Senior Communications Advisor
About The Position
The Senior Communications Advisor serves as a strategic communications partner to business leaders, helping shape business decisions and communications strategies that advance enterprise priorities and protect organizational reputation. Working independently and in close partnership with communications colleagues and business leaders, the advisor anticipates communications risks and opportunities, shapes outcomes before issues escalate, and recommends approaches for navigating complex decisions. The role calls for deep issues management expertise, business acumen, exceptional communications skills, and knowledge of the health care landscape and issues affecting Blue Cross NC. The advisor develops and executes communications strategies, messaging frameworks, engagement plans, and response materials; advises leaders on sensitive topics and prepares them for media and stakeholder engagements; and leads coordinated communications responses to significant issues. The role also translates complex business, policy, and health care topics into audience-appropriate communications, identifies proactive storytelling opportunities, and leads initiatives through planning and execution. It includes measuring communications effectiveness, coordinating stakeholders and resources, working with agencies and vendors, and improving communications processes and readiness.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree or advanced degree (where required) and more than five years of experience in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, or a related field.
- In lieu of a degree, 7+ years of experience in a related field.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in health care, health insurance, public policy, government affairs, or another highly regulated industry.
- Experience supporting enterprise-wide initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
- Familiarity with legislative, regulatory, and political issues affecting the health care industry.
- Experience developing communications strategies for high-profile or reputationally significant matters.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift rapidly and complex issues require thoughtful, timely action.
- Ability to bring order to ambiguity, anticipate risks, exercise sound judgment, influence outcomes, mitigate risk, and escalate when necessary.
- Understanding of how business decisions and communications strategies affect organizational reputation and stakeholder trust.
- Confidence advising leaders and helping shape decisions in sensitive, high-profile, or rapidly evolving situations.
- Ability to build credibility and alignment through relationships, collaboration, responsiveness, and high-quality work.
- Knowledge of issues affecting the health care industry, Blue Cross NC, and its stakeholders, along with a balance of strategic thinking and willingness to execute.
Responsibilities
- Advise business leaders on communications approaches that account for stakeholder, business, and reputational considerations.
- Develop and execute communications strategies, messaging frameworks, and engagement plans that advance enterprise priorities and help the business navigate risk.
- Engage leaders and business teams early to identify risks, opportunities, and stakeholder implications, and recommend approaches for initiatives, decisions, and organizational changes.
- Monitor business, health care industry, legislative and regulatory, media, and stakeholder developments to identify potential risks and opportunities.
- Identify, assess, and triage emerging issues; recommend mitigation actions and appropriate escalation.
- Serve as a central communications leader during significant issues by convening stakeholders, driving alignment, and helping lead a timely, coordinated response.
- Advise leaders on complex or sensitive topics and prepare them for media interviews, stakeholder discussions, public appearances, and other engagements.
- Develop issues-management and response materials, including communications plans, holding statements, key messages, FAQs, and Q&A documents.
- Develop proactive communications, stakeholder-readiness, and narrative strategies to shape the external environment and prepare for foreseeable high-impact moments.
- Create and oversee clear, accurate, strategically aligned communications for internal and external audiences.
- Translate complex business, policy, and health care topics into compelling, audience-appropriate communications.
- Identify proactive storytelling opportunities that strengthen organizational reputation and elevate enterprise priorities.
- Lead communications initiatives from planning through execution, influencing direction and coordinating stakeholders, timelines, approvals, and resources.
- Establish measures to evaluate communications effectiveness and apply insights to future strategies.
- Collaborate with agencies, consultants, and vendors as needed.
- Help strengthen communications processes, tools, and practices to improve team effectiveness and organizational readiness.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Health and wellness programs.
- Parental leave and support.
- Adoption and surrogacy assistance.
- Career development programs.
- Tuition reimbursement for continued education.
- 401(k) match and an annual company contribution.
- Annual incentive bonus.
- Paid Time Off (PTO).
- Work-life balance, flexibility, and autonomy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
