FleishmanHillard

FleishmanHillard, a leading global communications agency, has an immediate opening for an entrepreneurial, self-starting Senior Vice President to join our growing healthcare team. This is an exciting career opportunity for a PR professional with a passion for healthcare-related public relations and communications to work closely with FH senior management and assist global healthcare clients with their external public relations and communications activities.

This role specifically will oversee a leading therapeutic area in the US and globally for one of FH’s largest pharmaceutical clients (and one of FH’s largest clients overall) and serve as strategic lead for all of FH’s work across the client’s brands. This position also will have the opportunity to work with other leading health clients and brands as part of FH’s growing health and life sciences practice. This individual will face a broad array of challenges including reputation management, advocacy relations, media relations, and marketing communications and work closely with leaders, subject matter experts (SMEs) and staff from around the FH network.

At FH Chicago, we work hard, have fun, do good, and win awards. From our vantage point 21 floors above Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, our creative, collaborative, diverse, “what-if” culture sets the stage for delivering game-changing work for our clients, which include some of the world’s most well-known brands in the food and beverage, financial and professional services, and healthcare industries. Our team is excited and proud to work with these household names every day, delivering expertise in all aspects of corporate communications and consumer brand marketing — from media and influencer relations to crisis and issues management and everything in between.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion benefit our agency, our clients, and the communities in which we work and live. To that end, we strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. As part of our ongoing effort to be the world’s most inclusive agency, we are committed to seeking candidates who possess and demonstrate a profound interest in furthering our DE&I goals.

Responsibilities

Serve as a day-to-day senior client contact and manage work streams and teams on program implementation aimed at reaching diverse stakeholders such as patients, health care providers, advocacy organizations, policy influencers, media, and client employees.

• Play a lead role in leading and digging into the work of many of the day-to-day activities for the healthcare practice’s account teams, including managing budgets and forecasts, overseeing projects and clients, and leading and contributing to new business proposals and opportunities.
• Serve as our clients’ senior day-to-day contact, keeping in ongoing contact with clients, providing counsel and project leadership.
• Ideate, develop and edit compelling and high-quality client deliverables, including plans, research and analysis, media materials, website and social media content, client correspondence, and collateral.
• Drive communications campaigns with healthcare and trade media; develop strong traditional and social media relationships as well as relationships with third-party influencers.
• Work closely and partner with our subject matter experts and shared services on integrated marketing efforts, including paid social, organic social, earned media, influencers and celebrities, creative, and research.
• Provide team member management and development.
• Cultivate diverse teams and contribute to an inclusive working and learning environment.
  
  

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in healthcare communications, with a deep background developing and executing public relations and reputation programs, including, content marketing, media relations, social media and leader communications. Agency experience is a must, and experience working in or for pharmaceutical companies is needed as well. Experience with neuroscience and other leading pharmaceutical therapeutic areas is a plus. Global experience and working with client affiliate offices/regions is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with clients on day-to-day activities, working alongside and managing teams to execute communications plans effectively, and drafting and implementing strategic communications programs within budget, and working with the clients’ medical, legal, regulatory and compliance functions on approvals.
• Deep experience in product communications, specifically product data milestones, regulatory approvals and ad comms in the US and globally, as well as branded non-branded category awareness and disease awareness related to product therapeutic areas.
• Superior creative writing skills, with experience translating complex science issues into consumer-friendly messages and materials, and the ability to develop and edit high-quality communications plans, position papers, fact sheets, news and online media materials, bylined articles, trend analysis summaries, leader correspondence, and plans and presentations.
• Ability to engage with and counsel senior level decision-makers across the client’s business and deliver connective insights to assist clients in driving alignment and execution of cross-company initiatives. Candidate should have experience building relationships and working with diverse stakeholders effectively.
• Candidate should have strong understanding of the media environment and established media contacts in top-tier and healthcare trades with the ability to create media strategy and drive coverage. A demonstrated hands-on media approach is required.
• Ability to develop relationships with third-party organizations, physicians and caregivers, and to attend external meetings and events representing the agency and client (e.g. medical conferences, third-party events, etc.)
• A strong understanding of digital communications and social media.
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations, English, marketing, business or related field. Candidates who have previously worked as reporters, bloggers or editors, please apply.
• Ability to illustrate a results-focused approach and best-in-service commitment to going the extra mile for clients and FH team members.
• Energetic, self-starter and resourceful problem solver – gets things moving and keeps them on track. High attention to and patience with detail with the ability to manage multiple ongoing activities.
• Willingness to ‘get into the trenches’ and work alongside the team ideating and creating materials.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to negotiate approvals diplomatically, and maintain composure and quality under deadlines in a fast-paced environment. A strong team orientation is critical based on the collaborative culture of the office and FleishmanHillard.