Executive Director, News and Media Relations

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) seeks an experienced, forward-looking, and strategic news and media relations leader to serve as its next Executive Director, News and Media Relations, and help shape the voice, visibility, and reputation of one of the world's premier health sciences institutions. Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Communications and serving as a key member of the Office of Communications leadership team, this role is responsible for leading news and media relations strategies at the intersection of biomedical discovery, academic excellence, patient care, public service, and institutional strategy. Every day, UCSF advances breakthrough science, delivers world-class clinical care, educates the next generation of health professionals, and addresses some of society's most pressing health challenges. The Executive Director will help ensure these stories and their impact are understood by audiences locally, nationally, and globally.

UCSF stands among the world's most influential health sciences institutions, distinguished by a singular focus on improving human health through discovery, education, and care. As the nation's leading public university devoted exclusively to the health sciences, UCSF brings together world-renowned scientists, clinicians, educators, and learners in a uniquely collaborative environment where groundbreaking research is rapidly translated into advances that benefit patients and communities worldwide. Led by Chancellor Sam Hawgood, UCSF is home to top-ranked schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy; a thriving graduate education enterprise; and one of the nation's premier academic health systems. With more than 36,000 faculty and staff, a broad network of hospitals and clinical sites, and a research enterprise that consistently ranks among the world's leading recipients of National Institutes of Health funding, UCSF is at the forefront of advances in cancer, neuroscience, genomics, precision medicine, infectious disease, aging, stem cell biology, and many other fields shaping the future of medicine. The institution is also home to six Nobel laureates whose discoveries have transformed understanding of cancer, neuroscience, aging, stem cells, and pain sensation. United by a public mission and a culture of intellectual rigor, innovation, and service, UCSF continues to shape the future of health and medicine on a global scale.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a strategic communications leader to elevate UCSF's news and media relations function amid extraordinary advances in health science and technology and an increasingly complex public environment. UCSF is expanding its impact through innovation, biotechnology partnerships, and groundbreaking scientific discoveries that are transforming lives. At the same time, the institution is navigating a rapidly evolving environment that includes changes in federal research funding, policy debates affecting higher education and health care, growing public scrutiny, increasing convergence of research and clinical care, and heightened expectations for institutional transparency and accountability. The next Executive Director will build on a strong foundation while helping further evolve the function as a sophisticated, proactive news and media relations enterprise, strengthening UCSF's influence, visibility, and leadership in health sciences.

The successful candidate will be an accomplished communications leader and executive who has built, developed, and inspired high-performing teams while advancing organizational priorities through news storytelling, media relations, reputation management, and strategic communications. UCSF seeks an individual with the executive presence, strategic judgment, and leadership sophistication to thrive within one of the nation's leading academic health sciences enterprises. This individual will bring a nuanced understanding of the intersections among biomedical research, patient care, education, public policy, and institutional reputation. Equally important, the next Executive Director will be a trusted advisor who will counsel the Vice Chancellor of Communications and other senior leaders through high-profile opportunities, emerging issues, and moments of reputational risk.

UCSF seeks a collaborative, mission-driven leader who embodies the institution's values of professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence. The ideal candidate will lead with authenticity, humility, transparency, and accountability while inspiring teams and partners through periods of change and growth. They will possess the resilience, flexibility, and emotional intelligence to navigate ambiguity, build trust across a highly matrixed environment, and influence stakeholders with differing priorities. This leader will bring a contemporary communications mindset, a passion for innovation, and the ability to help evolve UCSF's news and media relations function into a more proactive, integrated, and strategically aligned enterprise function. They will be equally comfortable engaging world-renowned faculty, health system executives, cabinet leaders, and communications professionals, bringing the credibility, vision, and collaborative leadership required to further elevate UCSF's reputation and impact on a national and global stage.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as two separate documents, a resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile for the role, which can be found at www.wittkieffer.com.

For full consideration, candidate materials should be received by December 1, 2026. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to the WittKieffer consultants assisting UCSF with this recruitment: Suzanne Teer and Ashlee Musser at UCSFExecDirector@wittkieffer.com.

The salary that UC San Francisco reasonably expects to pay for this position is $240,000-$250,000.

The University of California, San Francisco, is committed to fostering a welcoming and nondiscriminatory workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, we comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination. Our goal is to ensure fair treatment and equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

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