PR and Communications Lead

The Lead Public Relations & Communications Specialist assists with the development and execution of strategic PR & Communications campaign planning, message development, and media strategy in support of organizational priorities. Partners across the enterprise to align PR initiatives with business objectives and proactively identifies opportunities to position the organization through media outreach, digital storytelling, and thought leadership. Contributes to the organization's external communications strategy by supporting crisis communication efforts. Additionally, this role provides ongoing strategic communications support for the Government Affairs team and the Child Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI), including developing and executing integrated advocacy communications strategies. The position also works with the Care Alliance team to elevate stories and thought leadership across a seven-state region. Finally, the position leads a streamlined, strategic approach to engagement with professional associations and patient advocacy organizations to maximize communications opportunities and advance organizational priorities.

Job Status: Full-time, 40 hours per week

Shift: Days. Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm. Monday, Thursday, Friday - remote, work from home. Tuesday, Wednesday - Required in-office. On-call rotation, with possibility of weekend/evening/holiday coverage per department needs

Duties & Responsibilities

• Designs and executes strategic integrated communications plans that support operational, brand and reputation goals.
• Works collaboratively with providers, operational leadership and Government Affairs teams on strategy and communications plan development.
• Develops overall key messages and media materials that resonate with external audiences.
• Cultivates relationships with national and industry media; identifies opportunities for proactive outreach.
• Leads integrated campaigns that span earned media, digital content and external partnerships.
• Leads media relations crisis communication planning and real-time media response efforts, including serving as PIO or media liaison in incident command center.
• Advises internal teams on external messaging for initiatives, events and announcements.
• Provides message/spokesperson training for leaders or identified spokespeople, as needed.
• Establishes and maintains high internal quality of work from concept to completion.
• Regularly monitors media environment to assess reputational risks and flags emerging issues.
• Tracks and reports on communications performance and media coverage; provides recommendations based on data-informed analysis.
• Manages own project workflow while coordinating with project teams and management on schedules, requirements, goals and assignments as needed.
• Conducts interviews, background research, and fact-checking with providers, patients and other SMEs as needed to support content development and accuracy.
• Mentors and coaches others through the development process by providing developmental opportunities, responding to questions, providing direction and addressing resource utilization.
• Helps to ensure successful representation of CHCO brand across media, through knowledge of brand standards, design templates and systems architecture.

Scope & Level

• Guidelines: Advanced full performance professional level work that requires additional knowledge, education, training or experience. Guidelines are generally in the form of stated objectives only with issues and factors largely undefined requiring the employee to exercise creativity and ingenuity in devising criteria, techniques, strategy, and methodologies for approaching assigned functions or projects.
• Complexity: Duties performed involve concepts, theories, and concrete factors to be evaluated and weighed requiring a high degree of analytical ability, independent judgment, and decision-making. Acts as a subject matter expert in the field of expertise.
• Decision Making: Exercises judgment and discretion, and is responsible for determining the time, place and sequence of the work performed.
• Communications: Contacts with team members, clients or the public where some degree of discretion and judgment are required in carrying out a major program and/or function of the organization.
• Supervision Received: Performs work with minimal supervisory oversight. Work assignment is generally unstructured and employee is responsible for organizing complex, varied, and simultaneous coordination of several functions, programs, or projects in various stages of completion.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Degrees
  • Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, English, or related field
• Experience
  • Six (6) years of experience in agency or corporate marketing environment required. Experience in public affairs/government highly preferred
• Equivalency
  • Four (4) years of experience, beyond stated requirements, may substitute for the Bachelor's degree
    

Salary Information
Pay is dependent on applicant's relevant experience.

Annual Salary Range (Based on 40 hours worked per week): $88,253.00 to $132,379.50

Benefits Information
Here, you matter. As a Children's Hospital Colorado team member, you will receive a competitive pay and benefits package designed to take care of your needs that includes base pay, incentives, paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, company provided life and disability insurance, paid parental leave, 403b employer match (retirement savings), a robust wellness program, and access to professional development tools, including an education benefit to help you advance your career.

As part of our Total Rewards package, Children's Colorado offers an annual employee bonus program that rewards eligible team members based on organizational performance. If organizational goals are met for the year, the bonus is paid out the following April.

Children's Colorado delivers annual base pay increases to eligible team members based on their performance over the previous year.

EEO Statement
It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other status protected by law or regulation. Be aware that none of the questions are intended to imply illegal preferences or discrimination based on non-job-related information. The position is expected to stay open until the posted close date. Please submit your application as soon as possible as the posting is subject to close at any time once a sufficient pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.