VP Communications

Overview

The Vice President, Communications serves as the enterprise leader responsible for the strategy, integration and execution of all aspects of external and internal communications across the UF Health academic health center and its tripartite mission (including public relations, media relations, issues and crisis communications, public affairs, strategic communications, internal communications and event planning). This role drives the development and execution of proactive comprehensive communications strategies that elevate the organization’s reputation, support enterprise priorities, deliver transparent and timely messaging and strengthen stakeholder engagement. Operating in a complex, matrixed environment, the VP, Communications partners with university and executive leaders across the clinical and academic enterprise to advance UF Health priorities through strategic communications methods and tactics, including impactful storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the planning, execution and evaluation of enterprise-wide external communications, including media relations, press releases, public statements and proactive reputation management; produces consumer daily health radio series that airs on public radio affiliates nationally
• Oversees public relations and public affairs activities, maintaining positive relationships with media, government and community stakeholders; provides leadership guidance to manage issues, crises and response strategies
• Oversees all facets of internal strategic communications, ensuring timely, consistent and engaging messaging for UF Health faculty, staff and students
• Builds and sustains relationships with media, government and community stakeholders
• Implements proactive reputation-building initiatives, including thought leadership
• Monitors media landscape, public sentiment and emerging issues to inform communications strategies
• Serves as senior advisor on crisis and issues communications, providing strategic guidance to executive leadership
• Develops and maintains crisis communication protocols, messaging frameworks and rapid-response strategies
• Protects and enhances organizational reputation through proactive risk identification and mitigation
• Collaborates with cross-functional leaders, MarComm leaders and subject matter experts to align messaging with UF Health mission, vision, values and goals in support of culture-building organizational initiatives and change communications
• Oversees and supports the strategic communications lead as they serve as the primary conduit between MarComm and market presidents, ensuring alignment of priorities and providing guidance as needed
• Champions a unified UF Health voice in all outreach, ensuring alignment with branding and strategic initiatives; upholds UF Health standards for clarity, accuracy and tone
• Analyzes effectiveness of communication strategies and adapts plans based on performance data, stakeholder feedback and best practices
• Analyzes media coverage, internal engagement and stakeholder feedback to refine communications strategies
• Implements best practices and emerging trends to enhance effectiveness and reach
• Mentors, coaches and develops MarComm team members to support talent growth and foster a collaborative, high-performing culture

Illustrative Performance Metrics

• Reputation and Crisis Management: Number of positive media placements; earned media reach/impressions, sentiment, share of voice; time to resolution for emerging public issues; growth in positive media placements and thought leadership visibility; improvement in brand/reputation metrics (trust, awareness, preference); effectiveness of proactive reputation-building initiatives
• Internal Communications Effectiveness: Open/read rates for key internal messages; employee feedback on communication clarity and timeliness; participation rates in organizational initiatives or events prompted by internal comms; effectiveness of communications supporting organizational initiatives and change efforts
• Operational Excellence: Timeliness and quality of deliverables; efficiency of communications workflows and processes; alignment to enterprise priorities
• Stakeholder/Leadership Satisfaction: Feedback scores from leadership/key stakeholders on external and internal communications support and impact
• Team and Talent: Employee engagement and retention; development of high-potential talent; team performance against defined goals and deliverables

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations or related field required. Master’s degree in relevant area of specialization preferred.

Experience:

• 10 years of progressive communications leadership experience
• Significant supervisory and client management experience at the director level or above, leading enterprise-level communications in a complex, matrixed organization
• Experience in health care, academic medicine, higher education or similarly complex environment strongly preferred
• Proven success in media relations, crisis communications and executive communications
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and work effectively with senior leadership