Vice President, Earned Media - Health & Wellness

More about the role:

We are seeking a visionary Vice President of Earned Media to join our growing Health & Wellness practice and lead earned media strategy and execution for our pharmaceutical, biotech, and wellness clients. This role is ideal for someone who wants to amplify breakthrough stories, influence critical industry conversations, and help lead an integrated team that moves the needle in healthcare communications.

You'll break through the fractured and complex media landscape by pairing deep, strategic reporter relationships across traditional and non-legacy media with culturally relevant, newsworthy storytelling. This role involves leading media relations, developing comprehensive media strategies, and managing crisis communications while ensuring FDA compliance.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in healthcare communications, a proven ability to secure high-impact media placements, strong media relationships, and the leadership skills to guide teams and deliver results.

The Team

The Health & Wellness team at Burson is one of the largest and most innovative groups in the space. We have pushed the limits of traditional healthcare communications with a complete 360-degree integrated offer for our clients; social, digital, data, brands, celebrity, science, corporate, consumer, etc. We are a group of people who work hard as a team to continue building our reputation as visionaries in the industry. We are looking for individuals who want to challenge both themselves and the status quo.

What you'll do:

• Develop and lead earned media strategies for healthcare clients, ensuring alignment with client goals and industry trends.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with top-tier news, healthcare, consumer and trade reporters, editors, and key media outlets.
• Proactively pitch a range of stories from complex science stories, to product approvals/launches and clinical trial results to more consumer facing celebrity partnerships, disease awareness campaigns and thought leadership.
• Advise clients on media engagement strategies, providing counsel on positioning, messaging, and press outreach to enhance visibility and credibility.
• Serve as the senior earned media expert for clients, offering high-level strategic guidance on media opportunities, crisis management, and regulatory-compliant communications.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (account, digital, creative) to integrate earned media into broader communications campaigns, ensuring cohesive messaging across all channels.
• Develop long-term earned media plans and establish KPIs for success, continuously measuring and optimizing efforts to meet client objectives.
• Lead and mentor a team of media relations specialists, ensuring they have the resources and guidance to execute high-quality earned media campaigns.
• Foster a collaborative environment within the team, encouraging innovation, continuous learning, and best practices in media relations.
• Provide regular training and development opportunities to junior team members, helping them build expertise in healthcare communications.
• Lead media monitoring and reporting efforts, tracking earned media coverage across traditional, digital, and trade media outlets.
• Analyze media performance metrics (reach, engagement, sentiment) and present data-driven insights to clients, demonstrating the value and impact of earned media campaigns.
• Continuously evaluate and refine earned media strategies based on performance data, ensuring optimal outcomes for clients.

Experience that contributes to success:

• 10+ years of experience in public relations, with a focus on earned media in the health & wellness sectors.
• Proven success in securing top-tier media coverage for clients, including product launches, clinical trials, regulatory milestones, disease awareness campaigns, and celebrity partnerships.
• Strong relationships with healthcare journalists and editors, with a deep understanding of the media landscape in these industries.
• Extensive knowledge of FDA guidelines for pharmaceutical communications.
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with a track record of mentoring and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex healthcare information for various audiences.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience using media monitoring tools and reporting on earned media performance.
• Familiarity with digital healthcare communications, including social media and influencer engagement.
• Desire to work in a diverse and inclusive organization as an active participant in culture initiatives, training opportunities and employee resource groups.

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Burson is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.