What are the responsibilities and job description for the Media Relations Specialist position at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital?
At Houston Methodist, the Media Relations Specialist position partners and supports the public relations team to drive the institution's reputation through local and national media. This position has assigned beats and manages relationships with members of the media and internal clients and provides media training to physicians in their beats. The Media Relations Specialist position contributes to proactive communication and media relations strategies, including news releases, pitches and reactive assignments. Additionally, this position may work with external vendors, including processing of invoices and monitoring media distribution, outreach and results.
- Fosters and maintains positive working relationships with clients and other internal/external media relations stakeholders (primarily journalists), hospital staff, and public relations vendors.
- Actively participates in meetings, brainstorming, decision making and media relations activities; contributes proactively to generating story ideas.
- Supports the media relations leadership and hospital clients on daily operations of the team through timely completion of assigned projects, tasks, and deadlines.
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Contributes to development, implementation and measurement of media relations plans and initiatives under guidance of media relations management.
- Serves as resource/subject matter expert for media relations needs and deadlines with journalists, HM media experts, and other internal/external stakeholders, including clear communication and timely delivery of work products.
- Coordinates media relations activities for assigned areas; drafts news releases/story idea pitches; coordinates and distributes press releases; builds media contact lists; develops own media training skills; and provides media training and coaching to assigned physician experts.
- Coordinates PR events, including videotaping/photography, press conferences, and special events; accompanies media representatives when on Houston Methodist property, as appropriate.
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Responds to media inquiries and coordinates aspects of media events/photo/video opportunities in a timely manner; ensures accuracy of HM media expert messages through fact-checking.
- Uses media relations standards to assist with story placements.
- Ensures immediacy and accuracy of responses to after-hours media inquiries; escalates issues to upper PR management when appropriate.
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Tracks invoices and adheres to approved media relations budget.
- Partners with manager to measure and share media results and provides recommendations for improvement; contributes to the evaluation of media vendors' quality of service and end products received.
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Contributes to solutions for gaps in media relations strategy or initiatives by seeking opportunities for different and innovative approaches.
- Applies media relations workflows and policies while continuously identifying areas of efficiency and improvement.
- Develops and broadens knowledge and skill set within media relations.
This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.
- Bachelor's degree in communications, Journalism, or related field
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Four years Media/Public Relations experience
- Health care experience preferred
- N/A
- Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
- Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
- Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
- Developing skills in leadership and authority in conversations and conflict resolution
- Developing skills of good judgment and decision making and learning when to escalate issues
- Strong writing, proofreading and copyediting skills and ability to adapt tone and syntax to a variety of target audiences
- Basic skills in influencing management, physicians and peers through good oral and written communications
- Ability to work under pressure and balance many competing priorities in an organized manner
- Shows initiative in managing projects and communication with stakeholders
- Strong excel and presentation software skills
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE
Uniform No- Scrubs No
- Business professional Yes
- Other (department approved) No
- Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.
On Call* Yes
TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**
May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes- May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No
Company Profile:
Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital opened in June 2017 as the eighth hospital in the Houston Methodist system. This 267-bed, 725,000-square-foot, full-service, acute-care hospital offers many of the same services as our flagship hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Also, on the beautiful hospital campus, located at the intersection of Interstate 45 and Texas State Highway 242, are two medical office buildings, which include a Breast Care Center; Cancer Center; infusion center; heart and vascular services; neurology; orthopedics and sports medicine; rehabilitation services; wellness services; an outpatient laboratory; and several other multispecialty physician practices. In January 2022, Houston Methodist The Woodlands opened Healing Tower — a $250 million expansion project that added 106 beds, focused on medical-surgical and women’s services, and provided nine operating rooms. The project also included the expansion of the endoscopy center, emergency department and diagnostic imaging department with an enhanced neurodiagnostic and interventional center.
Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
