Senior Public Relations Manager (906163)

Aquent; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent partners with a pioneering organization seeking a high-impact PR leader to shape public narrative and strategic direction from day one. You will own end-to-end PR and communications, mentor a team, and manage cross-Atlantic agency relationships to maintain a consistent brand voice across media.

You will craft 90-day calendars, secure tier-one coverage, and drive trend-driven, timely pitches while building executive visibility through podcasts and speaking engagements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional track record.
• Proven track record securing tier-one media coverage.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills with a strong portfolio.
• Experience managing PR agency/vendor relationships.
• AI fluency using modern AI tools for research, drafting, and analytics.
• Strong media relationships across relevant beats.
• Strong project management and operational discipline.
• Experience mentoring junior talent.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor at least one direct report.
• Own end-to-end PR and communications strategy with responsibility for Share of Voice.
• Build a rolling 90-day PR calendar aligned with launches and trends.
• Define quarterly themes and narratives for tier-one media.
• Write and edit press releases, media alerts, pitches, op-eds, talking points.
• Pitch to journalists, editors, podcast bookers, producers, bloggers, and influencers.
• Respond to inbound media requests with speed and cross-functional prep messaging.
• Insert the brand into the news cycle by identifying trends and timely pitches.
• Develop a podcast/interview pipeline for executive leadership.
• Identify and submit for industry, business, and culture awards.
• Serve as a spokesperson when needed.
• Build a diverse speaker book and manage recruitment, prep, and follow-up.
• Lead day-to-day for US/UK agencies and ensure narrative consistency.
• Monitor news cycles and track competitor PR; deliver trend memos to leadership.
• Anticipate reputational issues and craft crisis statements.
• Plan and execute integrated campaigns with creative, social, product, and digital teams.
• Manage PR operations including budgets and metrics.

Skills

Leadership

Writing & Editing

Media relations

Project management

AI fluency

Storytelling

Relationship building

Education

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

Tools

PR tools

Job description

Job Description:Aquent is proud to partner with a pioneering company that is redefining its space as a leading and rapidly transforming premium platform. This innovative organization is charting a new course, moving beyond its past to become the definitive platform for ambitious individuals building extraordinary lives. This is an unparalleled opportunity to join a team where your expertise will directly shape the brand's public narrative and strategic direction, making a profound impact on how millions perceive the brand.

Are you a disrupter, an innovator, an out-of-the-box thinker, someone who goes against the grain and asks for forgiveness rather than permission in public relations? Do you thrive in dynamic environments, adept at navigating complex narratives and shaping public perception for groundbreaking brands? If this describes you, prepare to lead a transformative journey!

This is an unparalleled opportunity to build a function, shape a brand, and grow a team, all while directly influencing executive leadership from day one. As a vital contributor, you will be instrumental in positioning the brand as a definitive voice in modern lifestyle, treating the news cycle as a dynamic marketplace and ensuring the company is a constant presence in relevant conversations. Your strategic acumen and hands‑on execution will directly impact how millions perceive the brand, making this one of the most consequential roles in their transformation journey.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and mentor at least one direct report, setting priorities, coaching their development, and fostering their growth into a stronger PR operator.
• Own the end-to-end PR and Communications strategy, with explicit responsibility for Share of Voice against competitors and earned media impressions.
• Build and maintain a rolling 90-day PR calendar, aligning with product launches, cultural moments, and emerging trends.
• Define quarterly themes and narratives to establish the brand's ownership in tier-one media.
• Write and edit a wide range of communications, including press releases, media alerts, pitch letters, op-eds, talking points, and briefing books, ensuring minimal editing is required.
• Pitch directly to journalists, editors, podcast bookers, producers, bloggers, and influencers, leveraging and growing a personal network across relationships, lifestyle, business, consumer tech, and culture beats.
• Respond to inbound media requests with speed and precision, gathering information cross‑functionally to prepare approved messaging.
• Proactively insert the brand into the news cycle by identifying and hijacking trends, delivering timely pitches.
• Build and manage a podcast, interview, and speaking pipeline for executive leadership, preparing them with comprehensive briefing materials.
• Identify and submit the company and its executives for relevant industry, business, and culture awards.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the brand when needed, participating in interviews and representing the company's perspective.
• Build and maintain a curated 'book' of diverse members willing and prepared to speak to the press, managing all aspects from recruitment and vetting to prep and follow‑up.
• Serve as the day-to-day lead for external US and UK agencies, driving deliverables, ensuring quality control, and coordinating trans‑Atlantic narrative consistency.
• Continuously monitor the news cycle for relevant stories, track competitor PR activity, and bring actionable trend memos to marketing leadership.
• Anticipate and manage reputational issues, maintaining holding statements and crisis trees, and quarterbacking any incoming reputational stories.
• Plan, organize, and execute integrated marketing campaigns in collaboration with creative, social, product, and digital teams.
• Manage PR operations, including project management tasks, standard operating procedures, media lists, asset libraries, and budget, while monitoring and analyzing PR metrics for leadership reporting.

Must‑Have Qualifications

• 5 to 8 years of combined experience across PR agency, in‑house PR, and/or journalism, with the right mix being more critical than years alone.
• Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field, or an equivalent professional track record.
• Demonstrated record securing tier‑one media coverage that you personally pitched.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with a portfolio of published or placed work that showcases versatility and brand consistency.
• Experience managing PR agency or vendor relationships as the client, or experience inside a top agency running accounts as a senior individual contributor.
• AI fluency, with proven experience using modern AI tools for research, drafting, media list building, and coverage analysis.
• Strong personal media relationships with journalists, podcast bookers, or producers in at least one of the following areas: relationships, lifestyle, business, consumer tech, or culture.
• Strong project management and operational discipline, with a track record of shipping things on time and maintaining organized systems.
• Working knowledge of industry‑standard PR and project management tools, plus relevant style guides.
• Comfort operating as a player‑coach, capable of both setting priorities and personally executing work, while also hiring, managing, and developing at least one direct report.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring or managing junior talent, whether formally or informally.

Nice‑to‑Have Qualifications

• Experience at a top consumer or lifestyle PR agency.
• Newsroom experience as a reporter or editor at a recognized outlet, with a deep understanding of newsroom operations and news judgment.
• Experience working at an entrepreneurial or founder‑led company where PR was being built from the ground up.
• Existing relationships with relationships, sex‑and‑culture, or modern‑love beat reporters.
• Track record of award wins (industry, business, or culture awards) that you personally drove the submission for.
• Experience helping executives become recognizable voices in the media.
• Comfort with reputation management for brands that carry public‑perception challenges.
• Experience with influencer marketing, social media coordination, or modern earned‑and‑paid integration.
• Experience with member, customer, or talent casting for media stories, including managing consent and NDA workflows.
• Experience building or scaling a small in‑house PR team from scratch.
• Familiarity with luxury, lifestyle, consumer technology, or relationship brands.
• APR or similar professional certification.