Director of Media Relations & Content Strategy

OU Health•Fredericksburg, VA

20h

About The Position

The Administrative Director of Media Relations & Content Strategy is a senior communications leader responsible for shaping and amplifying OU Health's story across earned and owned channels. Reporting to the Vice President of Digital Media and Content Strategy, this role sets the strategic vision for how OU Health communicates with the public, media and key stakeholders, ensuring every story told reflects the organization's mission, values and growing impact on the health of Oklahomans and beyond. This leader drives the development and execution of an integrated media and content strategy that unifies owned and earned channels into a single, cohesive narrative engine. They lead a dynamic team of media relations professionals and content creators, building a high-performing communications function that operates with both editorial rigor and strategic purpose. From proactive new stories and executive thought leadership to long-form storytelling and digital content, this role oversees a portfolio of communications work that elevates OU Health's brand locally and nationally. A trusted partner, the director cultivates meaningful relationships with journalists, editors and broadcast media while also collaborating closely with internal stakeholders across including branding and growth team, clinical, research and university teams to uncover and deliver stories that matter. They bring equal command of traditional media relations and modern content platforms, with the instincts to know which story belongs where and the leadership to make it happen.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university required, preferably in strategic communications, public relations, journalism, content design, creative writing, UX-alignment, or marketing.
Master’s degree required; will consider those in progress.
Minimum of 10 years experience in related field and 5 to 7 years of progressive leadership experience required.
Must possess the required level of skills and abilities to read, write, speak, and apply mathematical concepts and sound reasoning to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this job.
Must be able to perform basic operations on a computer within the Windows operating system.
This position requires problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, and the ability to multi-task.

Responsibilities

Serve as OU Health's senior media relations strategist, overseeing all press activity across local, regional and national outlets.
Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, editors, producers and influencers across health and business news beats.
Lead the development and distribution of press releases, media advisories, executive pitches and story packages.
Identify and proactively pitch compelling stories that advance OU Health's reputation as Oklahoma’s flagship academic health system and a rising national leading academic health system.
Prepare and coach executives, physicians and clinical spokespeople for media interviews, presentations and public appearances.
Oversee media monitoring, coverage tracking and earned media reporting, translating results into actionable insights for leadership.
Guide crisis and issues communications planning, serving as a calm and decisive resource when reputational risks arise.
Own the editorial vision and content roadmap across OU Health’s owned channels, including the branded newsroom, blog, social media, and other communications platforms working closely with Vice President of Digital Media and Content Strategy and Digital Newsroom and content Strategy Manager.
Oversee the development and ongoing evolution of content for the new OU Health brand newsroom, establishing editorial standards, workflows and a content pipeline that reflects the organization’s strategic priorities.
Align content strategy across internal communications, the University of Oklahoma, and the OU College of Medicine to ensure unified messaging and cohesive storytelling across the academic health enterprise.
Develop and maintain a consistent brand voice, messaging framework and storytelling standards that reinforce OU Health’s identity and values.
Lead the creation of high‑impact content that elevates patient stories, clinical excellence, research breakthroughs, and community impact in support of the tripartite mission of an academic health system.
Integrate owned and earned media strategies to ensure stories move fluidly across channels and reach the right audiences at the right moments.
Use data, analytics and audience insights to continually refine content performance, optimize storytelling approaches, and inform future editorial decisions.
Partner with brand and growth teams to ensure content supports campaign goals, service line growth, and broader organizational priorities.
Lead, mentor and develop a team of media relations professionals, content strategists and writers.
Foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture grounded in creativity, accountability and continuous learning.
Set clear goals and KPIs for team members, conducting regular performance reviews and providing ongoing coaching.
Manage external agency partners, freelancers and vendors to extend team capacity where needed.
Serve as a trusted communications advisor to senior leadership, including the VP of Digital Media and Content Strategy, executive team physicians and clinical leaders.
Support physician and executive thought leadership through bylined articles, speaking opportunity positioning and media placement.
Collaborate with the broader Marketing Growth Department (MGO) team to ensure brand consistency and integrated campaign execution.
Develop and manage the annual workplan for annual media relations and content strategy plan, aligned to OU Health's growth priorities.
Establish and track KPIs across earned and owned media, including media placements, share of voice, engagement and audience growth.
Administer departmental budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively across team, tools and production needs.
Performs other duties as assigned.