Director of Strategic Communications and Media

Boston Symphony Orchestra • Boston, MA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications and Media to serve as the senior operational and strategic communications partner to the Senior Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications. This role is critical in translating enterprise communications strategy into coordinated institutional execution. The Director will function as the department’s second-in-command, advancing strategic communications initiatives, strengthening departmental capacity, supporting executive communications, and operationalizing institutional messaging, media strategy, crisis response, and stakeholder communications. While the Senior Director focuses on strategy and executive leadership, this role emphasizes implementation, cross-functional execution, managing initiatives, and ensuring organizational responsiveness during periods of high visibility or change. The position requires strong strategic judgment, exceptional writing ability, operational agility, organizational maturity, and the ability to perform effectively in fast-moving and highly visible institutional environments. This role is also considered a successor-track position to strengthen long-term communications bench depth and organizational continuity.

Requirements

• 8–10 years of experience in communications, media relations, executive communications, or public relations.
• Experience supporting complex organizations or high-visibility leaders strongly preferred.
• Crisis communications experience preferred.
• Experience in arts and culture, nonprofit, higher education, media, or mission-driven organizations preferred.
• Exceptional writing and editorial skills.
• Strong strategic judgment and interpersonal maturity.
• Ability to manage sensitive communications with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong media relations and storytelling capability.
• Comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous, and high-pressure environments.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Senior Director to operationalize enterprise communications strategy across institutional initiatives, leadership priorities, and organizational communications efforts.
• Translate high-level communications direction into actionable messaging plans, communications initiatives, and coordinated execution strategies.
• Ensure organizational messaging remains aligned, consistent, responsive, and strategically integrated across departments and stakeholder groups.
• Support execution of institutional crisis communications strategies and rapid response communications efforts, including developing statements, FAQs, talking points, and stakeholder messaging.
• Monitor emerging issues, reputational dynamics, and public narrative trends while coordinating institutional response efforts.
• Assist in maintaining organizational readiness during periods of heightened visibility or complexity.
• Draft, edit, and coordinate communications on behalf of executive leadership, supporting executive visibility, thought leadership, speaking engagements, and interviews.
• Ensure executive messaging aligns with enterprise communications strategy and institutional priorities.
• Manage proactive media engagement efforts and support institutional visibility initiatives by developing stories, pitches, and communications campaigns.
• Cultivate relationships with journalists, media contacts, and external communications partners.
• Support the execution of media strategy established by departmental leadership.
• Help lead the organization’s internal communications strategy during periods of organizational change, institutional visibility, leadership transition, or reputational sensitivity.
• Partner with Human Resources and executive leadership to develop communications approaches that strengthen employee trust, organizational clarity, alignment, and transparency.
• Support development of internal messaging frameworks to improve communication consistency and reinforce organizational cohesion.
• Coordinate cross-functional communications planning to ensure alignment between internal stakeholder communications and external institutional messaging.
• Help operationalize a more proactive and strategically integrated internal communications capability across the institution.
• Serve as deputy communications leader and acting departmental lead as needed.
• Help strengthen departmental processes, execution standards, communications workflows, and operational coordination.
• Mentor junior staff, interns, and operational team members while helping build long-term departmental capability.
• Provide additional strategic depth and leadership redundancy within the communications function.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed