Senior Director Public Relations

JOB SUMMARY

Directs and develops Public Relations strategies and activities to enhance Geisinger’s awareness and reputation in local, regional, and national media markets. Using traditional and new media outlets, develops and disseminates news about the system’s mission, vision, institutional and clinical activities; ensures Geisinger promotes its image and protects its reputation in a proper, coordinated, and consistent manner; cultivates and manages relationships with media and trade press representatives on the local, regional, national level; stays on top of new trends and technology when it comes to the digital/social media arena.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s Degree-Business Communications (Required), Master’s Degree- (Preferred)

EXPERIENCE

Minimum of 7 years-Related work experience (Required)

• Develops proactive media relations strategies, plans and initiatives to cultivate understanding, goodwill and support for Geisinger’s institutional mission, vision and strategy, and to build awareness of the organization’s providers, products, programs and services.
• Keeps abreast of the competitive environment, clinical advances, technological enhancements and industry trends to strengthen media activities and relationships.
• Monitors issues that could negatively affect Geisinger’s brand or services; notifies appropriate executives and personnel; develops and manages crisis communications programming, including social media issues.
• Leads media relations team memebers.
• Attracts, retains and develops top talent.
• Acts as a media spokesperson on behalf of the health system; provides counsel and training to key executives, physicians, board members and others who interact with news media.
• Pitch, coordinate and execute media opportunities for executive leadership in the national media arena to elevate the Geisinger brand through the system’s innovation and leadership expertise.
• Develops and disseminates news, photos, videos and other timely information to news media, trades and digital and social media; plans and oversees press events; assures accuracy of communications.
• Maintains online media center content and ensures positive user experience; leverages digital and social media tools to reach and interact with a wide range of media outlets, including broadcast, newspaper, magazine, trade press, bloggers, clinical journals and more.
• Develops collaborative working relationships with local, regional and national media contacts.
• Shares information about news media activities with the system’s marketing, web, and internal communications teams to ensure coordination and communication of media coverage with other internal and external audiences.
• Cultivates and maintains excellent working relationships with executive leadership, managers, staff, physicians and others to generate stories, images and other news media content for traditional and new media purposes.
• Measures and reports on performance; recommends adjustments to news media strategies and tactics.
  Work is typically performed in an office environment. Accountable for satisfying all job specific obligations and complying with all organization policies and procedures. The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job.