Director, Enterprise External Communications

Nemours Children's Health•Orlando, FL

About The Position

Nemours is seeking an Enterprise External Communications Director. The Director, External Communications, serves as a trusted strategic advisor to executive and senior leadership across the organization. Reporting to the Vice President, Reputation and Communications, this director drives the national reputational strategy for Nemours Children’s Health while partnering with regional and enterprise leaders to advance regional reputation and patient growth strategies through external communications. The role leads Nemours Children’s earned media, external communications, and integrated campaign strategies to strengthen national visibility, support regional market priorities, and ensure the organization shows up with a clear, credible, and differentiated voice across external channels.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, or related field required.
12 to 15 years + of progressive communications experience with substantial external communications, public relations, or media relations leadership in a complex organization.
Demonstrated experience managing media relationships across health, science, or policy beats, with a consistent record of earning high-quality coverage.
Track record of building and executing proactive, integrated external communications strategies, not just managing inbound media requests.
Experience with owned media strategy, including institutional newsroom management and digital content development.
Prior experience with national agency management and vendor partnerships

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Prior experience in PR for a hospital, health system, or healthcare organization strongly preferred.
Healthcare, nonprofit, or public sector experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Shape, drive, and own a national reputation strategy for Nemours Children’s Health in ways that build trust, strengthen credibility, and support regional reputation and patient growth.
Lead external positioning for executive, clinical service line, research innovation, and population health priorities across channels as identified.
Lead a proactive, story-forward media relations strategy that positions Nemours as an authoritative and sought-after source for national, regional, and specialty media on topics that matter in children's health.
Build Nemours Children’s presence with health, science, policy, and general assignment journalists at nationally influential outlets while ensuring our geographic footprint is also represented with excellence.
Partner with others to develop integrated strategy, content architecture, and editorial direction of externally facing owned media, including the institutional newsroom, Well Beyond Medicine Podcast, and other digital content platforms.
Design and lead integrated external communications campaigns that continue to move Nemours from a reactive media function to a proactive reputation-building institution.
Serve as a strategic advisor on issues management and crisis communications, providing counsel on how emerging situations may affect Nemours external standing and ensuring that the organization communicates with clarity, consistency, and credibility when it matters most.
Collaborate with the VP, Reputation and Communications, and the Office of the President on an integrated enterprise thought leadership platform that positions Nemours most senior voices in national conversations on children's health, health equity, policy, and the future of pediatric medicine.
Build and maintain a disciplined approach to reputation measurement.
Lead, develop, motivate, and manage a high-performing communications team.
Coordinate and manage the external communications budget, including annual planning, quarterly forecasting, and agency and vendor resource management.