Senior Manager, Public Relations - North America

RIMOWA; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

RIMOWA seeks a Senior Manager, Public Relations – North America to lead the region's PR strategy and earned media, strengthening brand desirability and cultural relevance. You will partner with HQ and agencies to drive launches, collaborations, and key brand moments across fashion, luxury, and travel audiences.

You will manage media relations, product communications, and talent engagement, mentoring junior staff and guiding agency partners while protecting RIMOWA's premium positioning in North

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Marketing, Journalism or related field.
• Proven track record leading strategic PR campaigns across luxury/lifestyle brands.
• Strong relationships with media, talent, creators, stylists and agencies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage regional PR strategies aligned with global brand direction.
• Lead media outreach, secure high-quality coverage, and manage press opportunities.
• Build long-term relationships with talent, creators, and influencers.
• Oversee product communications for launches and collaborations.
• Monitor trends, measure KPIs, and report on PR performance.
• Lead agency relationships and manage budgets and timelines.
• Mentor junior team members and represent the brand externally.

Skills

Media relations

Strategic PR

Crisis communications

Talent/creator engagement

Budget management

Team leadership

Luxury brand experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Marketing, Journalism

Job description

The Senior Manager, Public Relations – North America leads RIMOWA’s regional PR and communications strategy, strengthening brand desirability, reputation, cultural relevance, and earned visibility across North America. This role oversees media relations, product communications, talent and creator engagement, performance insights, and agency leadership, with a strong focus on nurturing long-term relationships with talent, creators, stylists, tastemakers, and cultural voices. The role partners closely with global PR, Brand Media, Brand Activation, Retail Marketing, CRM, and agency partners to deliver integrated communications across launches, collaborations, retail openings, campaigns, and key brand moments.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Communications Strategy

• Develop and execute integrated public relations strategies aligned with RIMOWA’s business objectives and global brand direction.
• Translate global campaigns, product launches, and collaborations into impactful regional communications plans.
• Identify storytelling opportunities that strengthen brand desirability, cultural relevance, and earned visibility.
• Define communications objectives, key messages, target audiences, activation plans, budgets, and KPIs for all PR initiatives.
• Partner closely with Brand Media, Brand Activation, Merchandising, Retail, and CRM teams to ensure integrated campaign execution.

Public Relations & Media

• Build and maintain strong relationships with editors, journalists, stylists, tastemakers, and key media across fashion, luxury, lifestyle, travel, design, and business.
• Lead proactive media outreach, secure high-quality earned coverage, and manage inbound press opportunities.
• Develop compelling narratives and produce press releases, pitches, media kits, executive messaging, and communications materials in close partnership with HQ and PR agency partners.
• Lead communications planning for product launches, collaborations, retail openings, and key brand moments.
• Manage issues and crisis communications, providing strategic counsel and recommendations to leadership when required.

Influence & Cultural Communications

• Develop communications strategies that leverage creators, talent, and cultural voices to amplify brand storytelling and deepen RIMOWA’s cultural relevance.
• Identify relevant cultural opportunities that reinforce RIMOWA’s positioning within travel, design, innovation, luxury, and contemporary culture.
• Build and nurture long‑term relationships with relevant talent, creators, stylists, cultural connectors, and tastemakers, ensuring engagement is thoughtful, consistent, and aligned with the Maison’s values.
• Partner with Brand Activation and Brand Media teams to maximize earned impact around campaigns, partnerships, and brand experiences led by those teams.
• Support talent and creator engagement alongside agency partners while ensuring relationships are nurtured over time with consistency, authenticity, and brand sensitivity.

Product Communications

• Lead all regional product communications supporting seasonal collections, collaborations, and permanent collections.
• Lead regional editorial sample strategy in close coordination with HQ, merchandising, logistics, and agency partners.
• Collaborate closely with global PR teams to ensure alignment with international launches and communications priorities.
• Oversee the organization and management of press assets, including lookbooks, imagery, videos, and communications materials.

Performance & Insights

• Monitor media coverage, industry trends, competitor activity, and cultural conversations to identify opportunities and risks.
• Measure PR performance through KPIs including earned reach, quality of coverage, share of voice, sentiment, and campaign impact.
• Deliver actionable reporting and recommendations that continuously improve communications performance.

Leadership & Agency Management

• Lead and inspire external PR and talent agency partners, establishing clear priorities, relationship‑building objectives, and performance expectations.
• Guide agency partners in identifying, cultivating, and maintaining meaningful talent relationships that support long‑term brand affinity rather than one‑off transactional visibility.
• Build alignment with HQ while championing North America priorities, market insights, and local communications needs.
• Manage PR budgets, timelines, and project delivery across multiple communications initiatives.
• Mentor and develop junior team members and/or interns while fostering a collaborative and high‑performing team culture.
• Represent RIMOWA with confidence across media engagements, industry forums, and key external relationships.
• Serve as the regional communications expert and trusted advisor to Marketing leadership.

PROFILE

Qualifications:

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

Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in PR, media relations, and communications, ideally within luxury, fashion, lifestyle, design, travel, beauty, or culturally driven consumer brands.
• Proven ability to lead strategic PR campaigns, media strategy, product launches, collaborations, executive communications, and brand storytelling across regional markets.
• Strong track record of building long‑term relationships with talent, creators, stylists, tastemakers, cultural partners, media, and agency partners.
• Experience managing issues and crisis communications, PR agencies, talent or creator partners, budgets, timelines, and cross‑functional communications workstreams.

Skills:

• Exceptional writing, editing, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong media instincts and understanding of the luxury, fashion, lifestyle, travel, design, business, and cultural media landscape.
• Strategic, analytical, culturally fluent, and able to translate trends and insights into communications opportunities.
• Natural relationship builder with emotional intelligence, discretion, taste, and credibility with talent, creators, stylists, and cultural stakeholders.
• Highly organized, collaborative, and comfortable managing multiple priorities, agencies, budgets, and deadlines.
• Proficiency with media monitoring, reporting, social listening, and communications planning tools.