Unity Health Toronto is a leading hospital network in Toronto with a legacy of providing compassionate, excellent care to our communities. Our organization, which includes St. Joseph's Health Centre, St. Michael's Hospital and Providence Healthcare, serves patients, residents and clients across the full spectrum of care while investing in worldclass research and education.
St. Michael's Hospital has a long-standing reputation for research excellence, recognized nationally and internationally for world-class discovery, innovation, and impact. The launch of the St. Michael's Hospital Research Institute this fall brings together Unity Health Toronto’s collective research enterprise — strengthening our visibility, reinforcing our reputation, and reflecting the scale, excellence, and impact of our research today while positioning us for the future.
Manager, Corporate Communications (Research)
We are looking for an experienced, creative and tactical leader to advance the strategic goals of the St. Michael’s Hospital Research Institute. This role works directly with the Vice President of Research and Innovation and other senior leaders within Research to advance the strategic objectives of the Research Institute. Reporting to the Director of Media and External Communications, the position sits within the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs team at Unity Health. The team is responsible for reputation management, internal and external communications, issues and crisis communications management, branding, media relations, digital media, government and stakeholder relations and community engagement. The department also works collaboratively with the network’s two foundations.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Communications:
- Work in consultation with senior leaders within Research portfolio, clinical and hospital leadership, to develop and lead a proactive and targeted communications strategy to advance the Research Institute’s strategic goals, promote its differentiators, enhance its market presence, and ensure alignment with Unity Health’s broader strategic narrative.
- Support stakeholder engagement opportunities that strengthen the Research Institute’s external profile and strategic goals.
Provide strategic guidance to Research communicators supporting individual programs within the Research Institute to ensure their work supports overall priorities and brand, and is accountable to Unity Health’s corporate communications policies, standards and broader organizational messaging.
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Execution and Oversight:
- Oversee all research-related external content such as press-releases, web stories, social media content, photography, video and other materials. Write, review, assign and/or collaborate with partner organizations on these materials.
- Lead editorial planning for research-related content and ensure it is coordinated centrally with Corporate Communications & Public Affairs and other appropriate stakeholders, such as the Foundations.
- Coordinate with Corporate Communications’ Senior Communications Advisor supporting research portfolio on content planning and execution, including media relations.
- Ensure high quality writing, visuals, accuracy and consistent use of appropriate branding and language.
- Lead proactive and reactive media relations activities and related content, ensuring alignment with organizational messaging, reputational priorities and issues management processes.
- Identify subject matter experts and research projects to advance the strategic goals and reputation of the Research Institute through external positioning.
- Provide media training and advice to research leaders, researchers and clinician-scientists.
- Foster positive relationships with journalists and respond to inquiries.
- Use critical thinking and news judgement to find new opportunities to amplify the network’s brand and reputation through media pitches and subject matter experts.
- Review and approve program-specific media strategies including press releases, exclusive media pitches, and other tactics an accordance with Unity Health’s brand and corporate policies.
- Coordinate on-site media opportunities while managing patient privacy, security and other priorities.
- Act as an advisor to researchers on advocacy, thought leadership and other opportunities that strengthen the network’s brand and strategic goals.
Keep abreast of new developments in the life sciences, health research and innovation sphere that could impact Unity Health’s reputation or present opportunities for advancement.
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Leadership and Coordination:
- Provide functional leadership and coaching to communications advisors working on Research priorities, with potential responsibility for overseeing a small team depending on portfolio needs and organizational structure.
- Establish clear workflows with Corporate Communications and communications advisors across Research for media, issues, brand and high-profile communications.
- Lead regular coordination with communication advisors across the Research portfolio, including leading a regular meeting to align priorities, share updates, identify opportunities for collaboration, coordinate communications activities across teams
- Identify opportunities to optimize workflows, planning processes and channel coordination across Research and Corporate communications, including the Research website and other internal and external channels for research, to improve consistency, efficiency and impact.
Design and/or implement ongoing feedback mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of media relations and content strategies.
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Skills and Qualifications:
- Over Ten (10) years of communications or journalism experience required with two (2) years management experience or equivalent preferred
- Degree in Communications, Public Relations or Journalism with extensive knowledge of public relations trends or recognized equivalent required.
- Experience working in research and/or a healthcare environment preferred with demonstrated experience communicating complex issues to the public.
- Direct experience working with senior leaders to advance strategic priorities required.
- Direct experience editing and shaping written materials such as news stories, features, press releases, opinion pieces and other relevant materials required.
- Direct experience as an assignment editor or editorial content manager, helping to manage workflow, deadlines and a content calendar for a team required.
- Excellent verbal/written communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to take complex/clinical information and quickly translate it to clear and concise messages to reach varying audiences required.
- Excellent problem solving and decision-making skills required.
- Excellent organizational, time management and critical thinking skills with the ability to use good judgment for assessing and responding to difficult situation required.
- Demonstrated effectiveness in the areas of reputational management and crisis communications an asset.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage the sensitivity of projects/events/issues.
- Results oriented with the ability to work in a self-directed and independent manner required.
- Proven ability to mentor and coach staff to grow in their careers required.
- Demonstrated ability to build strategic relationships with a variety of stakeholders, including executives and leaders required.
- Ability to synthesize complex/sensitive material in order to craft persuasive recommendations and communications materials required.
- Ability to work effectively across all levels of the network and work well under pressure required.
- Ability to act as the Communications & Public Affairs representative on a rotational basis after hours required.
- Ability to work and travel between all network sites required.
Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.
