Public Relations Director

Signal Theory; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with employer matching

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development stipend

Sabbatical after eight years

Job summary

Signal Theory in Kansas City is seeking a Public Relations Director to serve as a trusted strategic counselor, elevating the firm’s and clients’ reputations through earned media leadership and cross-discipline collaboration.

You will guide crisis communications, manage senior relationships, shape media strategy, and mentor the PR team, while leveraging AI and analytics to improve outcomes and profitability.

Qualifications

• 15+ years PR experience; significant agency experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, English or related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication across formats; AP style knowledge preferred.
• Proven leadership experience managing people and building high-performing teams.
• Strategic thinking balancing short and long-term goals with creativity and analytical skills.
• Willingness to travel as required by firm and clients.

Responsibilities

• Counsel clients as a trusted strategic advisor on reputation management, media strategy and communications planning.
• Lead crisis communications and coach team on issues management.
• Maintain deep knowledge of clients’ brands, industries and competitive landscapes.
• Guide conceptualization and execution of earned media campaigns; provide strategic counsel and quality assurance.
• Establish brand narrative and media strategy frameworks; target audiences and media lists.
• Collaborate with content strategy to set influencer strategies and select suitable creators.
• Oversee multi-channel brand activations across earned, owned and emerging channels.
• Ensure authentic storytelling and strong brand narratives aligned with client goals.
• Lead thought leadership efforts: articles, speaking engagements and executive visibility.
• Establish measurement standards for coverage, sentiment and campaign performance.

Skills

Public relations leadership

Media relations

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Team management

Willingness to travel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism/PR/English or related field

Tools

Media databases

Monitoring platforms

AI tools

Job description

The Public Relations Director at Signal Theory is a trusted strategic counselor and key leader responsible for elevating the firm’s and client’s reputation, media presence and communications impact. Great relationships, strong leadership and an inspiring communication style are the pathways to success for the Public Relations Director who leads consumer PR accounts and works alongside all firm discipline leads as a peer partner. The Public Relations Director reports to the Vice President, Public Relations and partners as a peer with Account Directors, Creative Directors and strategy leads on client business. The Public Relations Director will:

Counsel clients as a trusted strategic advisor on reputation management, media strategy and communications planning, owning senior-level client relationships within the PR discipline.

Lead courageous, sensitive conversations around reputation risk, media strategy pivots and recommendations that challenge conventional thinking.

Handle crisis communications needs for assigned clients: develop crisis plans, coach the team on issues management and act as primary counselor during urgent or high-stakes situations.

Maintain deep knowledge of clients' brands, organizations, industries and competitive landscapes so counsel is grounded in insight and the work is consistently strong.

Guide the conceptualization and execution of earned media campaigns for clients and the firm, providing creative direction, strategic counsel and quality assurance.

Establish brand narrative and media strategy frameworks covering media lists, editorial calendars, pitching, spokesperson preparation and audience targeting.

Partner with content strategy team to set influencer strategies and processes; actively watch for cultural moments to utilize the right influencers/creators; identify influencers that best match branded content needs.

Concept brand activations with a multi-channel approach across earned, owned and emerging channels.

Conduct account work with an always-on mindset of offering integrated solutions to solve clients’ business problems by partnering with the account, creative, content, media and strategy disciplines in the agency.

Ensure authentic storytelling and strong brand narratives are being refined and relevant to audiences.

Lead thought leadership end-to-end: story mining with cross-discipline teams, influencer and subject matter expert recruitment, executive articles and high-impact speaking engagements to advance both executive and brand visibility.

Establish measurement and reporting standards for coverage, sentiment and campaign performance tied to client and firm priorities.

Help set strategic direction, standards and best practices for the PR discipline, including AI visibility pratices, measurement and media relations protocols, crisis communication procedures, AP style, etc.

Collaborate with VP of PR and PR director peer to build and develop the PR team through coaching, mentorship and growth plans for all direct reports.

Stay ahead of industry trends, share insights that inform strategy and foster a culture of continuous learning and proactive problem-solving.

Grow PR scopes of work and deliverables with clients; Inform firm leadership on plans that focus on effectiveness and profitability.

Support agency leadership with company visibility through thought leadership, community relations and business development support.

Requirements and Experience:

15+ years of professional public relations experience; significant agency experience preferred

Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, English or a related field, or equivalent experience

Excellent written and verbal communication across formats from social copy to long-form content, with superb attention to detail; AP style knowledge preferred.

Proven leadership experience managing people and building high-performing teams.

Strategic thinking that balances short and long-term goals, paired with creativity, resourcefulness and strong analytical and presentation skills.

Excellent organization and time management; able to prioritize multiple assignments and deliver under pressure.

Proficiency with media databases, monitoring platforms and measurement tools; ability to leverage emerging technology and AI to enhance capability and efficiency.

Discretion with confidential and sensitive information; willingness to travel as firm and client needs require.

Exceptional benefits include:

Access to online learning platforms to continue honing your craft

Up to $500 a year to put toward qualified wellness expenses, like your gym membership

After one year, we’ll reimburse up to 50% of tuition costs for pre-approved continuing education

If you stick around for eight whole years, enjoy a 4-week paid sabbatical, plus a $750 reimbursement for international travel

Of course, we also:

Are an equal opportunity employer

Provide health, dental and vision insurance

Offer salaries commensurate with experience

Offer both traditional and Roth 401k plans with employer matching