Director of Public Relations

Rate; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) participation

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Job summary

Rate, a leading retail mortgage lender based in Chicago, seeks a Director of Public Relations to shape external communications across business, consumer, and executive channels.

The role requires translating complex priorities into compelling narratives, landing meaningful coverage, and guiding media strategy with cross-functional, senior-level collaboration.

Applicants should bring strong writing, media relationships, and experience managing agencies and budgets in a highly regulated industry.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in PR, corporate or integrated comms, with 3+ years in leadership.
• Demonstrated success securing coverage across national business, consumer, trade, industry and wellness media.
• Experience managing both corporate/business and consumer media strategies.
• Experience in financial services, mortgage, fintech, real estate or regulated industries is a strong plus.
• Proven ability to develop executive communications, thought leadership, and media visibility programs.
• Strong understanding of earned media to support brand trust, consumer relevance and growth.
• Ability to translate complex business or industry information into clear stories.
• Established media relationships across business, trade, real estate, fintech, personal finance, lifestyle and national media.
• Crisis communications and issues management experience; calm, quick, decisive.
• Excellent writing, editorial judgment, and storytelling abilities.
• Experience advising executives for interviews, speaking opportunities and media prep.
• Experience managing agencies, vendors, budgets, timelines and deliverables.
• Strong collaboration with Marketing, Legal, Compliance, Product, Social, Brand, Recruiting and Leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an integrated PR strategy aligned with Rate’s objectives.
• Build earned media across corporate reputation, business press, trade media, consumer PR and leadership.
• Identify and package stories across product, homeownership, customer experience, culture and wellness.
• Build relationships with journalists and media outlets nationwide.
• Drive executive visibility through thought leadership, media placements and speaking opportunities.
• Own external messaging frameworks, press materials and briefing documents.
• Lead proactive media strategy with data-driven storylines and timely responses.
• Manage media relations, inquiries, issues and crisis communications.
• Define PR performance: coverage quality, sentiment, share of voice and executive visibility.
• Partner with Marketing, Legal, Compliance, Product and Leadership to align with campaigns.
• Oversee PR agency relationships, budgets, timelines and deliverables.

Skills

Public relations

Corporate communications

Strategic storytelling

Media relations

Crisis communications

Executive communications

Agency management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or related field

Job description

Rate is one of the nation’s top retail mortgage lenders, delivering a seamless, tech-driven experience that helps customers reach their homeownership and financial goals. Founded in 2000 and based in Chicago, Rate is licensed in all 50 states and D.C. and has helped over 2 million homeowners with a wide range of loan products, competitive rates and personalized service. With 5,000+ employees across 300+ offices and 12+ subsidiaries, Rate’s Loan Officers rank among the best in the country. From purchases and refinances to tapping into equity, Rate makes financing faster, simpler and less stressful. Our technology — including Same Day Mortgage, the Rate App, FlashClose℠, MyAccount and the Language Access Program — has earned recognition from HousingWire, Scotsman Guide, NerdWallet, the Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business. Learn more at rate.com.

Job Title: Director of Public Relations

Rate is looking for a Director of Public Relations to shape and scale our external communications strategy across business, industry, consumer, and executive channels.

In this highly visible role, you will be responsible for how Rate shows up in the world: from national business and trade media to consumer-facing stories that build brand trust, relevance, and awareness. You will help define the company’s earned media strategy, elevate our leadership team, protect our reputation, and identify the stories that make Rate stand out across mortgage, fintech, real estate, homeownership, wellness and culture.

This role requires a strategic communicator who can move seamlessly between corporate reputation, executive visibility, industry thought leadership, product storytelling, and consumer PR. The right person knows how to land meaningful coverage, translate complex business priorities into compelling narratives, and build strong relationships with journalists, internal partners, executives, and agency teams.

