connection. In a Remote Flex role, you will work virtually, with a small number of in-office visits each year for meaningful moments that matter.

Whether this position is designated Hybrid Flex or Remote Flex will depend on the nature of the work and the employee’s distance from the Durham headquarters. Candidates from outside the local area and in the states listed in the job posting are welcome to apply. On‑site expectations will be discussed during the interview process.

Salary Range

At Blue Cross NC, we take great pride in a fair and equitable compensation package that reflects market-price and our starting salaries are typically planned near the middle of the range listed. Compensation decisions are driven by factors including experience and training, specialized skill sets, licensure and certifications and other business and organizational needs. Our base salary is part of a robust Total Rewards package that includes an Annual Incentive Bonus*, 401(k) with employer match, Paid Time Off (PTO), and competitive health benefits and wellness programs.

• Based on annual corporate goal achievement and individual performance.

$81,068.00 - $129,708.00

Skills

Communication, Communication Coordination, Crisis Communication Management, Digital Communications, External Communication, Internal Communications, Media Management, Media Relations, Public Relations (PR), Strategic Communication Planning