Senior Manager, Earned Media and Public Relations

Riverside Hospital; Newport News (VA); On-site; USD 96,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

Riverside Health System in Newport News, Virginia is seeking a Senior Manager of Earned Media & Public Relations to lead our earned media strategy, executive thought leadership, and institutional reputation.

Reporting to the System Director, Brand & Integrated Communications, you will oversee day-to-day media relations, guide national and trade media efforts, and mentor the in-house PR team to protect Riverside’s reputation.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise earned media strategy in support of Riverside's priorities and brand objectives.
• Establish annual earned media goals, priorities, campaigns and success metrics.
• Identify proactive storytelling opportunities to strengthen awareness and trust.
• Serve as senior advisor on earned media strategy and opportunities.
• Oversee in-house PR function, processes and governance.
• Develop relationships with national, regional and healthcare trade media.
• Lead proactive outreach for high-value earned media opportunities.
• Direct media strategy for enterprise announcements and initiatives.
• Identify thought leadership and executive interview opportunities.
• Provide strategic oversight to local and regional media relations efforts.

Job description

Newport News, Virginia

Hiring Range

$96,400.00 - $132,550.00/Annual

Actual pay is determined based on job-related factors such as relevant experience, education, credentials, skills, internal equity, and business needs.

Overview

The Senior Manager, Earned Media & Public Relations serves as Riverside's senior public relations strategist, responsible for leading the health system's earned media, executive thought leadership, institutional reputation, issues management and Public Information Officer (PIO) program. Reporting to the System Director, Brand & Integrated Communications, this role develops enterprise public relations strategies that advance Riverside's visibility, credibility and influence among key stakeholders.

The Senior Manager oversees the day-to-day media relations function through direct management of the Manager, Media Relations & Communications while personally leading national and trade media strategy, executive thought leadership initiatives, organizational reputation efforts and high-impact earned media opportunities.

This role serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and is responsible for building, maturing and advancing Riverside's in-house public relations function.

What you will do

Enterprise Earned Media Strategy

• Develop and lead Riverside's enterprise earned media strategy in support of organizational priorities, strategic growth initiatives and brand objectives.
• Establish annual earned media goals, priorities, campaigns and success metrics.
• Identify proactive storytelling opportunities that strengthen awareness, credibility and trust among key stakeholder audiences.
• Serve as the organization's senior advisor regarding earned media strategy and opportunities.
• Lead the evolution and continued maturity of Riverside's in-house public relations function, including processes, workflows, governance and best practices.

National, Trade and Strategic Media Relations

• Develop and maintain relationships with national, regional and healthcare trade media.
• Lead proactive outreach efforts to secure high-value earned media opportunities that position Riverside as a leader in healthcare innovation, quality, workforce development, patient experience and community health.
• Direct media strategy for enterprise announcements, strategic initiatives and high-profile organizational priorities.
• Identify opportunities for thought leadership placement, feature stories, bylined articles and executive interviews.
• Provide strategic oversight and guidance to local and regional media relations efforts managed by the Manager, Media Relations & Communications.
• Personally lead media engagement activities when complexity, visibility, organizational risk or strategic importance warrant elevated involvement.

Executive Thought Leadership & Influence Strategy

• Develop and manage Riverside's executive and physician thought leadership program.
• Create and maintain annual visibility plans for executives, physicians and key subject matter experts.
• Identify and secure opportunities for speaking engagements, industry recognition, award submissions, media interviews, bylined articles and conference participation.
• Partner with communications, content, social media and marketing teams to amplify thought leadership initiatives.
• Position Riverside leaders as trusted voices within healthcare and the communities Riverside serves.
• Maintain an enterprise roadmap of thought leadership opportunities and executive engagement activities.

Institutional Reputation & Public Perception Management (10%)

• Lead strategies that strengthen Riverside's organizational reputation among media, community leaders, industry influencers, healthcare partners, policymakers and other key stakeholders.
• Monitor emerging issues, trends and reputational risks that may impact organizational perception.
• Develop proactive communication strategies that reinforce trust, credibility and stakeholder confidence.
• Analyze media narratives, message pull-through and competitive visibility to identify opportunities and potential risks.
• Help shape healthcare conversations and strengthen Riverside's influence within the markets it serves.

Crisis Communications, PIO Leadership & Issues Management

• Serve as Riverside Health System's lead Public Information Officer (PIO) and oversee the organization's PIO program.
• Lead PIO preparedness, training, activation processes and ongoing program development.
• Support and coordinate designated PIOs across the health system to ensure consistent messaging and response protocols.
• Partner with the System Director to execute crisis communications strategies during incidents, emergencies and high-profile issues.
• Coordinate media relations and external communications activities during crisis and incident response efforts.
• Develop crisis communications plans, messaging frameworks, response protocols and spokesperson preparation materials.
• Monitor emerging issues and provide