PR Specialist — Elevate Design Stories & Community Impact

HGA; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Success sharing bonus program

401(k) guaranteed contribution

Paid parental leave

Medical, dental and life insurance

PTO

Short- and long-term disability

Job summary

HGA is seeking a Public Relations Specialist to shape stories behind our design projects, people, and ideas, elevating HGA’s national reputation in architecture, engineering and design. You will collaborate with the Brand & Communications team to identify stories, craft pitches and secure earned media.

You will manage media relationships, draft communications, and coordinate interviews and events while tracking results and using insights to refine outreach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Communications, Marketing, or related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in public relations or strategic communications.
• Proven track record securing local, regional, and national earned media.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills across press materials.
• Ability to plan multi-phase PR campaigns and manage deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Support PR planning and campaign execution. Partner with the Senior PR Manager on the annual PR strategy and editorial calendar; coordinate assigned campaigns aligned with firmwide and sector priorities.
• Develop compelling story angles and content. Identify opportunities with internal teams and clients to connect HGA’s projects, people, and impact with industry and community conversations. Draft, edit, and proofread pitches, press releases, media advisories, key messages, and related content.
• Build media relationships and pursue coverage. Research outlets, editorial calendars, and news trends to inform proactive outreach and national media submissions. Cultivate relationships with journalists, editors, and relevant influencers to earn local, regional, and national coverage.
• Coordinate media opportunities and internal partnerships. Manage media inquiries and coordinate interviews, background materials, and talking points for HGA leaders. Help teams assess story readiness and messaging alignment, and keep PR leadership informed of emerging narratives, opportunities, and risks.
• Celebrate our reputation. Coordinate annual rankings program, managing deadlines and stakeholder engagement. Amplify results for rankings, people project awards to build HGA brand and sector recognition.
• Track results and inform future outreach. Use media monitoring tools for media research, list maintenance, coverage monitoring, and industry insights. Build expertise in the platform and analyze and share PR results through dashboards and regular internal updates.
• Amplify the impact of earned media. Curate and share social posts that highlight coverage and reinforce HGA’s brand positioning, and support related internal and external communications.
• Represent HGA at selected events. Attend in-person events, project related milestones, interviews, and networking opportunities to strengthen relationships and visibility.

Skills

Media relations

Storytelling

Writing

Strategic thinking

Project management

Communication

Deadline-driven

Education

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

Tools

Meltwater

Cision

Muck Rack

Job description

HGA is seeking a Public Relations Specialist to shape stories behind our design projects, people, and ideas, elevating HGA’s national reputation in architecture, engineering and design. You will collaborate with the Brand & Communications team to identify stories, craft pitches and secure earned media.

You will manage media relationships, draft communications, and coordinate interviews and events while tracking results and using insights to refine outreach.