Assistant Vice President, External Communication

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ROLE SUMMARY

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) of External Communications will serve as a senior leader responsible for helping shape, protect, and elevate the Duke University Health System’s reputation across key external audiences. This role oversees integrated strategies across media relations, public affairs, executive visibility, thought leadership, and issues management, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission, growth priorities, and the evolving healthcare landscape. The AVP partners closely with enterprise leadership to amplify the institution’s voice, cultivate trust with key stakeholders, and drive proactive external communications that position DUHS as an industry leader in clinical excellence, innovation, and community impact.

This is a dynamic opportunity to join a premier academic health system at a critical time for the fields of both academia and health care.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Media Relations & External Communications

•    Lead proactive media relations and storytelling strategies to enhance the system’s local,
regional, national, and global profile.

•    Serve as a trusted advisor and media coach to senior leaders; act as spokesperson when appropriate.

•    Manage media inquiries, crisis response protocols, and ongoing press engagement with sound judgment and precision.

Executive Visibility & Thought Leadership

•    Develop strategic platforms to elevate senior executives across public forums, industry events, and media channels.
 
•    Shape and ghostwrite high-impact content (e.g., op-eds, keynote remarks, social media posts) to position leaders as trusted voices in healthcare.

Public Affairs & Stakeholder Engagement

•    Drive external stakeholder engagement strategies, including relationships with policymakers, community leaders, business coalitions, and advocacy groups.

•    Collaborate with government relations, legal, and policy teams to ensure message alignment in support of institutional priorities.

Issues & Crisis Management

•    Develop and implement systems for reputation risk monitoring, scenario planning, and rapid response.

•    Lead cross-functional response efforts to sensitive issues, ensuring timely, accurate, and compassionate communications.

Strategy & Collaboration

•    Partner across marketing, internal communications, digital, and service line teams to integrate
messaging and unify the organization’s voice.

•    Work closely with clinical, research, and academic leaders to reflect institutional values across external engagement.

Required Qualifications 

Education
Work requires communications, public relations, or marketing knowledge generally acquired through a bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, English, marketing, or a related field. A master’s degree is preferred.

Experience
Minimum of 10 years of progressive and forward-looking experience in external communications or strategic communications, preferably in healthcare, higher education, or large mission-driven organizations.
Experience advising executive leadership and managing complex communications programs is essential.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Distinguishing Characteristics

Skills
•    Demonstrated ability to craft high-impact narratives and executive messaging.

•    Strong media relationships and knowledge of the national healthcare media landscape.

•    Experience using analytics tools such as Meltwater, Sprinklr, or Tableau to inform strategy.

•    Ability to lead and collaborate in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

•    Strategic thinker with a progressive mindset and ability to anticipate challenges and opportunities.

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends onthe robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.