Manager of Communications-Marketing and Communications

Manager of Communications

The Manager of Communications leads the development and execution of internal and external communication initiatives that strengthen Kettering Health's culture, reputation, and alignment with organizational priorities. As part of the Marketing & Communications department within the Strategy Division, this leader partners closely with executives, HR, clinical leaders, and system functions to deliver clear, consistent, and engaging communication. They oversee internal communication channels, guide storytelling efforts, and manage media relations to protect and elevate Kettering Health's reputation within the community.

Kettering Health is a not-for-profit system of 14 medical centers and more than 120 outpatient facilities serving southwest Ohio. Our mission is to live God's love by promoting and restoring health. Our commitment to our patients is to help individuals be their best. With that context, safety is our top priority. We provide an integrated system of healthcare experts committed to providing exceptional care.

Job Requirements - Education

• Bachelor's degree in communication, journalism, public relations, or related degree required.
• Master's degree in business or healthcare-related preferred.
• Appropriate continuing education courses.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in communication, media relations, marketing, or related field required.
• People management experience or demonstratable leadership skills required.
• Leadership and healthcare experience preferred.

Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building abilities.
• Experience evaluating communication effectiveness through data, insights, or feedback.
• Ability to perform under pressure and navigate sensitive issues.
• Proven skills in working with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Ability to use computer software to produce and track data/information.

Essential Functions

• Helps create, review, and deploy all formal system communications to internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversees the communication team fostering a culture of high performance, alignment, and professional development.
• Experienced storyteller, adept at communicating human experiences to inspire action, build pride, and enhance the organization's reputation.
• Ability to take difficult or abstract concepts and create communication that is understandable and relatable for various audiences.
• Responsible for creating and executing an internal communication strategy aligned with the organization's mission and strategic plan to drive engagement and improve culture amongst employees, physicians, and other stakeholders. Collaborates with HR leaders and other system functions as a principal partner.
• Manages and improves internal communication channels and processes, developing new ones as appropriate, to ensure communication is received by stakeholders in a timely and effective manner.
• Supports system executive leadership with development of communication plans, timelines, memos, and other materials as needed for personnel announcements, special projects, results sharing, transformation initiatives, etc.
• Responsible for media/public relations strategy that enhances and protects KH's reputation in the community through timely dissemination of positive news and mitigation of crisis situations.
• Ability to serve as a PIO in crisis situations.
• Builds relationships with local media and key community groups, serving as the KH representative as appropriate.
• Collaborates with marketing leadership to develop content in support of business growth strategies centered on helping the community trust, consider, and ultimately access Kettering Health services via social media channels, advertising campaigns, etc.
• Augments internal team's capabilities and capacity by developing a strong network of external communication vendors, including writers, editors, media trainers, etc.
• Oversight of the organization's style guide, as a subset of the overall brand standards
• Other duties assigned.