The Senior Director of Public Relations will join the UCSF Office of Communications (OC) at a time of significant investment and expansion to serve the growing needs of UCSF’s mission and strategic initiatives. A key leader in the OC’s Public Affairs team, the Senior Director’s primary responsibility will be to develop and implement media relations and other external communications strategies that promote the clinical and business priorities of UCSF Health — the health care delivery enterprise of UCSF.

In this role, the Senior Director will collaborate closely with the UCSF Health Marketing team to co-develop integrated marketing-communications strategies that promote UCSF Health’s growth strategy, priority service lines, affiliations with other health care partners, and national and local reputation. The Senior Director reports to the executive director of UCSF Public Affairs with a dotted-line reporting relationship to UCSF Health’s Vice President of Marketing, and will be responsible for ensuring that UCSF media relations strategies are aligned and integrated with UCSF Health's priorities.

This role requires significant communications experience in a health care delivery setting, a strong understanding of how an academic medical center functions and current business challenges in health care, and deep experience in media relations strategy. Among its responsibilities will be developing strategies to position the UCSF Health CEO and other clinical leadership as thought leaders on issues that are critical to the future of UCSF.

The Senior Director will manage a team of public information representatives who are the primary news media liaisons for UCSF Health and its clinicians, front-line care teams, and faculty. The Senior Director will serve as the primary editor for the team and will be responsible for leading the team in developing/maintaining best-in-class strategies and skills for media relations in a health system of this stature. As part of the Public Affairs leadership team, the Senior Director will work closely with the managing editor of owned media, a counterpart overseeing UCSF's biomedical research and education communications, UCSF's strategic communications team, and counterparts in brand strategy, internal communications, and university development.

Tactics will include news releases, pitches, ghost-written op-eds, graphics, podcasts, video, press briefings, public forums, and media training, as well as new tactics in the rapidly changing media and digital communications fields.

The role will grow with the Public Affairs team, contributing to and/or leading various OC initiatives and priorities, ranging from team building and goal setting to faculty media training and emergency response planning.

Public Affairs actively supports UCSF’s PRIDE Values of Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity & Excellence. Candidates representing San Francisco’s diverse communities are encouraged to apply.

This position will require 3 days onsite and 2 days remote. The role may require being onsite, as needed. 

• Bachelor's degree in a related area and 6+ years of directly related work experience
• 5+ years of supervisory/management experience; or equivalent experience / training. 
• Strong knowledge of the concepts, principles and technical aspects of media relations and communications in a health care delivery setting, including sensitive communications.
• Skill in conceiving and implementing media relations plans and strategies and in providing leadership to staff and colleagues to achieve desired objectives.
• Strong interpersonal and written communications skills, including strong editing skills.
• Strong supervisory skills.
• Fundamental understanding of health care and biomedical research, and the ensuing judgment to determine which research is newsworthy.
• Ability to communicate complex or health-related information in an accessible and engaging manner.

About UCSF/UCSF Health

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF’s primary academic medical center and health system, includes nationally renowned specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. UCSF’s Office of Communications (OC) provides comprehensive and coordinated leadership in planning, creating and implementing integrated brand and communications programs across the UCSF enterprise, including the university campus and the UCSF Health system. These programs foster increased awareness, understanding and support of UCSF’s mission, vision, accomplishments, and strategic priorities among its many internal and external constituencies. It serves as the official voice of UCSF to regional, state, national and international news media.

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