Senior External Communications Specialist (Onsite)

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on - 31 Mar 2026 At Medtronic you can begin a life‑long career of exploration and innovation, while helping champion healthcare access and equity for all. You’ll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation in a more connected, compassionate world. A Day in the Life At Medtronic, we bring bold ideas forward with speed and decisiveness to put patients first in everything we do. In‑person exchanges are invaluable to our work. We’re working a minimum of 4 days a week onsite as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross‑functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary. Careers that Change Lives Medtronic is looking for an ambitious self‑starter to join the Global Communications and Corporate Marketing team as a Senior External Communications Specialist . This position plays a critical role in telling Medtronic’s external story through proactive earned media relations, building strong reporter relationships, and capturing measurement insights across a corporate PR team within a complex global organization. This is a highly visible role working with stakeholders both within and outside of Medtronic. In this role, you will be responsible for tracking media coverage that elevates visibility for Medtronic innovations, therapies, leaders, and the impact we make for patients around the world. You will partner closely with communicators from across Medtronic and internal stakeholders while independently managing core media relations workstreams. You’ll report to the Director, External Communications. Travel is expected to be less than 10%. This role will be based at our Operational Headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned. Public Relations & Issues Management Media Relations Regularly read, monitor news, and synthesize industry coverage. Bring forward insights such as shifting coverage patterns, competitor activity, etc., to support proactive storytelling. Bring broader media and consumer trends to the group to support ideation around unique ways to showcase our innovation and technologies. Execute proactive media relations efforts, including developing story angles, drafting pitches, and securing earned media across consumer outlets and Medtronic priority local markets. Own relationships with a defined set of reporters, maintaining regular outreach, responsiveness, and credibility with media contacts aligned to Medtronic priorities. Draft and edit high‑quality media materials, including pitches, press releases, media statements, briefing documents, Q&A, and backgrounders. Media Coverage Measurement, Reporting & Insight Own, track and analyze earned Medtronic and competitor media coverage, maintaining a robust tracker that demonstrates results, message pull‑through, and impact. Develop regular coverage and trend reports that highlight insights, opportunities, risks, and recommendations for future storytelling. Partner with the data and insights team to translate coverage data into business impact and contribute to larger quarterly reputation reports. Manage the relationship with media monitoring vendor. Project and Program Management Lead communications workflow for assigned projects by managing timelines, routing materials for review, and incorporating feedback across a matrixed organization. Manage enterprise awards strategy, including internal partner coordination and external submissions for key awards. Provide back‑up support for enterprise news releases and news alerts, including internal reviews and approvals and external distribution. Qualifications – Must Have: Minimum Requirements Bachelor's Degree. 4 years of relevant experience in PR, Business Strategy, Communications, Public Affairs and/or Corporate Communications. Nice to Have Experience writing and executing full media relations and/or communications plans, including clear strategies, objectives, and tactics. Experience partnering and counseling clients or senior leaders. Exceptional ability to comprehend business strategy and technologies and translate that to compelling stories that connect to mainstream media and people. Comprehensive examples of media relations coverage and/or program success and results. Strong preference for agency work experience and managing multiple programs and various subject matter areas at multiple times. Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships across a variety of functions and with all levels of management and employees. Ability and willingness to work during off‑peak hours as needed. Ability to effectively influence internal and external partners and excel under pressure. Exceptional project management and organizational skills. Experience with media monitoring vendors and tools to demonstrate results. For Baccalaureate degrees earned outside of the United States, a degree that satisfies the requirements of 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A) is required. Physical Job Requirements The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position. The physical demands described within the Responsibilities section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer, and communicate with peers and co‑workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical requirements that may be specific to each role. U.S. Work Authorization & Sponsorship At Medtronic, we are committed to fostering an environment where employees can thrive and make a meaningful impact. In alignment with our enterprise‑wide workforce planning approach, U.S. work authorization sponsorship (H‑1B, TN, J, etc.) is offered exclusively for Principal‑level roles and above, where specialized expertise aligns with long‑term business needs. Roles below the Principal level require candidates to possess unrestricted U.S. work authorization at the time of hiring and for the duration of employment. Benefits & Compensation Salary and Incentives Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD): $85,600.00 - $128,400.00. This position is eligible for a short‑term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP). The base salary range is applicable across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and specific locations in California. The offered rate complies with federal and local regulations and may vary based on factors such as experience, certification/education, market conditions, and location. Compensation and benefits information pertains solely to candidates hired within the United States (local market compensation and benefits will apply for others). Benefits The following benefits and additional compensation are available to those regular employees who work 20+ hours per week: Health, Dental and vision insurance, Health Savings Account, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Life insurance, Long‑term disability leave, Dependent daycare spending account, Tuition assistance/reimbursement, and Simple Steps (global well‑being program). The following benefits and additional compensation are available to all regular employees: Incentive plans, 401(k) plan plus employer contribution and match, Short‑term disability, Paid time off, Paid holidays, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Employee Assistance Program, Non‑qualified Retirement Plan Supplement (subject to IRS earning minimums), and Capital Accumulation Plan (available to Vice Presidents and above, or subject to IRS earning minimums). Regular employees are those who are not temporary, such as interns. Temporary employees are eligible for paid sick time, as required under applicable state law, and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Please note some of the above benefits may not apply to workers in Puerto Rico. Further details are available at: Medtronic benefits and compensation plans (https://www3.benefitsolver.com/benefits/BenefitSolverView?page_name=signon&co_num=30601&co_affid=medtronic). About Medtronic We lead global healthcare technology and boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people. We are engineers at heart— putting ambitious ideas to work to generate real solutions for real people. From the R&D lab, to the factory floor, to the conference room, every one of us experiments, creates, builds, improves and solves. We have the talent, diverse perspectives, and guts to engineer the extraordinary. We believe in diversity, equity and inclusion and celebrate our differences. Our commitment to creating a workplace that supports all voices is foundational to our success at Medtronic. It is the policy of Medtronic to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Medtronic will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. This employer participates in the federal E‑Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E‑Verify program, please click here: https://www.e-verify.gov/employees. For updates on job applications, please go to the candidate login page and sign in to check your application status. If you need assistance completing your application please email AskHR@medtronic.com. 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