Director - Strategic Communications & Content - Public Rel

Position Details

Lakeland Regional Health is a leading medical center located in Central Florida. With a legacy spanning over a century, we have been dedicated to serving our community with excellence in healthcare. As the only designated Level 1 Trauma Center for Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties, and the second busiest Emergency Department in the US, we are committed to providing high-quality care to our diverse patient population. Our facility is licensed for 910 beds and handles over 200,000 emergency room visits annually, along with 49,000 inpatient admissions, 21,000 surgical cases, 4,000 births, and 101,000 outpatient visits.

Active - Benefit Eligible and Accrues Time Off

Work Hours per Biweekly Pay Period: 80.00
Location : 1324 Lakeland Hills Blvd Lakeland, FL
Pay Rate : Min $131,060.80 Mid $163,820.80 Position Summary

The Director, Strategic Communications & Content leads Lakeland Regional Health’s communications and content function and serves as a key steward of the organization’s reputation, voice, and strategic narrative. Reporting to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, this leader shapes how LRH is seen, understood, and experienced across earned media and public relations, owned content and social, internal communications, and executive communications.

This role advances the health system's reputation, visibility, and strategic priorities by developing and executing communications strategies that position Lakeland Regional Health as a leading voice in healthcare while supporting organizational growth and community engagement.

This is a people and function leadership role. The Director leads and develops the communications and content team while establishing standards, processes, and strategic direction for the organization's communications function. In partnership with the Director of Brand & Consumer Strategy, the Director ensures communications and content strategies reinforce the Lakeland Regional Health brand, strengthen trust, and connect storytelling to meaningful engagement and measurable organizational outcomes.

The Director also remains actively engaged in media relations and reputation management, serving as a key media contact and spokesperson, leading proactive media engagement, and supporting crisis communications and high-profile issues.

The ideal candidate brings exceptional communications expertise, sound judgment, executive presence, and the ability to translate complex healthcare priorities into compelling stories that engage audiences and advance organizational goals.

Position Responsibilities

Standard Work: Director - Strategic Communications & Content

• Lead, develop, and inspire the communications and content team by setting priorities, establishing standards of excellence, coaching team members, and partnering with the CMCO to shape department strategy
• Shape and advance the LRH narrative and reputation strategy across media, PR, content, social, internal, and executive communications, ensuring a consistent voice aligned with strategic priorities.
• Lead earned media strategy and serve as the primary media contact — developing and placing stories that highlight clinical excellence, innovation, and community impact, and building strong relationships with journalists and relevant influencers across local, regional, and national outlets
• Lead crisis and issues communications and serve as Public Information Officer when needed, participating in emergency preparedness.
• Serve as a strategic communications partner to executive leadership, providing counsel on organizational priorities, sensitive issues, change initiatives, and opportunities to strengthen trust and engagement
• Set content and social strategy across LRH’s owned ecosystem — including digital and nontraditional channels such as podcasts — directing multimedia storytelling, press materials, and campaign content that ladders up to brand positioning
• Establish communications standards, editorial governance, and messaging frameworks that ensure consistency, quality, and alignment across all organizational communications.
• Lead internal and executive communications that inform, align, and engage the workforce while providing leaders with a consistent and credible voice.
• Develop and execute communications strategies that support organizational priorities, culture, change initiatives, and executive visibility
• Partner with the Director of Brand & Consumer Strategy to ensure communications and marketing strategies reinforce the Lakeland Regional Health brand, strengthen trust, and deliver a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints
• Serve as the Community Health and Foundation team contact, ensuring a consistent Lakeland Regional Health narrative across all audiences and community engagement initiatives.
• Establish and track performance metrics including reach, sentiment, and message pull-through, and provide insights to inform strategy
• Monitor media coverage, industry trends, and emerging issues to identify risks and opportunities for proactive outreach.

Director/Assistant Director Capabilities

• Demonstrates accountability for programs and services and/or organization-wide functional responsibilities within the system to support achievement of organizational priorities.
• Coaches leaders and professional team members to create an environment that encourages continuous learning and development.
• Engages direct leadership team to leverage talent, communicate a strong vision and mission and achieve buy-in.
• Directs and participates in leadership team development, performance management and engagement.
• Leads change by communicating a clear vision, influencing and motivating others, and developing relationships with key stakeholders.
• Promotes and inspires a healthy and safe culture to advance overall system, team performance and service experience.
• Maintains patient confidentiality and privacy, and adhere to HIPAA standards.

Competencies & Skills

Essential:

• Proven people leader who can lead and mentor a team
• Internal and executive communications acumen — able to align a workforce and give leaders a credible, consistent voice
• Experience coaching executives and physician leaders for media interviews, presentations, and public speaking
• Brand stewardship mindset — able to protect trust, reinforce consistency, and connect communications strategies to organizational outcomes
• Strong analytical skills; able to turn data on sentiment, engagement, and conversion into action
• Collaborative, cross-functional leader with strong partnership skills across the organization
• Highly organized, able to lead multiple priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment
• Track record developing and executing communications strategies — earned, owned, internal and executive — that generate meaningful coverage and measurable engagement
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and advise senior leaders
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling; strong command of AP style
• Depth in media relations, including managing complex or sensitive inquiries; sound crisis and reputation-management judgment
• Demonstrated experience leading crisis communications and issues management
• Familiarity with the evolving media landscape, including digital and nontraditional platforms
• Strong understanding of healthcare regulations related to communications, patient privacy, and media interactions
• Expertise in content strategy, social media strategy, and multi-channel storytelling

Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field required.
• Preferred:
• Master's degree or advanced certification in communications, public relations, marketing, or a related field preferred

Other information:

Experience essential:

8-10 years in communications, media relations, public relations, or corporate communications, including demonstrated people-leadership experience.

Experience Preferred: Healthcare industry experience strongly preferred.

Salary : $131,061