SHSMD Career Center

Assistant Director of Public Relations, VCU Health
Enterprise Marketing and Communications

Primary Purpose and General Responsibilities Summary
As VCU’s Enterprise Marketing and Communications division, inclusion fuels our creativity and innovation, and it is central to who we are and what we do. We excel at storytelling, connecting audiences to the very essence of what makes VCU and VCU Health unstoppable.

To explore our benefits further, please visit https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/benefits/university-and-academic-professional-benefits/

The Opportunity

The Assistant Director of Public Relations for VCU Health will develop and execute healthcare content campaigns that connect with external stakeholders, including patients, the community, influencers, and the media. The role initiates and conducts public relations programs to support VCU and VCU Health’s strategic plan, Quest 2028.

The primary purpose of this role is strategic storytelling that promotes and protects the VCU Health brand through integrated public relations campaigns, national and regional media relations, issues management, multi-channel content creation, and other messaging needs. A primary area of responsibility will be creating strategic content and media relations efforts for clinical and service lines that demonstrate VCU Health’s commitment to patient-centered care and health equity.

Working closely with the director of public relations for VCU Health, the assistant director will represent the public relations office in internal and external meetings regarding specific projects or long-term communications efforts and will assist with the daily management of the VCU Health public relations office.

The assistant director will engage with leadership in a complex organization and work collaboratively with senior leadership and enterprise-level project teams when needed.

Core to VCU Health’s safety-net mission, the assistant director will play a key role in developing and maintaining an external content strategy that demonstrates our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and strengthens the VCU Health brand by communicating equitably with all communities in a way that builds trust and engagement. 

Content creation and media outreach are key parts of this role. The assistant director must have a strong record of writing web-optimized news content and collaborating with part-time writers, video producers, and designers to create multimedia content for maximum engagement on social media and digital channels. 

Strong initiative and strategic communication skills to adapt to the evolving needs of a growing academic health system are critical. 

Minimum Hiring Standards:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in public relations, marketing, communications, journalism, or equivalent related experience.
• Must have skills and abilities in writing, public speaking, and interpreting concepts/ideas into written and/or verbal form to selected audiences.
• Proven media relations experience including the ability to promote human-interest stories, research, and clinical news to local, regional, and national journalists.
• Must have crisis communication skills and strong knowledge of integrated communication and public relations practices, methods, and strategies.
• Must be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously under deadlines with evolving priorities, including coordination with other university and health system departments.
• Must have experience creating communications content for digital and social media platforms.
• Demonstrates a track record in fostering a diverse and inclusive environment through communications/marketing work, operations, and interpersonal relationships.
• Demonstrates an equity-focused approach to communications.
• Proven experience in public relations, journalism, marketing communications, or related fields that required strategic and creative thinking skills, writing, and editing.
• Must be able to solve complex issues independently with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU

Preferred Hiring Standards:

• Master’s degree from an accredited program in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, or related fields.
• PR agency experience and/or APR certification
• Proven track record of working with physicians, scientists, healthcare professionals, and senior leadership.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.