Senior Communications Advisor, Media and External Communications - Public Affairs

Through its core values of Courage, Respect and Excellence, CAMH is implementing its Strategic Plan: Connected CAMH, to transform lives, ignite innovation and discovery, revolutionize education and drive social change. CAMH is more than a hospital, it is a cause. CAMH is on a mission to change the way society thinks about and responds to mental illness. They aim to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and shape a world where mental illness is central to our healthcare system – a world where Mental Health is Health.

To learn more about CAMH, please visit their website at: www.camh.ca.

To view our Land Acknowledgment, please click here.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is seeking a full-time, permanent, Senior Communications Advisor, Media and External Communications to lead proactive and reactive media relations and external editorial strategy and content creation that advances CAMH’s reputation as Canada’s leading voice on mental health and addiction.

Reporting to the Manager, Communications and working closely with the Director, Public Affairs and Communications, this position will play a key role in executing external communications strategies, supporting thought leadership, strengthening public trust, and elevating CAMH’s reputation and impact across clinical care, research, education, advocacy, system change, and partnerships.

The successful candidate will be a highly media-savvy, strategic communicator with strong journalistic instincts, a deep curiosity about people, issues, and emerging stories, and the ability to create and shape compelling content that translates complex topics into accessible, engaging narratives. They will be capable of building and maintaining relationships with journalists and acting as Managing Editor, External for the Public Affairs team to guide external content priorities, storytelling approaches, and editorial judgement across CAMH’s owned and earned channels.

This role requires a confident, externally focused communicator who can manage multiple priorities independently while applying strong editorial judgement, demonstrating curiosity and initiative in identifying story opportunities, escalating reputational risks appropriately, and executing approved issues management strategies in close coordination with the Manager and Director.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and execution of proactive and reactive media relations, monitoring and triaging requests, identifying story opportunities, pitching compelling narratives, responding to media inquiries, and preparing media materials such as news releases, briefing notes, Q&As and key messages.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists and editors, positioning CAMH experts as trusted sources and supporting thought leadership across clinical care, research, education, advocacy, system change and partnerships.
• Prepare and coach CAMH spokespeople for media interviews and public-facing engagements, including providing strategic advice on media readiness, reputational considerations and sensitive issues.
• Monitor media coverage and performance and produce regular media reporting and analysis to inform strategic decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Support issues management by executing approved communications strategies, monitoring emerging issues, and escalating risks, sensitivities, or reputational concerns to the Manager, Communications and the Director, Public Affairs and Communications as required.
• Provide editorial oversight of CAMH’s external content strategy across owned channels, including the website, social media and digital platforms, ensuring stories are accessible, well-packaged, and aligned with CAMH’s brand and narrative priorities.
• Create, edit and review high-quality written and visual content, acting as a senior copy editor to ensure external-facing materials are clear, compelling and optimized for diverse audiences and channels.
• Build and sustain effective working relationships with clinical leaders, researchers, educators, policy teams, partners and communications colleagues to identify, prioritize and elevate stories that advance CAMH’s external profile.

Post-secondary education in communications, journalism, public relations, or other related areas combined with at least five years of experience in communications, or related role. Experience working in an academic health sciences setting is an asset. Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills for multiple formats and audiences. Proficiency with digital communications tools (e.g., WordPress, Mailchimp, Hootsuite), design and editing software (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite), and photo/video production tools.

Additional Information

• The position is based at CAMH’s Queen Street site
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary is competitive and based on experience, with a hiring range of $83,797.50 - $104,746.88 per year.  
• Employees in this role may progress within the full pay range of $83,797.50 - $125,696.26
• CAMH’s Total Rewards: Includes participation in HOOPP defined benefit pension plan, extended health and dental benefits, paid vacation starting at 4 weeks, flexible work arrangements, and ongoing professional development support.

This role allows professionals to apply their expertise in a mission-driven environment dedicated to public health outcomes.