Senior Director, Media Relations & Crisis Communications

Tufts Medicine; Burlington (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Tufts Medicine seeks a seasoned Chief Media Relations Officer to lead strategic media relations and communications for the health system, overseeing crisis communications and serving as the primary spokesperson 24/7.

You will collaborate with executive leadership, legal, risk, patient safety, and the Tufts University School of Medicine communications team to ensure accurate, unified messaging across care, research, and education.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.
• Eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in media relations, PR, or corporate communications, with at least five (5) years in healthcare.
• Experience serving as an organizational spokesperson with proactive and reactive media relations at a senior level.
• Experience leading crisis communications and issues management, including playbooks and rapid-response messaging.
• Experience leading and managing high-performing communications teams with people management.

Responsibilities

• Leads, mentors, and develops a high-performing Media Relations team with clear performance goals.
• Directs daily operations of the Media Relations team, including budget, staffing, and vendor management.
• Builds relationships with local, regional, and national journalists, editors, and influencers to maximize impact.
• Develops and executes data-informed media relations strategies for visibility across the enterprise.
• Serves as chief media relations strategist and primary spokesperson for institutional and crisis communications, establishing a spokespeople roster.
• Designs and delivers ongoing media training for executives and clinicians, including crisis scenarios.
• Counsels senior leaders on media engagement and messaging strategies.
• Collaborates with content, digital, and internal comms teams to launch major initiatives and announcements.
• Leads executive visibility programs through op-eds, expert placements, and national rankings initiatives.
• Ensures communications adhere to brand standards and maintain reputational integrity.
• Maintains crisis communications playbooks, holding statements, and escalation procedures; conducts drills and post-incident reviews.
• Oversees media monitoring, sentiment analysis, and performance metrics to demonstrate ROI.
• Coordinates with Government Relations and Public Affairs for policy-related communications.
• Supports community benefit and health improvement program communications.

Skills

Media relations

Crisis communications

Strategic leadership

Spokesperson experience

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Communications/PR

Master's degree in Marketing/Communications/Business (MBA)

Job description

Tufts Medicine seeks a seasoned Chief Media Relations Officer to lead strategic media relations and communications for the health system, overseeing crisis communications and serving as the primary spokesperson 24/7.

You will collaborate with executive leadership, legal, risk, patient safety, and the Tufts University School of Medicine communications team to ensure accurate, unified messaging across care, research, and education.