Senior Director, External Communications & Thought Leadership

About Lyra Health Lyra Health is a leading provider of evidence-based mental health care, serving more than 20 million people globally in partnership with employers and more than 100 million through health plan and partner relationships. The company has delivered more than 15 million sessions of mental health care, published more than 35 peer-reviewed studies, and delivered unmatched outcomes in terms of access, clinical effectiveness, and cost efficiency. Extensive peer-reviewed research confirms Lyra’s transformative care model helps people recover twice as fast and results in a 26% annual reduction in overall healthcare claims costs. Lyra is transforming access to life-changing mental health care through Lyra Empower, the only fully integrated, AI-powered platform combining the highest-quality care and technology solutions. About the Role: Lyra Health , a leader in evidence-based mental health care, is looking for a senior, strategic communications professional to run external communications. In this role, you will oversee media relations, thought leadership, and corporate messaging. This is an exciting leadership opportunity to drive the communications engine of a mission-driven organization tackling one of the greatest problems of our time. We need a cross-functional operator who excels at coordinating high-level strategy alongside senior stakeholders then thrives in on-the-ground execution. Because you will work closely with our leadership team, it is imperative that you can build trust quickly with executives, drive alignment across functions, and master nuanced, effective messaging. You will help Lyra clearly articulate how its commitment to clinical rigor, following the science, and responsible innovation sets it apart to deliver the best care possible. You will report to the VP of Communications and Corporate Affairs, working with a collaborative team to help connect the dots across brand, corporate affairs, executive communications, marketing, and multiple business verticals. Part of this role will be building out the platforms of our clinical experts, so a background in the health sector and understanding of evidence-based mental health care is preferred. Responsibilities - Strategy & Execution: Create and execute communication plans in close partnership with the executive team while guiding the broad strategic communication plan and narrative for the company. - Executive Support: Act as a trusted partner to executives, preparing and coaching spokespeople for media interviews, speeches, and internal events. - Storytelling: Build corporate messaging, themes, and storylines that increase brand awareness and protect our reputation. - Thought Leadership: Drive thought leadership programs, particularly for our clinical team, that resonate deeply with our customers, members, and partners. - Content Creation: Write and oversee original content, including press releases, bylined articles and presentations. - Media & Analyst Relations: Establish and maintain strong relationships with key media outlets and industry analysts. - Operations & Metrics: Establish clear communication processes to help our teams work more effectively, and measure program impact to refine our ongoing strategy. - Talent Development: Manage and develop the media relations and executive communications teams. Qualifications - Experience: 15+ years of communications experience including media relations and executive communications, preferably with a background in health care - Network building: Track record of building and maintaining a network of external media relationships and internal trust among executives - The "Strategic Doer" Mindset: A proven ability to think critically about big-picture strategy while remaining highly hands-on with execution. - Executive Presence: Strong emotional intelligence and a rapid grasp of nuance, allowing you to earn trust with senior leaders. - Clear Communication: Excepti