Manager, Communications

Sutter Health•Sacramento, CA

About The Position

This role helps shape, protect, and advance Sutter Health’s reputation through integrated corporate and public affairs strategies. It leads strategic communications and corporate affairs initiatives, including issues management, stakeholder engagement, and policy-related communications, that support enterprise priorities, strengthen organizational positioning, and build trust with key internal and external audiences. The position is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive, research-driven communication strategies and narratives that align with business objectives and address the evolving external landscape, including regulatory, political, and community considerations. It oversees the creation of targeted messaging and campaigns that effectively engage priority stakeholders such as policymakers, community partners, employees, clinicians, and media, positioning Sutter Health as a trusted, mission-driven healthcare leader. The role leads the design and implementation of integrated campaigns, initiatives, and events that leverage a mix of earned, owned, shared, and paid channels, partnering closely with digital, social, brand, creative services, and multimedia teams to ensure cohesive storytelling and consistent voice across platforms. It supports proactive and reactive reputation management efforts, including risk assessment, message development, and coordination of response strategies. The position advances and protects the Sutter Health brand and reputation through data-informed insights, audience segmentation, and performance measurement, identifying opportunities to strengthen public perception and competitive differentiation. It provides strategic counsel and analytical guidance to cross-functional teams and senior leaders on communications approaches tied to key business initiatives and reputational priorities. The role oversees and develops team members and manages external agency and contract resources to deliver high-quality work on time and within budget. It evaluates communications strategies, content, and distribution approaches to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and alignment with enterprise goals.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive experience in corporate affairs, public affairs, or strategic communications, ideally within healthcare, public-sector, or highly regulated industries
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise or system-level communications strategies tied to reputation, issues management, policy advocacy, or other high-visibility issue areas - including executing integrated communications campaigns across earned, owned, shared and paid channels
Strong leadership presence and experience providing counsel to senior leaders and cross-functional partners, preferably within a highly matrixed organization
Experience managing and developing teams and/or external agencies, with accountability for budgets, timelines, and quality of work
A track record using data, research, analytics, and/or performance insights to inform strategy, messaging and analysis of communications strategic impact
Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Journalism, Public Relations (PR), or related field, or equivalent experience
8 years recent relevant experience
Comprehensive knowledge of strategic communications planning, social networking, graphic standards/corporate identity management, graphic design principles, news/feature/speech/online/script writing and editing techniques, publications development/production/management, principles of photography and audio/video production, audience list maintenance and special events coordination.
Thorough understanding of communications planning, graphic design and production, multi-media, brand management, publications, digital channels (web, social, etc.), special events, leadership presentations and research.
Expert communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, presentation and negotiation competencies, with the ability to interpret corporate goals and translate them into an effective communications/constituent relations plan.
Business acumen and exceptional analytic skills with the proven ability to provide innovative communication solutions to complex problems and to meet business objectives.
Demonstrated understanding of regional, state, and national health care and medicine issues, Northern California current events, and cultural and health care trends.
Exceptional attention to detail with time management and organization skills, including the demonstrated ability to maintain production schedules and strictly adhere to multiple timelines and budgets.
Working knowledge of selecting/hiring third-party talent for creative services, graphic design and production, publication development and management, market research and advertising.
Proficient computer skills, including advance competency in Microsoft Office suite and a solid knowledge of graphic design, data management, and statistical analysis software.
Synthesize information and ideas across a variety of subject matter areas and to create communication plans that generate an engaging and positive reader experience
Articulate a vision, translate complex business ideas into lay terms, work with staff at all levels of the organization.
Assess and understand target audience attitudes, opinions, and preferences.
Manage, prioritize, adapt, and drive numerous projects with multiple and rapidly changing priorities while still delivering quality communications on-time and on-budget.
Foster a collaborative environment, to influence individuals or groups with diverse opinions and to enlist cooperation without direct control/authority.
Negotiate effectively with staff, senior management, vendors, media partnerships, external agencies, and organizations.
Identify and resolve technical, operational, and organizational problems using policies, procedures and department plan.
Establish, build, and maintain effective working relationships with peers, stakeholders, executives, external agencies, consultants, and relevant industry influencers.

Nice To Haves

Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from PRSA

Responsibilities

Oversees and prioritizes the conceptualization, development, and implementation of the focus area’s communications campaigns that advance SH’s mission, strategic vision, and plan.
Ensures deliverables are accurate, error-free, and timely; meet quality and strategic goals; produced within budget; achieve key performance/publication indicators; and adhere to editorial guidelines, and brand standards.
Manages issues, risks, and/or project scope changes to ensure efficient use of resources, time, and budget.
Procures the necessary requirements, such as workforce, project information and deliverables, various agreements, union considerations, material, or technology essential to successfully accomplish project objectives.
Advances and undertakes research/audit initiatives that inform and assess effectiveness of proposed and existing communications strategies or channels on brand and reputation, employee perceptions and/or communications preferences, etc.
Manage vendor, freelance and/or agency relationships to help ensure high-quality, cost-efficient communications.
Oversees and manages various functional teams and requests on select integrated marketing and communications projects, campaigns and programs for enterprise, market, ambulatory, acute and freestanding entities.
Defines and communicates project objectives that are clear, useful, and attainable using a variety of best practices and standard processes to ensure operational efficiency and scalability.
Liaises with core and contracted team members, information systems, operations, communications, marketing, legal, and other cross-functional and cross-organizational departments to reduce risk of overall failure, to maximize benefits, and to minimize costs.
Oversees development of multi-audience communications and media relations strategies and tactics, in partnership with leadership and legal counsel, to proactively manage issues, respond to urgent crisis situations, effective influence, inform, and educate external audiences.
Manages responses, in conjunction with legal, to media on issues that may affect our reputation internally, externally or with key partners and suppliers.
In coordination with communications, external affairs, and others, may build and maintains partnerships with external individuals, organizations, and elected officials, including identifying opportunities for new partnerships and programs.
At the request of leaders, serve as a spokesperson for online, print, radio, and television interviews, or prepare and manage interviews with identified leaders.
Identify, research and plan social networking/digital media opportunities and other emerging communications strategies to build and maintain SH’s reputation.
Serve as a communications consultant to Sutter Health and various entities on crisis communications and issues management.