If you are a sharp storyteller, thoughtful media strategist, and trusted communications advisor who knows how to build momentum in a fast-moving business, this is your seat at the table.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an integrated public relations strategy aligned with Rate’s business objectives, brand identity, and growth priorities.
• Build distinct earned media strategies across corporate reputation, business press, trade media, consumer PR, product storytelling, executive visibility, wellness initiatives, and industry leadership.
• Identify and package compelling stories across the business, including product innovation, homeownership, customer experience, community impact, company culture, wellness initiatives, partnerships, market trends, and leadership perspectives.
• Build and manage relationships with top-tier journalists, editors, producers, and media outlets across national business, financial services, real estate, fintech, mortgage, personal finance, lifestyle, consumer, wellness, and trade media.
• Drive executive visibility for Rate’s leadership team through thought leadership programs, media placements, speaking opportunities, awards, contributed content, and timely commentary.
• Own external messaging frameworks, media narratives, press materials, executive talking points, briefing documents, reactive statements, and communications guidance.
• Lead proactive media strategy, including trend commentary, data-driven storylines, executive POVs, product narratives, consumer insights, wellness-adjacent brand stories, and timely responses to relevant industry and cultural moments.
• Manage all aspects of proactive and reactive media relations, including media outreach, interview preparation, inbound press inquiries, issues management, and crisis communications.
• Lead reputation management efforts, including media monitoring, scenario planning, response strategy, cross-functional alignment, and executive counsel.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Brand, Social, Product, Growth, Recruiting, Legal, Compliance, and Executive Leadership to align earned media with company priorities, campaigns, product launches, milestones, wellness initiatives, and reputation-sensitive moments.
• Collaborate with Legal and Compliance to ensure all external communications meet regulatory requirements and reflect appropriate business, consumer, and industry context.
• Oversee PR agency relationships, including strategy, execution, budgets, timelines, deliverables, and performance expectations.
• Monitor the media landscape, competitor coverage, industry trends, consumer conversations, wellness and lifestyle conversations, and cultural shifts to identify opportunities and bring actionable recommendations to senior leadership.
• Define and report on PR performance, including quality of coverage, sentiment, message pull-through, share of voice, executive visibility, media relationships, and contribution to broader brand and business goals.
• Partner with internal communications teams or stakeholders to ensure major company news, executive narratives, wellness-related initiatives, and external media moments are clearly communicated across the organization.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive public relations, corporate communications, or integrated communications experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated success securing meaningful coverage across national business, consumer, trade, industry, lifestyle, and/or wellness-adjacent media.
• Experience managing both corporate/business press and consumer-facing media strategies.
• Experience in financial services, mortgage, fintech, real estate, personal finance, technology, consumer brands, wellness, or another highly regulated or complex industry is a strong plus.
• Proven ability to develop and execute executive communications, thought leadership, and media visibility programs.
• Strong understanding of how earned media supports brand trust, consumer relevance, executive authority, reputation, recruiting, and business growth.
• Ability to translate complex business, financial, product, industry, or brand information into clear, compelling stories for different audiences.
• Established media relationships across business, trade, real estate, fintech, personal finance, lifestyle, consumer, wellness, and/or national media.
• Strong crisis communications and issues management experience; you stay calm, move quickly, and communicate clearly when it matters most.
• Exceptional writer and storyteller with sharp editorial instincts, strong judgment, and the ability to identify what is newsworthy, what is brand-building, and what requires restraint.
• Experience advising senior executives and preparing leaders for interviews, speaking opportunities, presentations, and reputation-sensitive moments.
• Experience managing agencies, vendors, budgets, timelines, and cross-functional internal teams.
• Strong collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across Marketing, Legal, Compliance, Product, Social, Brand, Recruiting, and Executive Leadership.
• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is both a strategist and a doer — someone who can build the communications roadmap, counsel senior leaders, and also get into the details of pitching, messaging, media prep, and response planning.

They understand the difference between a business story, a trade story, and a consumer story, and know how to shape each one for the right audience. They are equally comfortable discussing housing market trends with a business reporter, packaging a homeownership story for consumer media, preparing an executive for an interview, and advising internal teams on how to navigate sensitive issues.

They also know how to evaluate emerging brand narratives: from community impact and company culture to wellness and lifestyle initiatives, and determine when those stories can credibly support Rate’s broader reputation, consumer relevance, and brand trust.

This person should bring strong media judgment, excellent writing skills, and the ability to connect earned media to broader brand and business goals.

Applications are accepted on an on-going basis.

The company offers a comprehensive benefits program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; critical care insurance; personal accidental insurance; commuter benefits; pet insurance; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program); and other supplemental benefits (e.g., legal planning assistance; identity theft protection; wellness resources).

Rate is an Equal Opportunity Employer that welcomes and encourages all applicants to apply regardless of age, race, sex, religion, color, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or parental status, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy or other reason protected by law