Director of Public Relations

UCSF Health is seeking a highly skilled Director of Public Relations to join our team. As a key leader in our Office of Communications, you will be responsible for developing and implementing communications strategies that promote the clinical and business priorities of UCSF Health.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with our Marketing team to co-develop integrated marketing-communications strategies that promote UCSF Health's growth strategy, priority service lines, affiliations with other health care partners, and national and local reputation.

You will ensure the integration of UCSF Health's marcomm strategies with our media relations and owned content strategies supporting UCSF's clinical, research, education, and public service missions. This role requires significant communications experience in a health care delivery setting and a strong understanding of how an academic medical center functions and current business challenges and sensitivities in health care.

You will manage a team of public information representatives who are the primary news media liaisons for UCSF's clinicians, front-line care teams, and faculty, and will serve as the primary editor for the team. As part of our Public Affairs leadership team, you will work closely with:

• the managing editor of Owned Media to develop and leverage stories across our owned platforms, identifying the most strategically important and compelling stories to share across a range of targeted audiences,
• a counterpart overseeing Research/Education communications to develop and leverage compelling stories that illustrate the advantages of UCSF's integrated academic medical center enterprise, and
• the marketing strategy director responsible for assuring the growth of the clinical priority areas.

You will also collaborate closely with our Strategic Communications team to manage sensitive issues involving UCSF's clinical enterprise. Our Public Affairs team works closely with counterparts in our Brand Strategy, Content Strategy, Internal Communications, and Central Administration on integrated communications disseminated across the university and health system. In addition, our Public Affairs team collaborates with University Development & Alumni Relations to support and advance donor and fundraising priorities.

Tactics will include news releases, pitches, ghost-written op-eds, graphics, podcasts, video, press briefings, public forums, and media training.

A significant responsibility of this position is to stay current with a rapidly changing media and digital communications landscape and identify strategies that can reach targeted audiences beyond traditional news media. This includes owned media content distributed via social and paid digital media in geographies with little local earned media infrastructure.

The role will grow with our Public Affairs team, contributing to and/or leading various OC initiatives and priorities, ranging from team building and goal setting to faculty media training and emergency response planning.

Work Arrangement: This position will require 3 days onsite and 2 days remote. The role may require being onsite, as needed.

The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy. Your placement within the salary range is dependent on a number of factors including your work experience and internal equity within this position classification at UCSF. For positions that are represented by a labor union, placement within the salary range will be guided by the rules in the collective bargaining agreement.

Salary Range: $160,000 - $185,000 (Annual Rate)

Department Description:

Our Office of Communications provides comprehensive and coordinated leadership in planning, creating and implementing integrated brand and communications programs across the UCSF enterprise, including the university campus and the UCSF Health system. These programs foster increased awareness, understanding and support of UCSF's mission, vision, accomplishments, and strategic priorities among its many internal and external constituencies. It serves as the official voice of UCSF to regional, state, national and international news media.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related area and 6+ years of directly related work experience including 5+ years of supervisory/management experience; and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Strong knowledge of the concepts, principles and technical aspects of media relations and communications.
• Broad knowledge of the institution, its vision, mission, goals, objectives, infrastructure, programs, policies, and achievements.
• Strong knowledge of principles and practices in sensitive and emergency communications.
• In-depth understanding of best usage of print, broadcast and online media.
• Strong interpersonal and written communications skills, including strong editing skills.
• Skill in conceiving and implementing media relations plans and strategies and in providing leadership to staff and colleagues to achieve desired objectives.
• Skill in visualizing and implementing media programs to showcase the department/unit and communicating the location's desired message.
• Strong supervisory skills; may require budgetary administrative skills.
• Skill to establish an environment of and maintain strict confidentiality.
• Fundamental understanding of health care and biomedical research, and the ensuing judgment to determine which research is newsworthy.
• Ability to communicate complex or health-related information in an accessible and engaging manner.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

About UCSF:

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world's leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells.

Pride Values:

UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence – also known as our PRIDE values.

In addition to our PRIDE values, UCSF is committed to equity – both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available at

Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The University of California San Francisco is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.