System Director, Communications Strategy

About Tufts Medicine

Tufts Medicine is an innovative, mission-driven health system that unites the best of academic and community medicine to deliver exceptional, connected, and accessible care. Our system includes Tufts Medical Center, the principal teaching hospital of Tufts University and Tufts University School of Medicine, as well as Lowell General Hospital, Lowell General Hospital - Saints Campus, MelroseWakefield Hospital, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, Tufts Medicine Behavioral Health Hospital (opening Fall 2025), Tufts Medicine Care at Home, Tufts Medicine Integrated Network and a network of 2,300 physicians across Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. We treat the most complex conditions, keep our communities healthy, and bring research breakthroughs to life.

About the Role

Tufts Medicine is seeking a seasoned, innovative, and strategic System Director, Communications Strategy to lead and execute a bold, unified, and results-driven communications strategy across our complex and matrixed organization. This individual will be responsible for enhancing Tufts Medicine's reputation, strengthening its brand presence, and fostering engagement among internal and external stakeholders while ensuring communications strategies are data-driven, measurable, and aligned with enterprise objectives.

The Director will play a critical role in elevating and amplifying Tufts Medicine's brand and reputational preeminence regionally, nationally, and internationally. The successful candidate will develop strategies that position Tufts Medicine as a leader in the healthcare space and ensure that its clinical and academic achievements are recognized at the highest levels.

Success in this role requires an entrepreneurial, start-up mentality-someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, identifies opportunities, and brings creative, disruptive thinking to healthcare communications. The Director must be skilled at leveraging metrics, executing with precision, and demonstrating tangible results. Additionally, this role requires experience managing projects in a project management system and familiarity with Agile methodology to ensure efficiency, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

The Director, Communications Strategy will work in close collaboration with the Director, Brand and Digital Strategy and the Director, Content Strategy, ensuring an integrated and cohesive enterprise-wide communications approach.

Job Description

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree with concentrations in Communications, Marketing, or Business Administration.

2. Ten (10) years of management experience in enterprise-level communications.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Ten (10) years of experience in enterprise-level communications, preferably within a large, complex healthcare system, academic medical center, or research-driven organization.

2. Proven success in leading integrated communications strategies across internal, external, executive, media, and crisis communications.

3. Existing relationships and routine experience in securing national media coverage across top-tier outlets and clinical journals, as well as engaging with podcasts, blogs, and social media influencers to amplify the organization's clinical and academic voice.

4. Experience navigating media relations, crisis communications, and reputational risk management.

5. Experience managing high-performing teams and fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and accountability.

Duties and Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities listed below are intended to describe the general nature of work and are not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned.

1. Develops and executes a comprehensive enterprise-wide communications strategy that aligns with Tufts Medicine's mission, vision, and business priorities.

2. Drives execution excellence, ensuring all communications initiatives are strategic, well-planned, and measurable.

3. Leverages data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure effectiveness, optimize messaging, and demonstrate results.

4. Oversees internal, external, executive, foundation, clinical, academic, public relations, and crisis communications functions.

5. Serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, shaping and amplifying key messages to reinforce Tufts Medicine's role as a leader in academic and community medicine.

6. Develops internal communications strategies that engage employees, foster alignment, and reinforce organizational values.

7. Cultivates relationships with media, influencers, and key stakeholders to enhance Tufts Medicine's reputation and visibility regionally and nationally.

8. Leads crisis communications efforts, ensuring rapid response strategies are in place to protect and strengthen the enterprise's reputation.

9. Collaborates with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, philanthropy, research, recruitment and retention, enterprise culture, clinical trials, government affairs, and advocacy, to align messaging and maximize impact.

10. Utilizes Agile methodology and project management tools to manage workflows, improve efficiency, and drive timely execution of communications initiatives.

11. Develops storytelling and media strategies that highlight research breakthroughs, clinical innovations, and philanthropy's impact on patient care.

12. Partners closely with the Director, Enterprise Brand and Digital Strategy and the Director, Enterprise Content Strategy to drive an integrated communications strategy.

Physical Requirements:

1. This is largely a sedentary role, which involves sitting most of the time, but may involve movements such as walking, standing, reaching, ascending/descending stairs, and operating office equipment.

2. Frequently required to speak, hear, communicate, and exchange information.

3. Ability to see and read computer displays, read fine print, and/or normal type size print and distinguish letters, numbers and symbols.

4. Requires manual dexterity using fine hand manipulation to operate computer keyboard.

Skills & Abilities:

1. Strong executive presence with the ability to advise and influence senior leadership.

2. Deep understanding of healthcare, academic medicine, behavioral health, research, and philanthropic storytelling.

3. Entrepreneurial mindset-able to bring creative, disruptive thinking to how Tufts Medicine communicates in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.

4. Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills with the ability to simplify complex topics for diverse audiences.

5. Proficiency in project management systems and Agile methodology, ensuring communications initiatives are efficient, iterative, and results-driven.

6. Ability to translate complex medical, scientific, and business topics into clear, compelling narratives that engage key stakeholders.

Job Profile Summary

This role focuses on the marketing activities of the organization, including promoting and marketing healthcare services to the community and supporting business growth by disseminating information that promotes a favorable view of the organization. In addition, this role focuses on performing the following Marketing Leadership duties: Controls, directs, and participates in the activities of the organization through a hierarchy of managers and supervisors. Responsibilities also include long-term strategic planning, determining the policies of the organization, and allocating its resources and making decisions regarding organization growth and diversification to accomplish entity's vision. A management role that supervises employees focusing on tactical, operational activities within a specified area, with the majority of time spent overseeing area of responsibility, planning, prioritizing and/or directing the responsibilities of employees. Goal achievement is typically accomplished through performance of direct and/or indirect reports. A role that directs a department or small unit that includes multiple teams led by managers and/or team Leaders. Responsibilities typically include: ownership of short to mid-term (1-3 years) execution of functional strategy and the operational direction of the Department, problems faced are often complex and require extensive investigation and analysis, and requires ability to influence others to accept practices and approaches, and ability to communicate and influence executive leadership.

Tufts Medicine is a leading integrated health system bringing together the best of academic and community healthcare to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts. Comprised of Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Hospital, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, Care at Home - an expansive home care network, and large integrated physician network. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion at Tufts Medicine. Tufts Medicine does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, national origin, gender identity and/or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation by emailing us at careers@tuftsmedicine.org.