Senior Executive Communications Specialist

Children's National Medical Center•Silver Spring, MD

46d

About The Position

The Senior Executive Communications Specialist is a dynamic strategist and skilled storyteller who drives the voice and visibility of the CEO of Children's National Hospital. This role is key in positioning the CEO as a national leader in pediatric health, a trusted advocate for children and families, and a visionary organizational leader. Reporting to the Director of Strategic Communications within the Marketing & Communications Department and working closely with the CEO's Chief of Staff, the Senior Executive Communications Specialist develops and executes multi-channel communication strategies that amplify the CEO's thought leadership and organizational priorities with internal and external audiences. The ideal candidate brings a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and meticulous execution. They excel under pressure, deeply understand the healthcare landscape, and are adept at crafting communications that inform, inspire, and influence.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree (Required)
5-8 years of experience in corporate or executive communications strongly preferred (Required)
Previous experience in executive speechwriting required. A work portfolio will be requested.
Excellent written and verbal communications skills, knowledge of AP style and strong attention to detail.
Ability to write clear, compelling prose in different styles, voices, and tones to effectively communicate to multiple audiences.
Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
Ability to work autonomously and offer solutions to problems.
Consistently able to display independent thinking and assume responsibility for projects.
Displays sound judgment and is able to make independent decisions guided by the business goals of the department and organization.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, to manage multiple projects simultaneously and to prioritize workload.
Knowledge of MS Office and HTML email platforms.
Proficient with PowerPoint or other presentation tools.
Familiarity with social media platforms, especially Linkedin, and best practices.
Media relations experience, with a track record of placing stories in national and regional outlets.
Ability to identify content trends and best practices to generate new ideas.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a health care system, science or medical institution preferred.

Responsibilities

Craft compelling narratives, speeches, talking points, presentations, blog posts, and social media content to articulate the CEO's vision, advocacy positions, and organizational updates.
Tailor messaging to resonate with diverse audiences, including staff, patients and families, industry leaders, policymakers, Board members and media, ensuring alignment with the hospital's mission and values.
Elevate the CEO's platform by identifying opportunities to participate in high-impact events, contribute to industry dialogue, and establish a distinct voice in advancing pediatric healthcare innovation.
Provide full support for the CEO's engagements, including message development, delivery coaching, and logistics planning to maximize the impact of public and private appearances.
Collaborate with the communications team to advise on sensitive issues, manage real-time crises, and protect the CEO's and organization's reputation during challenging situations.
Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and work cross-functionally with internal stakeholders, ensuring consistency in messaging and alignment with strategic objectives.
Conceptualize, research, conduct interviews and write various communication materials for different audiences.
Communicate information of a highly complex nature in a clear, precise, and compelling way through speeches and presentations.
Create and use tools to measure and monitor the effectiveness of communications activities.
Coordinate topics and messaging with public relations and marketing leadership, Chief of Staff, Foundation, government affairs and other key departments in order to prioritize messages and material is consistent with CNH branding and positioning.
Monitor and analyze developments and major issues pertaining to pediatric health systems, academic medical centers and the business of health care to ensure that these topics are appropriately addressed and articulated.
Create corresponding briefing documents as needed for CEO's speaking engagements. Ensure briefings for all of the CEO's speaking engagements accurately reflect information discussed during remark preparation.
Build relationships with key stakeholders, and develop and maintain strong working relationships with departments to ensure consistent content, messaging and timing of communications.
Serve as a consultant to CEO and other executives, recommending and implementing communications strategies and tactics to meet team's goals and enhance Children's strategic goals.
Develop and sustain contacts with subject matter experts to include peers, physicians, nurses, other staff members and constituents.
Ensure that all remarks and other public statements prepared for the CEO, including those prepared by other offices, are accurate, fact-checked and copy edited.
Accompany CEO, when appropriate, to speaking engagements and/or attend speaking engagements on a regular basis. Provide feedback to the CEO.
Assist in the response to crisis situations to develop messages and communicate to a variety of internal and external audiences.
Assist with written and digital CEO correspondence as requested.
Support CEO visibility by coordinating and preparing for media interviews, securing placements, and amplifying earned media coverage across internal and external channels.
Create, manage, and execute a content calendar for the CEO's LinkedIn channel. Closely collaborate with the Director of Social Media to align plans with brand content where appropriate.
Develop topics working in conjunction with public relations teams, Chief of Staff and government affairs.
Write, edit, and produce a variety of letters to the editor, articles, videos, blogs, digital content and other communications to further position CNH as a leading voice in pediatric health care nationally.
Determine distribution methods and work with media outlets and journalists to place pieces.
Identify and explore new avenues to effectively communicate the CEO's message to appropriate audiences, such as social media, videos, photos, podcasts, blogs, etc.