Director of Public Relations

Linnihan Foy; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Linnihan Foy is a full-service agency helping brands build strong and meaningful connections with their audiences. We’re looking for a Director of Public Relations who can lead smart PR strategy and roll up their sleeves to bring it to life.

This role requires strategic counsel, hands-on execution, media pitching, influencer programs, and mentoring a PR team. You’ll translate insights into clear messaging and measurable results for clients.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in public relations, preferably with agency background.
• Proven track record securing earned media and building journalist relationships.
• Hands-on willingness: pitching reporters, building media lists, and presenting strategy.
• Experience developing influencer programs and measuring impact.
• Ability to mentor and develop PR professionals and grow teams.
• Strong messaging, thought leadership, and long-form content skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead PR strategy and execution across B2B and B2C clients.
• Own media relations from strategy to placement and coverage.
• Develop influencer partnerships and manage campaigns end-to-end.
• Mentor and develop PR team members and provide ongoing coaching.
• Lead client messaging workshops and translate insights into clear narratives.
• Prepare clients for media opportunities with media training and materials.
• Collaborate with paid, creative and digital teams to integrate PR into broader plans.

Skills

Media relations

Strategic planning

Content writing

Influencer programs

Team mentorship

Client leadership

B2B/B2C

Tools

Cision

Job description

At Linnihan Foy, we are a full-service agency that helps brands build strong and meaningful connections with their audiences. We’re looking for a Director of Public Relations who can lead smart PR strategy and roll up their sleeves to bring it to life. This is a role for someone who enjoys the work of public relations: finding the story, writing the pitch, building relationships, securing coverage, developing influencer partnerships and showing clients how the work is making an impact.

The Director of Public Relations will provide strategic counsel and team leadership while remaining actively involved in day-to-day execution. You’ll pitch media, write content, manage influencer programs, develop client strategy, track results and help grow our PR capabilities alongside the larger agency team. You’ll also play an important role in developing and mentoring PR team members, providing the guidance, feedback and opportunities they need to strengthen their skills and grow in their careers.

This is not a role for someone looking to step away from the work. As a senior member of a small, collaborative team, you’ll lead from within it - setting direction, developing others and jumping in wherever your experience can make a difference.

We’re looking for someone who is assertive, agile and driven, with strong media instincts, a passion for storytelling and the persistence to turn great ideas into meaningful results.

What You’ll Do

• Lead PR strategy and execution across a mix of B2B and B2C clients, serving as both a strategic counselor and hands-on practitioner.
• Own media relations from strategy through placement, which includes identifying stories, developing angles, building targeted media lists, pitching journalists, following up and securing meaningful earned coverage.
• Bring a proactive, idea-driven mindset to client relationships, continually identifying new stories, campaigns, partnerships, activations and communications opportunities that can create meaningful impact.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, producers, editors, creators and other storytellers.
• Lead the development and execution of influencer marketing programs, including strategy, creator identification and vetting, outreach, negotiations, contracting coordination, campaign logistics, content review and performance measurement.
• Identify opportunities to expand influencer partnerships as part of clients’ broader communications and marketing strategies.
• Manage, mentor and develop PR team members, providing ongoing coaching, constructive feedback and hands-on guidance that strengthens their media relations, writing, strategic thinking and client management skills.
• Lead client messaging and story-mining workshops, translating insights into clear messaging frameworks, brand narratives and communications strategies.
• Write and edit a range of PR materials, including pitches, press releases, media advisories, case studies, bylines, op-eds, whitepapers, talking points and messaging documents.
• Prepare clients and spokespeople for media opportunities through media training, interview preparation, briefing materials and ongoing counsel.
• Provide strategic counsel to clients, helping them understand where PR can make an impact and recommending the right approach to achieve their goals.
• Support and lead PR efforts surrounding events, including press conferences, tradeshows, grand openings, community events and media activations.
• Establish KPIs, monitor performance and lead client reporting, translating PR and influencer results into clear insights and recommendations.
• Collaborate closely with paid media, creative, digital and account teams to ensure PR is integrated into broader client strategies.
• Lead the continued development and growth of Linnihan Foy's PR practice, including identifying new capabilities and opportunities, evolving processes and best practices, supporting new business and helping define how PR contributes to the agency's integrated offering.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of public relations experience, preferably with significant agency experience.
• A genuine passion for media relations and a proven track record of securing earned media coverage. You know how to find the story, write the pitch, follow up and build relationships that lead to results.
• A willingness and desire to remain hands-on. You’re as comfortable pitching a reporter or building a media list as you are presenting strategy to a client.
• Experience managing and mentoring PR professionals, with a demonstrated ability to provide constructive feedback, develop talent and help team members grow their skills and confidence.
• Experience developing and managing influencer programs, including creator identification, outreach, relationship management, campaign execution and measurement.
• Strong strategic instincts and the ability to translate business and marketing objectives into effective PR programs.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills across media relations, thought leadership, messaging and long-form content.
• Experience developing messaging and leading or contributing to client messaging and story-mining sessions.
• Experience leading messaging sessions and media training client spokespeople.
• Strong client leadership and presentation skills, with the ability to provide confident, thoughtful counsel.
• Experience working across B2B and B2C brands and adapting communications strategies for different audiences and industries.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple clients, deadlines and priorities simultaneously.
• Experience with media monitoring, media database and reporting tools such as Cision or similar platforms.
• An assertive, curious and resourceful mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving agency environment.
• A collaborative, no-ego approach. You’re comfortable leading when needed and jumping into the work wherever you can make an impact.

We’re a full-service agency built around one simple idea: marketing should feel human. That means smarter strategy, better creative and work that actually resonates.