Director

SHIFT; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

SHIFT is seeking a Chicago-based Director to lead our consumer team, managing programs for a major restaurant client and mentoring team members. You will drive media relations, influencer marketing, and social media programs while collaborating with a remote network and cross-functional partners.

You will oversee the development and execution of PR strategies, build strong client relationships, and contribute to SHIFT’s content engine.

Qualifications

• Seven+ years of increasing responsibility in an agency or fast-paced client environment.
• Experience in food, beverage, CPG and hospitality – fast food chain restaurant and/or franchise experience is preferred.
• Ability to work with a remote team.
• Ridiculously strong oral, written and interpersonal communications.
• Experience and passion for bringing together various groups to a consensus and shared goal and moving projects forward.
• A deep understanding of today’s consumer – from micro to macro shifts – and how those trends are impacting people’s purchasing power and the brands they engage with.
• A demonstrated record of developing and executing successful public relations strategies and programs while closely managing budgets.
• Experience in influencer marketing and social media best practices; with knowledge of what it takes to create earned media campaigns and sponsored opportunities.
• Experience reaching top‑tier media with creative storytelling.
• Strong personnel management and mentoring skills.
• The ability to form strong client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Managing a large client in fast food / restaurant space.
• Ensuring your team’s work is client‑ and/or media‑ready before we press send.
• Collaborating with experts across the network who can strengthen your team’s efforts, and/or whom your team’s expertise can help strengthen theirs.
• Running client events in the Chicago area (and beyond) in collaboration with owner/operators.
• Identifying and working with media, influencers and partners.
• Ensuring all clients are kept informed on emerging trends, actively engaged in our relationship and delighted with our work.
• Broadening our base of relationships within your clients.
• Nurturing and growing your network of trusted relationships with the media, industry analysts and influencers.
• Leading new business prospecting, proposals and presentations.
• Contributing to SHIFT’s content engine to help cement SHIFT as voice of authority/credibility and you as a thought leader in the consumer behavior/experience space.
• Building SHIFT’s and your own personal profile through active engagement in relevant industry/trade groups, events and initiatives.

Skills

Seven+ years experience

Food & beverage experience

Remote teamwork

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Consumer insights

PR strategy & budgets

Influencer & social media

Media relations

Team leadership

Client relationship management

Job description

We’re looking for a Chicago-based Director to join SHIFT’s growing consumer team. You will hit the ground running by managing programs for one of the country’s largest restaurant chains and have the opportunity to work on other exciting consumer brands, take part in business development, and mentor team members. A creative mindset with the ability to manage events from conception to day‑of logistical details is essential. A passion for media relations (earned and sponsored), influencer marketing, and social media marketing are also required.

Here’s a bit more about what we’re looking for, what you’ll be doing and what it takes to succeed at SHIFT.

What You Bring

• Currently located in greater Chicagoland – we are in‑office three days a week and this position will also require some travel.
• Seven+ years of increasing responsibility in an agency or fast‑paced client environment (some agency experience is critical).
• Experience in food, beverage, CPG and hospitality – fast food chain restaurant and/or franchise experience is preferred
• Ability to work with a remote team
• Ridiculously strong oral, written and interpersonal communications.
• Experience and passion for bringing together various groups to a consensus and shared goal and moving projects forward
• A deep understanding of today’s consumer – from micro to macro shifts – and how those trends are impacting people’s purchasing power and the brands they engage with
• A demonstrated record of developing and executing successful public relations strategies and programs while closely managing budgets
• Experience in influencer marketing and social media best practices; with knowledge of what it takes to create earned media campaigns and sponsored opportunities
• Experience reaching top‑tier media with creative storytelling
• Strong personnel management and mentoring skills
• The ability to form strong client relationships

What You’ll Be Doing

• Managing a large client in fast food / restaurant space
• Ensuring your team’s work is client‑ and/or media‑ready before we press send.
• Collaborating with experts across the network who can strengthen your team’s efforts, and/or whom your team’s expertise can help strengthen theirs.
• Running client events in the Chicago area (and beyond) in collaboration with owner/operators
• Identifying and working with media, influencers and partners
• Ensuring all clients are kept informed on emerging trends, actively engaged in our relationship and delighted with our work.
• Broadening our base of relationships within your clients
• Nurturing and growing your network of trusted relationships with the media, industry analysts and influencers.
• Leading new business prospecting, proposals and presentations
• Contributing to SHIFT’s content engine to help cement SHIFT as voice of authority/credibility and you as a thought leader in the consumer behavior/experience space.
• Building SHIFT’s and your own personal profile through active engagement in relevant industry/trade groups, events and initiatives.

What it Takes to Succeed Here

• Help us improve. Become fluent in the agency’s brand and business; familiarize yourself with our teams, clients, best case work and best proposals. See a missed opportunity along the way? Call it out. Share your thoughts. Make us better.
• Make yourself smarter. Invest any downtime you have in your first six months to become certified in Google Analytics, and to master Google’s keyword tools. Both will help you prepare client‑ready work more quickly as requested.
• Know what’s going on.Read/watch/listen to and then analyze and report the news that’s important to you and your clients; provide recommendations for actions that the client can/should take as a result.
• Have a point of view. We’re not looking for people who agree with everything we say. We’re looking for people who think independently, believe in things important to them and can bring and defend that passion to work with them every day.
• Learn the agency business. Ask questions of those around you/ attend proscribed training programs to understand how we budget, how we manage projects, how we develop and nurture client relationships and how we measure our own success as an agency.
• Raise your hand. Don’t ever wait for someone to ask you to do something; ask what you can do to help your team, our clients and our agency succeed. Daily.
• Live our values. Nothing is more important. We’ll hold you to that standard and you can hold us to that standard. It’s that simple.

If you’ve got what it takes and are ready to take your career to the next level, we want to meet you.

US salary range

$100,000 - $130,000 USD

SHIFT is a performance communications agency. We're a collective of strategists, conversation starters, creators and conveners who are relentlessly focused on shifting our clients ahead. Our expert teams shape insights, empathy and sector expertise into purposefully integrated programs that solve for our clients specific opportunities and objectives. And we let nothing get in our way. We haven’t in our 20 years as an agency, which has paved the way for many communications firsts and has won us industry recognition and enviable client partners. We’re a small agency culture with access to any business resource our team and clients might need, thanks to being part of the 1,000‑person strong AVENIR Global network and Padilla family of brands. Learn more at www.shiftcomm.com.

As set forth in SHIFT’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.