Director of Service Line Communications

$133,800.00 - $174,100.00 per year Pay Transparency: The above reflects the anticipated annual salary range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey. The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience. A Typical Day The Director of Service Line Communications provides overarching strategic leadership, reputation architecture, and narrative management vertically across all clinical service lines for the RWJBarnabas Health system.

Operating within a newly matrixed future-state structure, this role is entirely dedicated to protecting and elevating the system narrative, cultivating clinical thought leadership, and steering localized crisis communications. The Lead serves as a high-level strategic business partner to Clinical Chiefs and Service Line Administrative Leaders, shifting executive interactions from tactical task-taking to data-driven strategic consultation.

This role directly manages a distributed team of Service Line Communications Managers ensuring active alignment with enterprise communication standards while partnering closely with Service Line Marketing counterparts to bolster clinical growth initiatives with uncompromised earned credibility. The role also works closely with the VP, Corporate Communications, VP, Internal Communications and the AVPs of Regional Communications in an effort to align communications efforts.

Architect, implement, and govern a unified, proactive communications and reputation management strategy vertically across all clinical service lines (e.g., Cancer, Neuro, Heart & Vascular, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, and Joint Ventures) Serve as the primary, high-level communications advisor and strategic consultant to Clinical Chiefs, Service Line Administrative Leaders, and Medical Staff Executives across the system Provide direct leadership, administrative oversight, and professional development to the distributed team of Service Line Communications Managers and support staff across the enterprise Partner directly with Service Line Marketing Leads and Corporate Communications leadership to ensure clinical volume growth and patient acquisition campaigns are fully synchronized with earned media coverage, medical advancement storytelling, and thought-leadership positioning Oversee the writing, refining, and regional/national media dissemination of high-level communication copy, clinical breakthrough announcements, and specialized clinical publications Enforce strict governance boundaries ( lines in the sand ), ensuring that distributed service line communications resources are completely protected from out-of-scope tasks, including personal executive administrative assistance, routine localized facility operational memos, or low-scale social event planning Direct rapid-response localized crisis communications, issue mitigation, and real-time narrative management for clinical incidents or regulatory events impacting specific service lines Interface with the centralized Intake & Content Studio via the automated single front door process, translating complex service line needs into high-quality strategic briefs for centralized campaign execution Serve as a core participant on the Weekly Editorial Meetings to ensure all critical projects and events are included on behalf of all service line communications into the Integrated System Calendar to ensure a single, coherent system voice Establish, track, and present key performance indicators (KPIs) to executive leadership regarding service line narrative penetration, earned media share of voice, and the collective impact of communication initiatives on provider engagement This Role Might Be For You If..

Expert-level knowledge of strategic corporate communications, public relations, and reputation management methodologies within a multi-site healthcare environment Proven capability to build trusted, collaborative advisory partnerships with senior physician leaders, clinical chairs, and C-suite executives Strong leadership and people-management skills, with a demonstrated ability to cultivate followership and drive accountability across distributed teams Exceptional written, verbal, and editorial communication skills, with a sophisticated ability to translate complex clinical developments into accessible public narratives Advanced understanding of modern media relations, public affairs, and crisis communication deployment models Proficiency in navigating highly matrixed organizational structures and balancing specialized service line needs with centralized corporate mandates Operational familiarity with integrated content management workflows, enterprise digital calendar software, and automated intake systems Strong strategic problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to resolve cross-functional or inter-departmental conflicts within the Editorial Council framework before default escalation to executive leadership Acute emotional intelligence and political savvy required to handle sensitive clinical and reputational matters with discretion, speed, and precision A data-driven mindset with the capability to leverage communications metrics to optimize media strategy and showcase narrative ROI Absolute commitment to upholding enterprise brand guidelines, compliance requirements, and operational governance boundaries Superior time-management and organizational skills, with a proven ability to manage competing high-visibility priorities under strict deadlines To Be Considered Education Required: Bachelors degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Corporate Affairs, or a strictly related field Experience Required: Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive, relevant experience in corporate communications, public relations, or media relations Prior people leadership experience is required Education Preferred: Masters degree in Communications, Public Relations, Healthcare Administration (MHA), or Master of Business Administration (MBA) Licensure Preferred: Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) or a similar professional communication certification Experience Preferred: Ten (10) or more years of communications experience, with significant tenure operating within a large, highly complex multi-hospital healthcare delivery system, academic medical center, or corporate matrix environment Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Benefits and Perks: At RWJBarnabas Health, our market-competitive Total Rewards package provides comprehensive benefits and resources to support our employees’ physical, emotional, social, and financial health. Paid Time Off (PTO) Medical and Prescription Drug Insurance Dental and Vision Insurance Retirement Plans Short & Long Term Disability Life & Accidental Death Insurance Tuition Reimbursement Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts Wellness Programs Voluntary Benefits (e.g., Pet Insurance) Discounts Through our Partners such as NJ Devils, NJ PAC, Verizon, and more!

Choosing RWJBarnabas Health! RWJBarnabas Health is the premier health care destination providing patient-centered, high-quality academic medicine in a compassionate and equitable manner, while delivering a best-in-class work experience to every member of the team. We honor and appreciate the privilege of creating and sustaining healthier communities, one person and one community at a time.

As the leading academic health system in New Jersey, we advance innovative strategies in high-quality patient care, education, and research to address both the clinical and social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health aims to truly make a unique impact in local communities throughout New Jersey. From vastly improving the health of local residents to creating educational and career opportunities, this combination greatly benefits the state.

We understand the growing and evolving needs of residents in New Jersey—whether that be enhancing the coordination for treating complex health conditions or improving community health through local programs and education. Equal Opportunity Employer

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