Account Director, Media Relations

Job Summary

Weber Shandwick is looking for a Senior Manager, Earned Media, Technology to join our passionate, fun, and driven team focused on supporting enterprise tech clients.

We are seeking a Senior Manager who has a strong background and interest in earned media-related work with a foundation of skills pitching and securing top-tier, tech and vertical press, including broadcast and podcasts. The ideal candidate is someone who has previous project and team management experience, loves the thrill of the pitch, and can take a leadership role managing clients and teams—bringing existing technology and business media relationships.

This candidate also ideally has specific experience with B2B tech storytelling—experience in cloud and AI-driven narratives a plus—with an understanding of the media landscape, how tech reporters work, and what it takes to get mindshare in this busy space. 

Responsibilities

What You Will Be Doing

• Provide day-to-day leadership and client engagement
• Oversee other team member’s media work, to foster excellence and success
• Source and place earned media results on behalf of the client – this includes identifying appropriate contacts, writing pitches, drafting media lists, making follow up calls, etc.
• Develop a strong understanding of the client’s business and target audience
• Stay current on new and existing media coverage, as well as reporter moves and how to leverage for relationship building
• Assist with ongoing reporting, research and monitoring projects for the client
• Monitor media outlets to understand industry issues that directly and indirectly affect the client
• Support creative ideation on a consistent basis and provide thoughtful, proactive recommendations for storytelling initiatives
• Owning, drafting and managing media projects
• Participate in new business pitches

Competencies:

• Excellent oral and written communication
• Familiar with writing owned content and earned byline content
• Strong research skills stemming from a media focused curiosity
• Ability to build trust and rapport with the client and team across all levels
• Demonstrate a proactive and forward thinking mindset
• Integrated skill set that combines media relations, content creation and digital expertise
• Excellent collaboration and team building skills
• Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple jobs in a day
• Intuitive thinker who asks probing questions and anticipates and addresses needs
• Sound business and professional ethics

Qualifications

• Years Experience: 5-7 years of experience in similar industry
• Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time

About Us

Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications and engagement firm in 78 cities with a network extending to 129 cities around the world. The firm’s diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work. Weber Shandwick was the only public relations agency included on the Advertising Age Agency A-list in 2014 and 2015 and the only PR firm designated an A-List Agency Standout in 2017 and 2018. Weber Shandwick was honored as PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017, The Holmes Report’s Global Agency of the Year in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017, and The Holmes Report’s Global Digital Agency of the Year in 2016. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, employee engagement, social impact, financial communications and crisis management, using proprietary social, digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

NYC Salary range: $85,000 – $100,000

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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Senior Associate, Media Relations, Consumer

Weber Shandwick New York has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Associate, Media Relations to join our Consumer team. We are looking for a collaborative person with expertise in successfully engaging media professionals to support a variety of accounts.

Responsibilities: 

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key media contacts, pitching story ideas, and securing media coverage for the company or clients
• Work with the team to develop successful earned media strategies, including goals and objectives, media targets, pitch angles and engagement approaches
• Write and edit press releases, media kits, and other communication materials, ensuring they align with brand messaging
• Track media coverage, analyze press mentions, and report on the effectiveness of media campaigns, providing insights and recommendations for improvement
• Develop and manage timelines and weekly action plans to ensure all deadlines on client programs are met
• Anticipate and proactively offer solutions to senior team leadership for executional issues specific to assigned programs
• Interact with senior management and input feedback into tactics and strategies

Qualifications:

• 2-3 years of communications experience, preferably in an agency environment
• Strong consumer media relations skills and relationships at the national, regional and trade/vertical level
• Previous consumer packaged goods and related industries experience is a bonus, but not required
• Excellent communication/presentation skills; verbal and written
• Strong attention to detail and project management skills
• Open to giving and receiving constructive and respectful feedback in a timely manner
• Desire to continuously learn new skills and knowledge, and willingness to always share skills and knowledge with team members as well as clients
• Commitment to personal accountability
• BA or BS in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or related field
• Capable of working independently and in a dynamic, high energy, fast paced team-oriented atmosphere
• High comfortability level working with athletes and celebrities, without being star struck
• Has a passion for consumer technology and gadgets

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

NYC Salary range: $64,400 – $70,000

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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SENIOR ASSOCIATE – MEDIA RELATIONS, FINANCIAL SERVICES 

Weber Shandwick is currently seeking a Senior Associate of Earned Media Strategy to join our Integrated Media team and support consumer-facing financial brands, in sub-sectors including retail banking, fintech, payments and retirement. 

We’re looking for a team player to help us tell compelling stories for our financial services clients through innovative and integrated earned, owned and paid media strategies. Do you love the thrill of the pitch, building relationships with media and influencers, and constantly immersing yourself in social media, culture and media trends to drive impact for financial brands? Do you love helping financial brands help regular people save more, invest for their future, have tough money conversations, and checkout with ease? If so, this role is for you. 

With 2-3 years of experience, you’ll help us create campaigns that drive earned media coverage and activate influencer and social programs that generate meaningful and measurable results. 

Responsibilities include but not limited to: 

• Help develop and execute innovative and award-winning integrated PR campaigns 

• Work with the Integrated Media team and client leads to support the development and execution of social media and influencer strategies and proposals 

• Identify and build relationships with media, influencers and content creators to bring our clients’ stories to life through trusted and relatable voices 

• Enhance the profile of our client’s executive spokesperson bench through comprehensive media strategies that increase their share of voice, bolster their thought leadership, and amplify corporate milestones 

• Identify new outlets and platforms, and creative ways to propel earned-first storytelling for our clients 

• Monitor media outlets, understand financial services industry issues that directly and indirectly affect our clients, and analyze and distill meaningful insights from media coverage and social conversations 

• Keep your finger on the pulse of retirement, insurance, banking, payments and fintech news, reporter moves, and competitor landscapes 

• Monitor issues and help develop strategic messaging for clients’ issues and reputational risks 

• Advise the team on how to architect proprietary research, thought leadership content, and bold brand acts to beget media outcomes 

• Develop and track meaningful KPIs to measure success of campaigns and return on investment for our clients 

• Participation in office-wide initiatives, seminars and meetings to further professional learning and development 

 

  

Key Qualifications: 

• Approximately 2-3 years of experience, ideally in an agency, communications or marketing environment 

• Tenacity, creativity and a proven ability to garner media coverage on behalf of consumer financial brands 

• Interest in engaging consumers on financial topics (including saving, spending, retirement, insurance, borrowing and investing), as well as B2B stakeholders 

• Digitally savvy, with a good understanding of the overall media and social media landscape 

• Creativity in spotting ways for consumer financial brands to break into the cultural conversation 

• A working style that is self-motivated, well-organized and resilient to ever-changing timelines, requests and deliverables 

• Experience working with a research vendor to design media-genic proprietary thought leadership and surveys 

• Strong written, verbal communication, presentation, collaboration and problem-solving skills 

• A degree in communications or a related discipline 

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

NYC Salary range: $62,400 – $70,000

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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