Associate Director, Health (Earned Media)

The role requires strong leadership within the Health senior leadership team and broader collaboration across Edelman’s global network, including US and APAC teams. The Associate Director will also play a key role in strengthening the media relations team structure, developing new approaches to earned media (including AI-driven strategies), and ensuring consistent high standards in delivery.

Key Accountabilities

1. Client management

• Demonstrate deep understanding of media relations globally, creating and driving strategic earned media outreach plans across traditional, digital, and social platforms.
• Confidently advise senior clients, including C-suite executives, on media engagement, investor-related activities, and complex data presentations.
• Identify compelling story ideas, turning them into successful pitches to secure high-value coverage across global outlets.
• Manage media programmes for product launches, regulatory milestones, corporate initiatives, and executive visibility, while addressing ad hoc requests across sectors (healthcare, financial, consumer).
• Serve as the lead earned media contact, providing realistic counsel to improve success rates and ensuring delivery aligns with broader enterprise goals.
• Actively participate in cross-functional planning with digital, creative, and strategy teams to strengthen integrated campaigns.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, quickly establishing credibility and trust while demonstrating added value.

2. Team management

• Provide strategic counsel and leadership to the earned media team, reviewing outputs (e.g. pitches, press releases) and ensuring high standards.
• Formalise the structure of the earned media team through training programmes, account rotations, and external networking opportunities (e.g. industry awards).
• Mentor junior and mid-level colleagues, ensuring knowledge transfer, skill development, and high performance across teams.
• Lead with a positive, solutions-driven approach, fostering collaboration and motivation across local and global teams.

3. Brand and business building

• Keep abreast of industry, competitor, and regulatory developments affecting clients.
• Develop and evolve earned media strategies, leveraging AI tools and other channels such as newsletters and podcasts.
• Support business growth through participation in pitches, cross-regional projects, and external industry engagement.
• Strengthen Edelman’s competitive positioning by ensuring senior-level representation within integrated campaigns and industry forums.

Experience

• At least 8 years in earned media, ideally within healthcare communications or related regulated sectors.
• Proven experience working with senior clients across multiple sectors (health, financial, consumer), including listed companies.
• Established relationships with senior journalists and media contacts across local, regional, and global trade, specialist, and lay outlets.
• Track record of managing high-profile product launches, regulatory milestones, and investor-adjacent media activity.
• Experience working with global teams, particularly US and APAC, with ability to manage time-zone and cross-cultural challenges.

Skills

• Deep media knowledge and senior-level credibility in advising clients on complex communications.
• Strong storytelling skills and ability to translate data-heavy or technical subjects into compelling narratives.
• Excellent track record of developing and executing profitable, innovative communications campaigns.
• Advanced understanding of earned media, including integration with AI, digital, and emerging channels.
• Proven leadership, mentoring, and team-building skills with the ability to formalise and evolve media team structures.
• Strong organisational and boundary management skills, handling multiple accounts and geographies effectively.
• Ability to collaborate across global and cross-functional teams on strategy and execution.

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We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.