Public Relations Specialist

Catholic Charities USA - Cleveland, OH

Full-time - Mid Level

Cleveland, OH

501-1,000 employees

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

About the position

The Public Relations Specialist at Catholic Charities is responsible for developing and implementing external communication strategies to enhance the organization's reputation in Northeast Ohio. This role involves engaging with various stakeholders, including the media, public, and government, to support the mission and values of Catholic Charities, which serves a diverse community through numerous health and human services programs.

Responsibilities

• Supports development and implementation of market-wide communications strategy in partnership with marketing, internal communications, and advocacy.
• Manages strategic communications, public affairs, social media, media relations, and external messaging development.
• Crafts impactful messages that support organizational objectives and acts as a storyteller for Catholic Charities.
• Identifies and pitches story opportunities to local and regional media outlets, managing inquiries from media.
• Provides communications counsel and support to program directors and colleagues, including media training.
• Creates thought leadership campaigns to elevate and protect the organization's reputation.
• Supports senior director of advancement in crisis communications efforts.
• Partners with external agencies and consultants as assigned.
• Ensures communications reflect the mission, vision, and values of Catholic Charities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred in communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, English, or related field.
• Minimum of five years of PR experience in health, human services, or nonprofit sectors and/or agency experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, critical thinking, strategic counseling, and decisive judgment.
• Demonstrated experience and comfort engaging with media regularly.
• Experience with crisis communications in high-stakes scenarios.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining accurate records.
• Ability to work collaboratively with team members across Catholic Charities.
• Strong technical skills, including knowledge of media relations databases, social media, and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Understanding of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services and Catholic Social Teaching.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in nonprofit sector communications.
• Familiarity with community engagement strategies.

Benefits

• Flexible work-from-home options 1-2 days per week.
• Opportunities for professional development and community engagement.