External Communications Manager

McKesson•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

McKesson is an impact-driven, Fortune 10 company that touches virtually every aspect of healthcare. We are known for delivering insights, products, and services that make quality care more accessible and affordable. Here, we focus on the health, happiness, and well-being of you and those we serve – we care. What you do at McKesson matters. We foster a culture where you can grow, make an impact, and are empowered to bring new ideas. Together, we thrive as we shape the future of health for patients, our communities, and our people. If you want to be part of tomorrow’s health today, we want to hear from you. We are looking for a proactive, detail-oriented Manager, External Communications, to join our Corporate Communications team, reporting to the Senior Director, External and Policy Communications. This position supports external communications initiatives that advance enterprise priorities and strengthen the organization’s reputation.

Requirements

4+ years of broad communications experience across a wide range of disciplines.
Proficient with digital tools and emerging technologies, including AI and the creation of agents, to more swiftly complete communication deliverables and repeatable tasks.
Demonstrated experience in external communications, including the ability to craft clear, accurate messaging for external audiences.
Experienced in media relations, including developing newsworthy storylines, preparing spokespeople, building reporter relationships, and coordinating proactive and reactive press engagement.
Skilled in organizing logistics, managing timelines, and ensuring successful execution of campaigns and activities.
Outstanding writing and proofreading skills.
Proficient in social media management, including developing strategies, creating content, engaging audiences, and analyzing performance across platforms.
Understanding of the policy landscape to inform messaging and support strategic decision-making.
Self-directed and able to prioritize workload to meet deadlines.
Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively across teams and build productive relationships.
Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively across teams, build productive relationships, and champion AI adoption.
4-year degree in communications, journalism, business, or a related field.
Degree or equivalent and typically requires 4+ years of relevant experience.
Must be authorized to work in the US.
Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Responsibilities

Engage with key partners, including Government Affairs, business unit marketing teams, and other stakeholders, to identify and activate opportunities, including campaigns, thought leadership, events and earned media to share McKesson’s corporate narrative with priority audiences and strengthen the company’s brand image and reputation.
Build and execute social media strategies that strengthen McKesson’s reputation and reinforce its corporate narrative.
Build and deliver communication materials for external audiences, using technology to streamline content creation and review.
Provide proactive recommendations on media engagement and respond to media inquiries with approved statements in a timely and accurate fashion.
Strengthen McKesson’s advanced AI‑powered communications tools and platforms real-time.
Identify opportunities to automate repetitive communications tasks and pilot new solutions to enhance team productivity.
Optimize press releases to align with our corporate narrative and ensure they are easily discoverable through AI-powered search and Large Language Model (LLM) tools.
Lead training and maintenance of AI-powered media intelligence and monitoring tools to enhance insights and responsiveness.