Digital Rapid Response Director

FTI Consulting; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 99,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

FTI Consulting is seeking a Digital Rapid Response Director in Chicago or other major U.S. offices. You will lead real-time communications across earned media, digital strategy, and creative production, coordinating press, creative, and digital teams for a unified message.

The role requires 6+ years in political communications or related fields, strong writing, and the ability to move strategies quickly from concept to execution across multiple channels.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in political communications and/or campaigns, public affairs, or issue advocacy.
• Strong writing across formats, including long-form and short-form content.
• Experience coordinating with digital and creative teams on integrated campaigns under deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead rapid response across earned media, creative, and social—set strategy and drive real-time execution.
• Monitor news cycles and social environment to identify trends and narrative shifts.
• Turn priorities into clear creative briefs and guide development and rollout of content across channels.
• Draft and edit high-quality content quickly, including press materials and executive messaging.
• Coordinate with journalists and editors to ensure unified messaging across media.
• Stay current on content trends, AI tools, audience behavior, and platform best practices.

Skills

Political communications

Rapid-response leadership

Strategic writing

Cross-functional collaboration

Multi-channel campaigns

Project management

Mentoring junior staff

Editorial judgment

Crisis communications

Travel flexibility

Tools

Brandwatch

Meltwater

Social listening tools

Job description

Who We Are

FTI Consulting is the leading global expert firm for organizations facing crisis and transformation. We work with many of the world’s top multinational corporations, law firms, banks and private equity firms on their most important issues to deliver impact that makes a difference. From resolving disputes, navigating crises, managing risk and optimizing performance, our teams respond rapidly to dynamic and complex situations.

About The Role

Our Corporate Positioning and Insights (CPI&I) practice seeks a Digital Rapid Response Director with 6+ years of experience to join the team in our Washington, D.C., New York, or Chicago office.

This is a multidisciplinary role at the intersection of earned media, digital strategy, and creative production. The strategist will serve as the central decision and coordination point for real-time communications in large scale campaigns - identifying emerging threats and opportunities, shaping the response, and ensuring that press, creative, and digital teams move together with a unified message and purpose. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, understands how narratives travel across channels, and can move quickly from strategy to execution.

What You'll Do

• Lead rapid response across earned media, creative, and social - setting strategy, calling the play, and driving execution in real time across all channels
• Monitor news cycles and social environment to identify emerging trends, narrative shifts,
• Turn communications priorities into clear creative briefs, partnering with creative teams to guide the development and coordinated rollout of visual, video, digital, and social content.
• Draft and edit high-quality content quickly and with precision, including press materials, digital copy, paid media scripts, executive messaging, and more
• Bring a journalist's instincts, a strategist's discipline, and strong editorial judgment to everything you write and produce
• Stay current on emerging content trends, AI tools, audience behaviors, and platform best practices.

How You'll Grow

We are committed to investing and supporting you in your professional development and we have developed a range of programs focused on fostering leadership, growth and development opportunities. We aim to promote continuous learning and individual skills development through on-the-job learning, self-guided professional development courses and certifications. You'll be assigned a dedicated coach to mentor, guide and support you through regular coaching sessions and serve as an advocate for your professional growth.

As you progress through your career at FTI Consulting, we offer tailored programs for critical professional milestones to ensure you are prepared and empowered to take on your next role.

What You Will Need To Succeed

Basic Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in political communications and/or campaigns, public affairs, or issue advocacy – campaign or issue advocacy experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience leading rapid response in a political, advocacy or crisis communications environment
• Strong writing across formats, including long-form, short-form, organic social, paid media, executive voice
• Experience working in or alongside digital and creative teams on integrated campaigns, with the ability to brief and collaborate with designers and producers under deadline pressure
• A deep understanding of how narratives develop and move across earned, social, and creative channels — and how to coordinate an effective response across all three
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple workstreams and integrated multichannel campaigns under tight deadlines
• Ability to work effectively across levels, managing and mentoring junior staff while collaborating with senior colleagues and client leads
• Sound judgment, strong attention to detail, and the ability to operate independently in a high-pressure environment
• Knowledge of the technology industry is strongly preferred, and experience with the energy and infrastructure industries is a bonus
• Travel required to clients and to FTI office(s)
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; the employer will not sponsor applicants for work visas

Preferred Requirements

• Political campaign experience
• Crisis-response experience
• Rapid-response experience
• Political campaign management
• Community management
• Experience developing response frameworks
• Experience with social listening/monitoring tools
• Experience with Brandwatch
• Experience with Meltwater
• Strong copywriting/content development experience
• Ability to work with creative teams
• Ability to work with sector and subject-matter experts
• Issues-management experience
• Public affairs experience
• Event-driven communications experience
• Experience creating social content that is engaging rather than simply repurposing a press release

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

FTI Consulting is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

Compensation

Minimum Pay: $99,000

Maximum Pay: $172,500

Compensation Disclosure: The compensation range reflects potential base salary for the role. Actual compensation is determined based on a wide array of relevant factors including market considerations, business needs, and an individual's location, skills, level of experience, and qualifications.