Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs

US-NY-Bronx

Job ID: 2026-18403
Employee Classification: ..
Department: Communications and Public Affairs
Position Type: Regular Full-Time
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

About Us

The Senior Director, Communications and Editorial Strategy provides strategic leadership and oversight of institutional communications, editorial content, media relations, and multimedia storytelling for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Senior Director develops and implements communications strategies that advance institutional priorities, strengthen Einstein's reputation, and enhance engagement with internal and external audiences.

The Senior Director exercises independent judgment in establishing editorial priorities, directing communications initiatives, evaluating communications effectiveness, and recommending strategies to address emerging institutional needs. The position provides leadership and direction to professional staff, oversees departmental resources, and collaborates with institutional leadership, faculty, and external partners to ensure communications activities support organizational objectives.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Communications Leadership

• Partner with the Executive Director to develop and implement comprehensive communications strategies aligned with institutional goals, priorities, and reputation management objectives.
• Establish communications priorities, recommend strategic initiatives, and direct the execution of integrated communications plans across editorial, digital, social media, and multimedia platforms.
• Serve as a senior communications advisor to institutional leadership, faculty, departments, and centers, providing guidance on messaging, audience engagement, and communications strategies.
• Evaluate emerging communications opportunities, institutional developments, and reputational considerations; recommend appropriate strategies and courses of action.
• Collaborate with departmental leadership across branding, web, creative services, and institutional partners to ensure coordinated communications initiatives.

Editorial Strategy and Content Oversight

• Establish and oversee institutional editorial standards, content strategies, and messaging priorities to ensure consistency with Einstein's mission, reputation, and communications objectives.
• Provide executive editorial oversight of Einstein's digital magazine, institutional news, press releases, feature stories, and digital communications.
• Assign, write, edit, and proofread institutional press releases, news briefs, articles, video scripts, social media captions, and web content.
• Exercise final editorial authority within established institutional policies and approval protocols, including determining content priorities, editorial direction, and appropriate communications channels.
• Direct multimedia storytelling initiatives and oversee the development of video and digital content supporting institutional campaigns, research accomplishments, and faculty recognition.
• Guide the development of departmental and institutional web content strategies, ensuring alignment with editorial standards, audience needs, and institutional branding.
• Establish approaches to search optimization, digital discoverability, and audience engagement, incorporating analytics and emerging communications practices.

Media Relations and Reputation Management

• Provide strategic direction for institutional media relations, including research announcements, faculty expertise promotion, and external media engagement.
• Oversee the development of media outreach strategies and the coordination of research announcements with scientific journals and institutional partners.
• Advise the Executive Director and institutional leadership on communications considerations involving sensitive, complex, or high-profile issues.
• Support the development and execution of crisis communications strategies, including evaluating communications risks, recommending messaging approaches, and directing approved communications responses.
• Maintain strategic relationships with institutional stakeholders and coordinate communications initiatives with Montefiore public relations, marketing, and development teams.

Departmental Leadership and Resource Management

• Provide direct supervision, leadership, and professional development for the Media Relations Manager, Social Media Manager, and Multimedia Director.
• Establish staff performance expectations, assign departmental priorities, evaluate performance, and make recommendations regarding hiring, professional development, and personnel actions.
• Direct the allocation of staff and external communications resources to support institutional priorities and departmental objectives.
• Oversee the engagement and performance of freelance writers and external communications resources, including evaluating resource needs and recommending expenditures within established budgetary authority.
• Develop and improve departmental workflows, editorial review processes, and operating practices to enhance efficiency, accountability, and communications effectiveness.
• Mentor professional staff and foster a collaborative, high-performing communications team.

Communications Performance and Institutional Collaboration

• Establish performance measures and evaluate the effectiveness of communications initiatives using media coverage, digital engagement, website analytics, and other relevant indicators.
• Analyze communications performance, identify trends and opportunities, and recommend strategic adjustments to improve institutional visibility and audience engagement.
• Partner with faculty, academic departments, research centers, and administrative leadership to identify communications needs and develop strategies supporting institutional objectives.
• Provide strategic oversight of high-priority institutional communications, including executive messaging, internal announcements, research communications, and special initiatives.
• Present communications recommendations, performance assessments, and strategic priorities to the Executive Director and other institutional stakeholders, as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, journalism, public relations, or institutional communications, including significant experience in a leadership or management capacity.
• Demonstrated experience developing and directing strategic communications initiatives within a complex organization.
• Experience supervising professional communications staff, managing departmental priorities, and evaluating performance.
• Strong editorial judgment and demonstrated ability to advise senior leadership on communications strategies, institutional messaging, and reputation management.
• Experience in academic medicine, higher education, scientific research, healthcare, or a similarly complex institutional environment preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment, assess competing priorities, and make strategic recommendations involving sensitive or high-profile communications matters.
• Strong understanding of media relations, digital communications, multimedia storytelling, audience engagement, and communications analytics.
• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, written communication, and organizational skills.

Minimum Salary Range:
USD $160,000.00/Yr.

Maximum Salary Range:
USD $170,000.00/Yr.