Senior Manager, Public Affairs & Issues Management

Bullpen; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

401(k) with company contribution

Company-sponsored HSA contributions

Paid short- and long-term disability

Generous paid time off and holidays

Certification reimbursement

Job summary

Bullpen is seeking a Senior Manager of Public Affairs & Issues Management in New York City to lead crisis and reputation work behind the scenes. You will craft official communications for high-stakes incidents and coordinate across legal, operations, and executive leadership.

The role requires 6–10+ years in agency-side issues management, with outstanding writing, sound judgment, and the ability to influence senior leaders without formal authority.

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of agency-side experience in issues management, crisis communications, corporate reputation or public affairs.
• Direct experience managing high-stakes reputational matters.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Experience developing rapid-response statements and media materials.
• Strong judgment when working with incomplete or changing information.
• Ability to collaborate with legal, operational and executive stakeholders.
• Comfortable influencing senior leaders without formal authority.
• Calm, discreet and highly responsive under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead sensitive and high-profile issues from initial escalation through resolution.
• Quickly assess evolving situations and identify reputational, legal and operational risks.
• Coordinate responses across legal, operations, communications, government relations and executive leadership.
• Draft holding statements, media responses, talking points and executive summaries.
• Manage communications with media without serving as an on-record spokesperson.
• Provide practical recommendations to senior leadership during high-pressure situations.
• Balance competing priorities while driving alignment across stakeholders.
• Identify recurring risks and contribute to stronger crisis-response protocols.
• Participate in a rotating on-call schedule for urgent evening or weekend situations.

Skills

Crisis communications

Public affairs

Reputation management

Executive communications

Stakeholder collaboration

Media relations

Risk assessment

Rapid response writing

On-call readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications or related field

Job description

Senior Manager, Public Affairs & Issues Management

Location: New York City

Travel: Approximately once per quarter

The Opportunity

A leading national real estate organization is seeking a Senior Manager of Public Affairs & Issues Management to join its growing corporate affairs team.

This is a high-impact crisis and reputation-management role for someone who thrives in complex, fast-moving situations. The Senior Manager will lead responses to sensitive property-level incidents, coordinate internal and external stakeholders, and develop clear communications that protect the organization’s reputation.

This is not a traditional brand PR or spokesperson position. The successful candidate will operate behind the scenes, providing sound judgment and writing the official communications used during high-stakes situations.

Responsibilities

• Lead sensitive and high-profile issues from initial escalation through resolution


• Quickly assess evolving situations and identify reputational, legal and operational risks


• Coordinate responses across legal, operations, communications, government relations and executive leadership


• Draft holding statements, media responses, talking points and executive summaries


• Manage communications with media without serving as an on-record spokesperson


• Provide practical recommendations to senior leadership during high-pressure situations


• Balance competing priorities while driving alignment across stakeholders


• Identify recurring risks and contribute to stronger crisis-response protocols


• Participate in a rotating on-call schedule for urgent evening or weekend situations

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of agency-side experience in issues management, crisis communications, corporate reputation or public affairs


• Direct experience managing high-stakes reputational matters


• Exceptional writing and editing skills


• Experience developing rapid-response statements and media materials


• Strong judgment when working with incomplete or changing information


• Ability to collaborate with legal, operational and executive stakeholders


• Comfortable influencing senior leaders without formal authority


• Calm, discreet and highly responsive under pressure


• Bachelor’s degree in communications, political science or a related field

Experience supporting consumer-facing companies with numerous physical locations—such as retail, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, transportation or real estate—is strongly preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

• $150,000 - $190,000


• Medical, dental and vision coverage


• 401(k) with a 6% company contribution


• Company-sponsored HSA contributions


• Paid short- and long-term disability


• Generous paid time off and holidays


• Professional certification and licensing reimbursement