Media Relations Manager
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics—recognized as one of the best hospitals in the United States—is Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center and a regional referral center. Each day more than 12,000 employees, students, and volunteers work together to provide safe, quality health care and excellent service for our patients. Simply stated, our mission is: Changing Medicine. Changing Lives.
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic's department of Marketing and Communications is seeking a Media Relations Manager to oversee media relations activities for the University of Iowa Health Care, which includes the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Carver College of Medicine and the physician community. This individual will be responsible for developing strategic communications plans; successfully managing relationships with the media, identifying and pitching stories to local, national, and trade media; tracking outcomes, and leading the media relations team.
Duties to include:
Strategic
- In conjunction with Director of Strategic Communications, prepares and executes annual media relations plan to support UI Health Care’s strategic plan and major initiatives
- Supports national thought leadership platform, messaging, and initiatives
- Works with priority service lines and Marketing and Communications leads to understand business plans and strategies, and create plans to support
- Collaborates on media planning with the University of Iowa, other colleagues, and external resources
- Tracks local, state, and national trends in health care and acts on those that are relevant to UI Health Care
- Understands strategy and relevant issues with local, state, and national legislation and serves as liaison with the public policy team
Media Relations
- Serves as primary media contact and spokesperson for UI Health Care
- Briefs and prepares senior leaders, faculty, and staff for major interviews
- Receives and strategically manages media inquiries
- Identifies and pitches stories for national, state, and local coverage
- Writes communications plans, statements, talking points, news releases, Q&As, backgrounders, and other materials
- Establishes strong working relationships with key media representatives
- Creates and maintains an online newsroom
Planning
- Reports on key performance indicators and progress toward communication and outreach goals, per media relations plans
- Identifies key topics and trends in the news that match our areas of strength and proactively connects media with our experts
Leadership
- Potentially serve as coach/team lead for Media Relations team
- Helps to ensure the team has appropriate resources, clear direction, and support
- Assists with the supervision of student workers
- Ensures compliance with all UI Health Care and UI policies and procedures
Crisis Planning
- Updates and regularly maintains the crisis communications plan and trains Marketing and Communications team members on their role
- Serves as the Public Information Officer (PIO) for University of Iowa Health Care and is main liaison for coordination of messaging with Marketing and Communications team, including web, social media, and internal communications, during actual and scenario crisis
Message Development and Issues Management
- Recommends and develops a message strategy and communications plan for issues management
- Addresses new and anticipates potential issues with background research, and writes briefs
- Ability to effectively interpret and transmit information for internal and external audiences.
Innovation
- Identifies trends in channel development and technology and works with internal and external stakeholders to analyze and makes recommendations to Director of Communications
- Seeks innovative ways to tell our stories
- Maximizes the use of video and graphics
Collaboration
- Works closely with others in Marketing and Communications (e.g., web, social media, marketing, internal communications, etc.) to share content
- Develops and manages productive relationships with UI Health Care senior leadership, UI Office of Strategic Communications, and other internal and external stakeholders and customers
- Represents UI Health Care on various internal or external committees, agencies, and associations
Process
- Tracks and reports on key performance indicators and progress toward communication and outreach goals, per media relations plans
- Maximizes the capabilities and efficiencies of tools used by the team (e.g., Jira, TVEyes, Meltwater, SharePoint, etc.)
- Creates and maintains an online newsroom
- Maintains a central database of media contacts and editorial calendar
- Identifies rapid-response protocol for breaking news and collaborates with others including social media and internal communications
- Applies and upholds UI Health Care brand standards and editorial style
Other duties as assigned
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as communications or public relations or equivalent amount of education and experience.
- Minimum of five years of media relations or public relations experience
- Experience working directly with journalists
- Experience in developing and implementing strategic communications plans
- Excellent oral and written communications skills
- Ability to effectively collaborate and work in a team environment
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships
- Ability to use a wide range of channels, media, and technology to tell stories (e.g., video, photography, podcasts, etc.)
- Self-motivated, thrives in a fast-paced environment, with the innate drive to learn and pick up new challenges
- Ability to work effectively with senior executives
- Ability to think strategically and creatively
Desirable Qualifications
- Professional experience in the health care industry
- Experience presenting to large groups
- Experience working in a large organization
- Proven ability to supervise staff
Job openings are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days. Applications will be accepted until at least 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.
Successful candidates will be subject to a criminal background check. This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.