Senior Director, External Communications - Remote

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Job Description:

Senior Director, External Communications ([Employer])

3M Health Care is now [Employer]

At [Employer], we enable better, smarter, safer healthcare to improve lives. As a new company with a long legacy of creating breakthrough solutions for our customers’ toughest challenges, we pioneer game-changing innovations at the intersection of health, material and data science that change patients' lives for the better while enabling healthcare professionals to perform at their best. Because people, and their wellbeing, are at the heart of every scientific advancement we pursue.

We partner closely with the brightest minds in healthcare to ensure that every solution we create melds the latest technology with compassion and empathy. Because at [Employer], we never stop solving for you.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As Senior Director, External Communications, you will set [Employer]’s external communications strategy and work with leaders, teams and partners around the world to execute against it. We are seeking an experienced, results-driven individual to lead our company’s PR, media relations, social media and thought leadership efforts. As a key member of the Communications & Brand leadership team, reporting to the SVP, Chief Communications and Brand Officer, this role will be instrumental in helping to shape our external brand, protecting our reputation and driving our messaging to a variety of stakeholders, including media, regulators, customers and the public. This position will require a strategic thinker with hands-on expertise in executing external communications initiatives while navigating the complexities of a growing, global organization. The Senior Director will oversee the development and implementation of external communications strategies, working closely with executive leadership to ensure consistent, clear and impactful messaging. This position blends strategic oversight with day-to-day operational management, offering the opportunity to shape the external voice of a dynamic and evolving company.

Here, you will make an impact by:

External Communications Strategy Development:

• Lead the creation and execution of a comprehensive global external communications strategy in collaboration with marketing and commercial teams that elevates [Employer]’s brand, enhances its reputation and supports business objectives across earned media, social media and external influence.
• Create a clear, differentiated corporate narrative and unified external voice that brings [Employer]’s purpose and innovation to life for media, regulators, customers, healthcare professionals, patients and industry partners.
• Partner with internal stakeholders, including marketing, legal, HR, investor relations and leadership, to align on key external communications initiatives and ensure consistency across all touchpoints.

Media Relations & Public Relations:

• Build and nurture relationships with journalists, media outlets and relevant creators across healthcare, science, business, technology and consumer media to generate sustained, high-impact earned coverage and protect [Employer]’s reputation.
• Oversee the development and distribution of press releases, media statements and other external facing media materials.
• Proactively create communications-led moments and campaigns around [Employer]’s products, research, partnerships, data and point of view that earn attention, create conversation and build brand awareness. Manage media inquiries with sound judgment to mitigate reputational risk.
• Partner closely with investor relations on corporate and financial communications strategy, financial media outreach and related activity.

Social Media & Digital Communications:

• Lead [Employer]’s social media strategy across multiple platforms, building a distinctive voice and point of view that engages audiences, while remaining aligned with business objectives.
• Develop content and campaigns that resonate with target audiences, including thought leadership articles, blog posts, social media updates and videos.
• Oversee community management and social listening, monitoring the conversations shaping healthcare and [Employer]’s reputation, identifying emerging opportunities and responding to inquiries or concerns in a timely and professional manner.

Crisis Communications & Issues Management:

• Lead the external communications strategy during crises or reputational issues, ensuring timely, transparent and empathetic communication to the public, media, employees, regulators and other key stakeholders. This includes incidents affecting the company’s operations, reputation or public perception.
• Partner with investor relations and participate in the review process for issues tied to financial health, investor confidence or governance, with target audiences of investors, analysts, shareholders, etc.
• Partner with internal leadership, investor relations, legal and HR teams to develop crisis communication plans and protocols, ensuring that the company is prepared for potential issues.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing counsel on sensitive situations that could impact the company’s external image.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead and mentor a high-performing external communications team that moves quickly, maintains exceptional standards and measures success by impact—not activity. Provide guidance, professional development and a collaborative, results-driven environment.
• Oversee the development of external communications talent, ensuring team members have the tools and support they need to succeed in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.

Agency Oversight and Management:

• Lead and manage relationships with external agencies, ensuring alignment with overall brand strategy, objectives and key messaging.

• Shape [Employer]’s external influence strategy through conferences, speaking opportunities, awards and industry relationships that advance the company’s narrative, reputation and business priorities.
• Ensure that the company’s external communications align with the interests of key stakeholders while advancing the company’s strategic goals.
• Partner with executives and executive communications team members to develop distinctive external voices and thought leadership through speaking opportunities, media engagements, social content, opinion pieces and major events. Capture each leader’s authentic voice and advise on when and how to engage in public conversations.
• Partner with investor relations on quarterly earnings, investor days, analyst meetings, financial communications, etc.

Operational Excellence & Reporting:

• Implement systems and processes to measure external communications beyond impressions and press hits, connecting media coverage, social engagement and other KPIs to brand awareness, consideration, reputation, advocacy and business outcomes. Provide regular reports and use insights to refine strategy.
• Ensure the company is leveraging the latest tools and technologies to optimize external communications efforts, including media monitoring, social media listening and analytics.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, [Employer] requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in communications, public relations, journalism, business or a related field AND (twelve) 12 years of experience in corporate communications.

OR

• High School Diploma/GED AND (sixteen) 16 years of experience in corporate communications.

In addition to the above requirements, the following are also required:

• 5 years of experience in a senior leadership role, ideally in PR, media relations, or corporate communications.
• Experience in managing external communications strategies for a global organization.
• Expertise in handling crisis communications and managing complex public relations challenges.
• Experience in building and leading a high-performing external communications team in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Exceptional storytelling, writing and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complex information and business strategies into clear, memorable narratives for diverse audiences.
• Experience in media relationships and a track record of generating sustained, high-impact earned coverage through ideas, trends, data, people and relevant moments—not just announcements. An understanding of what journalists and audiences care about and how brands earn attention.
• Expertise in social media and modern communications channels, including creators, influencers, podcasts, events, communities and emerging platforms, with strong audience instincts and the ability to create content people notice, care about, share and remember.
• Experience working in industries such as medtech, healthcare or highly regulated sectors is a plus.
• Experience overseeing external agencies, ensuring timely execution and strong results.
• Leadership skills, including team development, cross-functional collaboration and influencing senior executives, with the judgment to challenge and advise leaders and help them develop distinctive, authentic public voices.
• Experience measuring communications impact and connecting the work to brand awareness, consideration, reputation, advocacy and business outcomes.
• A global mindset, with the ability to adapt communications strategies to different cultural contexts and regions.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented leader who thrives in a dynamic, evolving environment, with high standards, strong editorial judgment, intellectual curiosity, low ego and a bias toward action.

Work location: Remote in USA

Travel: May include up to 30% domestic/international

Relocation Assistance: May not be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Supporting Your Well-being

[Employer] offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, [Employer] regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

[Employer] is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in our recruitment process. Applicants must remain alert to fraudulent job postings and recruitment schemes that falsely claim to represent [Employer] and seek to exploit job seekers.

Please note that all email communications from [Employer] regarding job opportunities with the company will be from an email with a domain of @[Employer].com. Be wary of unsolicited emails or messages regarding [Employer] job opportunities from emails with other email domains.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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Originally posted on [Employer]