Communications and Public Relations Specialist

Summary :

Public Relations and Communications Specialist - Community Memorial Hospital

Enterprise Marketing and Communications

As a member of Enterprise Marketing and Communications, the public relations and communications specialist assists in managing the reputation of and elevating awareness for VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital (CMH).

The public relations and communications identifies and tells stories with strategic relevance to the VCU enterprise on owned channels and through media outreach;

develops strategic communications plans; and assists in issues / crisis management. They are also responsible for supporting internal and executive communications at CMH.

The position is responsible for supporting the priorities identified by VCU and VCU Health’s strategic plan Quest 2028 : One VCU Together We Transform, helping the health system achieve its goals related to raising local, regional, and national awareness of VCU Health’s excellence in patient-centered care, innovation and research, and commitment to health equity.

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's generous benefits package that includes : competitive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, Virginia Retirement System (VRS), tuition waiver, partner discounts, and abundant opportunities for career development and advancement.

Learn more about VCU's benefits hereL

Strategic public relations development and execution

• Provides public relations management, guidance, and counsel to CMH leadership for specific projects and long-term communications priorities.
• Provides counsel and contributes related expertise in other areas of Enterprise Marketing and Communications, including web development, events planning, photography, and video.
• Manages emergency and operational communications to external media channels.
• Manages media inquiries, and determines appropriate responses in accordance with university and health system strategic goals and priorities.
• Manages media relationships and notifies appropriate personnel about media presence.

News Reporting and Production Duties

• Uses professional journalism standards to research, write, and edit news releases, media. advisories, or feature stories for external media, social media, and the VCU Health News Center.
• Build relationships at CMH to be aware of events, awards, and team member expertise.
• Proofreads and edits for spelling, grammar, consistent formatting, and style, making sure the text follows AP style and health system nomenclature.
• Must have strong news judgment, and the ability to juggle multiple assignments under tight deadlines, producing as-needed breaking news stories, news releases, Q&As, profiles, and in-depth feature articles.

Internal and Executive Communications

Responsible for communication initiatives that engage and align CMH employees, managers, and provider audiences to the organization’s mission, vision, and goals;

supports internal brand building and alignment.

• Develop and review communication materials for internal audiences that engage and inform CMH team members, faculty, and clinical providers.
• Customizes messages for CMH team members, including current and prospective healthcare providers, team members, and providers.
• Works closely with different business areas on strategic initiatives that support manager and employee base.
• Collaborates with other communicators and units across the health system and university.
• Manages, develops, and disseminates routine communications ( newsletters, updates, blogs, fact sheets, briefing documents, and intranet content).
• Manages deadlines for multiple projects simultaneously and is responsible for keeping the internal communications calendar up to date.

Minimum Requirements

• Proven, comparable experience in developing and executing strategic public relations programs for local, regional, and national audiences.
• Proven ability and creativity in organizing, planning, and implementing public relations programs and analyzing problems to propose effective public relations solutions.
• Strong initiative.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently at a consistently high level of productivity.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse team member environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU Health.

Preferred Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in journalism, public relations, communications, or marketing.
• Proven public relations experience, particularly in strategic planning, media relations, and event management, and evidence of professional writing techniques and skills.

Salary Range : $68,000 - $70,000

Position Details :

Department : University Public Affairs

Employment Type : UF - University Employee FT

Restricted Status : No

FTE : 1

Exemption Status : Exempt

University Job Code : Sr Communications Specialist

ORP : No