Position Type:
Permanent*
Closing date:
2025-08-29*
Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Medavie Health Services (MHS) that manages and operates ground ambulance, air medical transport and the medical communications operations in Nova Scotia through a performance-based contract with the provincial government's Emergency Health Services (EHS) Operations division and the Department of Health and Wellness. As well, EMC operates TeleHealth/811 medical communications for Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for the Department of Health.
We access all communities in Nova Scotia in a timely and efficient manner with our fleet of more than 180 ambulances and support vehicles operating out of 60+ stations. We respond to 165,000+ calls annually across the province, which are actively managed through the EHS Operations Medical Communications Centre, the hub of all emergency (911) and non-emergency (hospital transfers) medical calls.
The EHS Operations LifeFlight program provides even greater accessibility by responding to patients on scene or through inter-facility transports by our critical care team via helicopter, fixed wing, or ground ambulance.
In addition, paramedics in Nova Scotia participate in various programs both urban and rural such as community-based paramedic programs, collaborative emergency centres, and emergency preparedness and special operations, to name a few.
There are lots of opportunities waiting for you in Nova Scotia. Apply now to learn more about our service and available positions.
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The Senior External Communications Advisor will contribute to the development of external communications and special project strategies, aligning with Emergency Medical Care’s (EMC) strategic priorities, values and operational goals. This opportunity plays a key role in the development of public relation strategies focused on building trust and growing awareness of operations, including developing and delivering media relations strategies, building and strengthening relationships with key media and health care partners, supporting business activities, reputation/issue management, proactive media relations, and a mix of communications activities including messaging, press releases and Q&As.
Reporting to the Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs, the successful candidate will work collaboratively with all levels of EMC and Medavie Health Services (MHS). The Senior External Communications Advisor will have a strategic approach to communications tactics and will excel in a collaborative fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will have experience in proactively building relationships, extensive media relations experience, including acting as spokesperson and reputation/issue management.
Main Responsibilities:
Lead the development and delivery of communications strategies and tactics in support EMC business objectives.
Act as the main point of contact for EMC media; working in close consultation with business partners to support timely responses to requests for information from media and interviews.
Generate and foster relationships with media and health care partners, helping to identify emerging opportunities and challenges that require proactive communication, including new opportunities for enhanced media profile.
Maintain a big picture view of the organization, issues and/or topics of relevancy and knowledge of the media cycle to inform strategic thinking and advice about communications; supporting the generation of an ongoing news-cycle/regular earned media coverage.
Daily monitoring of key regional and national news media to identify issues that may impact the operations and/or reputation of our group of companies.
Develop and deliver effective communication strategies to support business initiatives and other operational announcements; creating relevant materials and liaising directly with internal and external business partners.
Develop and deliver monthly report on media relations activities.
Oversee writing and editing content for communications channels including (but not limited to) external communications (key messages, news releases, speaking remarks, Q&As, social media etc.) and liaising directly with internal and external business partners to obtain relevant detail/input.
Work collaboratively with Medavie and EMC communications colleagues to manage brand and reputation, creating a steady stream of relevant content that is suitable for target audiences.
Provide advice and support in counselling business partners on strategic communication strategies.
Ensure external communication messages are consistent with internal messages and the communications strategies are complementary.
Supports design and translation requirements for communications and partner relations needs, working with creative services and translation teams.
Provide support for issues and crisis communications, including on call coverage.
Required Qualifications:
Minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in a strategic communications role and a post-secondary education in Communications or Public Relations field.
Proven delivery of communications and media relations strategies in a fast-paced environment with tight timelines.
Experience as a corporate/organizational spokesperson and extensive reputation/issue management experience.
Demonstrated ability to advise senior leaders and create approaches that address business demands/needs.
Ability to support highly confidential and sensitive subjects/issues in a professional manner.
Team player with a focus on supporting colleagues, trying new approaches and delivering results.
Exceptional written communication skills, including editing, proofreading and attention to detail.
A storyteller with an ability to take complex information and distill into digestible, engaging, informative pieces for employees; ability to modify writing tone and voice.
Solid time management skills, with the ability to balance multiple priorities and produce materials to meet tight deadlines.
