Director of Public Relations and Communications

Here, it's different. Come join us.

Children's Hospital Colorado has defined and delivered pediatric healthcare excellence for more than 100 years.

Here, the nation's brightest nurses, physicians, scientists, researchers, therapists, and care providers are creating the future of child health. With an optimist's outlook, a trailblazing spirit, and a celebrated history, we're making new strides every day.

We've been Magnet-designated four times by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and are consistently recognized among the best of the best pediatric hospitals with #1 rankings in Colorado and the region by U.S. News & World Report.

As a national leader in pediatric care, we serve children and families from all over the nation. Our System of Care includes four pediatric hospitals, 11 specialty care centers, 1,300+ outreach clinics and more than 10,000 healthcare professionals representing the full spectrum of pediatric care specialties.

Here, we know it takes all of us, every role, to deliver the best possible care to each child and family we treat.

That's why we build our teams toward a foundation of equity in access, advancement, and opportunity. We know teams of individuals with different identities and backgrounds can nurture creativity and innovation. We know we can see, treat, and heal children better when our team reflects the diversity of our patient population. We strive to attract and retain diverse talent because we know a truly inclusive and equitable workforce will help us one day realize our most basic calling: to heal every child who comes through our doors.

A career at Children's Colorado will challenge you, inspire you, and motivate you to make a difference in the life of a child. Here, it's different.

Position Details:

As the Director of Public Relations & Communications, you will be at the forefront of our external communications strategy, driving media relations, public relations campaigns, and content creation for social media and other external channels. Your role will be pivotal in managing our brand's reputation and navigating crisis communications with expertise.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement comprehensive external relations and communications strategies that align with business objectives and enhance brand reputation.
• Media Relations: Act as the primary spokesperson and media contact, building and maintaining strategic relationships with journalists, industry influencers, and external partners.
• Crisis Communication: Lead crisis communication efforts, ensuring timely and transparent messaging to all external stakeholders.
• Content Strategy: Oversee the development and execution of integrated content strategies across all external channels, including media relations, public relations campaigns, press releases, social media, and digital communications.
• Team Management: Assign and review annual goals for the team, provide training, and develop leaders. Manage performance issues and resource plans for the department.
• Social Media Presence: Ensure an active and engaging social media and digital presence that reflects the brand's voice and mission.
• Agency Partnerships: Manage external agency partnerships and vendor relationships, ensuring quality standards and budget adherence.
• Financial Management: Maintain accountability for departmental financial management, including budget development and monitoring.
• Performance Metrics: Implement and oversee comprehensive metrics for monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of all external relations and communications activities.
• Culture Champion: Influence positive change to support organizational objectives and maintain effective cross-functional relationships.
• Project Leadership: Lead complex communications projects and provide technical expertise on external relations programs and industry best practices.

Essential Functions:

Develops and implements comprehensive external relations and communications strategies that align with business objectives, enhance brand reputation, and support operational vision; establishes strategic plans, annual goals, and performance metrics for the department.

Acts as the organization's primary spokesperson and media contact; builds and maintains strategic relationships with journalists, industry influencers, key associations, and external partners to advance organizational messaging and reputation.

Leads crisis communication efforts, ensuring timely, transparent, and appropriate messaging to all external stakeholders; provides guidance to internal teams on managing sensitive external communications effectively.

Oversees the development and execution of integrated content strategy across all external channels, including media relations, public relations campaigns, press releases, social media, and digital communications collateral.

Assigns and reviews annual goals for team, provides work instruction (OTJ or formal training) and develops leaders. Evaluates performance of leaders, providing continuous feedback. Manages discipline and performance issues; hires and fires leaders. Reviews and approves resource plans for department.

Ensures the organization maintains an active, engaging social media and digital presence that reflects the brand's voice and mission; collaborates with cross-functional teams to align digital communications with corporate objectives.

Manages external agency partnerships and vendor relationships, including scope of services, deliverables, and budget adherence; pre-emptively identifies cost-saving opportunities while maintaining quality standards.

Maintains accountability for departmental financial management, including budget development, monitoring, and reporting; ensures responsible stewardship of organizational resources.

Implements and oversees comprehensive metrics for monitoring, measuring, and reporting on the effectiveness of all external relations and communications activities; analyzes data to inform strategy adjustments and communicates insights to senior leadership.

Serves as a champion of enterprise-wide culture, influencing positive change to support organizational objectives and maintain effective cross-functional relationships.

Leads complex communications projects and provides technical expertise on external relations programs, processes, and industry best practices; ensures all communications align with organizational values and compliance requirements.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor's degree in degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing or related field

Experience: Seven (7) years of public relations, external communications, digital marketing plus a minimum of three (3) years of leadership experience.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Audio-Visual: Color Discrimination: Good

Audio-Visual: Depth Perception: Good

Audio-Visual: Far Vision: Good

Audio-Visual: Hearing: Good

Audio-Visual: Near Vision: Good

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Exposure to Infectious diseases: Infrequent

Mental and Emotional Requirements: Handles multiple priorities effectively.

Mental and Emotional Requirements: Independent discretion/decision making.

Mental and Emotional Requirements: Makes decisions under pressure.

Mental and Emotional Requirements: Manages stress appropriately.

Mental and Emotional Requirements: Works with others effectively.

Mental Stress: multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, prioritizing

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.

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 resources to help you advance and grow.

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.