Head of Earned Media - Healthcare PR

Havas SO exists to create meaningful solutions in health that earn real-world impact. We believe design is one of the most powerful tools we have to make that happen, turning complexity into clarity, science into stories, and ideas into experiences that move through culture. As advertising and design undergo the biggest structural reset in decades, we are building a next-generation creative team: one driven by cultural intelligence, world-class craft, multidisciplinary experimentation, and the belief that design can shape human behaviour for the better. We are also a deeply kind, curious, optimistic team. Great humans make great work.

Summary of the role

The Head of Earned Media is a senior strategic role responsible for leading and advancing the agency's media capabilities across earned, social, digital, influencer, content and emerging platforms. The role focuses on developing best practice, elevating media craft, supporting capability development, and ensuring high-quality media strategy and delivery across client work and new business. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on expertise, driving innovation, growth, operational excellence and integration across the agency. The Head of Earned Media ensures our work earns attention, influences behaviour and delivers measurable impact across global and local markets.

What you can expect to be doing:

• Lead the development and implementation of evidence-based, earned-first media strategies across earned, owned and shared channels, ensuring consistent, high-quality media counsel and delivery across client accounts.
• Monitor and share relevant developments in media trends, publications, platforms and journalist movements, while expanding the agency's understanding of non-traditional channels including podcasts, streaming platforms, newsletters and multimedia storytelling.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of up-to-date media lists, editorial calendars, and journalist databases, and build professional relationships with media partners, influencers and content creators.
• Collaborate with Creative, Strategy, Digital and account teams to ensure media thinking informs ideas from the outset, supporting the agency's ambition for award-winning earned-first ideas.
• Identify and develop media talent throughout the agency, delivering internal training programmes and promoting a culture that encourages learning about media best practice and collaboration.
• Lead media strategy development for new business pitches, credentials and proposals, contributing to compelling narratives that demonstrate the agency's earned-media expertise.
• Provide senior-level media counsel to client teams, including strategic advice, issues management and media training, while building and maintaining strong client relationships.
• Work with the Senior Leadership Team to plan, allocate, and optimise media resources across accounts, identifying future capability needs and making evidence-based recommendations for hires, partnerships, tools and investment areas.

This role could be a great fit for you if:

• You have extensive experience in healthcare communications and leading media strategy and delivery across earned, social, digital, influencer and emerging platforms, with a deep understanding of modern communications and earned-first thinking.
• You possess strong strategic and creative thinking skills, with the ability to collaborate across disciplines and push the boundaries of modern media innovation.
• You have proven leadership capabilities, including talent development, team building and the ability to inspire and mentor others in media best practice.
• You have a successful track record in new business development, including leading pitches and identifying growth opportunities within existing client portfolios.
• You excel at building and maintaining relationships with clients, media partners, influencers and stakeholders at a senior level.
• You have strong financial and resource management skills, with experience optimising budgets, workload distribution and profitability across accounts.
• You are passionate about staying ahead of media trends and have a proactive approach to monitoring developments in publications, platforms and storytelling formats.
• You champion integrated working, collaboration and knowledge sharing, with the ability to represent the media function within senior leadership discussions.