Strong interpersonal, project management and relationship-building skills with an ability to work with multi-stakeholder teams in a fast-paced environment, across locations and operating companies; responds to requests quickly and professionally.
A self-starter and problem-solver who works well independently and as part of a geographically dispersed, virtual team.
Flexible to work outside of normal hours and open to occasional travel.
Bilingualism (French and English) is considered an asset, but not required, for this position.
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Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative of the citizens we serve. We are committed to building an inclusive team that represents a variety of backgrounds, cultures, races, perspectives and skills. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates including women, persons of any sexual orientations and gender identities and/or expressions, Indigenous persons, African Canadians, other racialized groups, persons with disabilities. Candidates who identify as being from any of these groups are encouraged to voluntarily self-identify.
We are committed to hiring military and Veteran spouses and encourage you to identify your connection with the MSEN when reaching out to us or applying to any of our open roles.
Have questions or want to learn more about us? We would love to hear from you!
kristen.drapeau@medavie.bluecross.ca
Whenever possible, reach out to a named contact rather than a general inbox - it helps ensure a quicker, more personalized response. If you hit a bounce-back, let us know at
Welcome to Medavie!
I would be happy to share and discuss our organization, current and future career opportunies.
Many of our roles are able to be remote (work from home) in Canada
- Kristen Drapeau, Senior Recruitment Consultant
-Krysta Duguay, Recruitment Consultant
Who we are
We’re a team of over 8,000 professionals serving clients from coast-to-coast with operations in most provinces. We provide health benefits to nearly 1 in 10 Canadians and manage emergency medical services for nearly 1 in 15 Canadians.
We’ve been a leading health services partner for individuals, employers and governments across Canada for 80 years and a premier all-in-one carrier that provides health, dental, travel, life and disability benefits to individuals and organizations.
We've been recognized as one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures, one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, and an Imagine Caring Company.
What we value
Our values are inherent to our culture and provide the framework for each interaction we have and transaction we make, while providing a clear set of expectations to empower employees to do the right thing for everyone we serve. We are:
Caring – We show compassion in everything we do
Accountable – We follow through on our commitments
Responsive – We have the courage to act and adapt
Innovative – We encourage and value new ideas
Community-minded – We achieve more together
More than simply a poster on the wall, our mission of improving the wellbeing of Canadians represents the purpose of our organization ― and we align that with our culture.
What we give back
As a not-for-profit organization, we don’t answer to shareholders. Instead, we invest our earnings in our business, our communities and, most importantly, our employees. We use some of these earnings to support:
Programs to support causes that are close to our employees' hearts, matching the volunteer hours and donations they contribute
An annual United Way workplace campaign led by employees in each of our locations
The Medavie Foundation, which invests in community initiatives and organizations that improve the wellbeing of Canadians, focuses on some of the most pressing mental and physical health challenges facing Canadians.
We want to meet you as you are
At Medavie Blue Cross, we foster a culture of openness, understanding and a sense of belonging where everyone can bring their true selves to work. Nearly 70% of our management roles are held by women and we’re committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued for who they are and what they contribute. We will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment, selection and hiring processes.
What we offer
If you live our values and deliver results, you’ll experience meaningful, rewarding work in a purpose-centred, inclusive organization that provides:
Flexible work options: We want you to work where you work best. We offer work from home, from the office, or a hybrid of the two, while ensuring you feel connected to your team and to our purpose. Our flexibility goes beyond location. We also have flexible working hours and part-time options available.
Competitive compensation: We believe in rewarding our employees for the skills they bring to their jobs and the results they deliver. This includes competitive compensation that will reflect your experience and expertise and annual performance-based incentives, a 100% employer-matched defined contribution pension plan, an employee RRSP, one-on-one financial counselling, vacation and personal days to help you rest, refuel and balance your life.
Career Growth: Internal talent mobility and growth are an integral part of our success. Employees are empowered to own their career development and have rewarding experiences in a variety of work areas. Supportive leadership will encourage and coach you to maximize your potential so you can access multiple learning pathways to develop. Our leadership development program and other programs, such as mentoring, performance-based management and education assistance, are offered to provide employees with an environment of lifelong learning.
Outstanding benefits: Wellbeing is at the centre of everything we do and this starts with our employees. To help you take a proactive approach to your health, we provide: