Sr External Communications Specialist

BJ's Wholesale Club; Marlborough (MA); Hybrid; USD 78,000 - 101,000; Full time

Job summary

BJ’s Wholesale Club in Marlborough, MA is seeking a motivated Senior Specialist of External Communications to lead public relations, community events and activations and cross-functional team support.

This hybrid role focuses on earned media, brand visibility and strategic communications for a large retailer, with responsibilities spanning press materials, media relations and crisis communications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing or related field required.
• 5–10 years in public relations or external communications.
• Experience with press materials and media relations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day media relations operations with agency partners.
• Support business priorities through brand-building in PR strategies.
• Draft and distribute press releases, media kits and talking points.
• Collaborate with merchandising, marketing, membership and digital teams.
• Analyze data to refine communications strategies.
• Monitor emerging platforms and AI tools for trends.

Skills

Public relations

Crisis communications

Storytelling

Media relations

Writing

Social media

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing or related field

Tools

Cision

Business Wire

Job description

A World-Class Team

BJ’s Wholesale Club is powered by more than 30,000 team members who make a real impact every day. Whether you're stocking shelves, solving problems or shaping strategy, your work helps families save on what matters most.

A World-Class Team

BJ’s Wholesale Club is powered by more than 30,000 team members who make a real impact every day. Whether you're stocking shelves, solving problems or shaping strategy, your work helps families save on what matters most.

We’re a team built on purpose and opportunity. Join us and be part of something meaningful.

Why You’ll Love Working at BJ’s

At BJ’s Wholesale Club, our team members are at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, well-being and future – both on and off the job. When you grow, we grow.

Here’s just some of what you can look forward to:

• Weekly Pay: Get paid every week so that you can manage your money on your terms.
• Free BJ’s Memberships: Enjoy a complimentary The Club Card Membership, plus a free Supplemental Membership for someone in your household.*
• Generous Paid Time Off: Take the time you need with vacation, personal, sick days, holidays, bereavement, and jury duty leave.*
• Flexible and Affordable Health Benefits: Choose from three medical plans, and access optional dental, vision, Health Savings Account (HSA), and flexible spending account options to fit your lifestyle.*
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan: Build your financial future with a company match (available to team members 18 and older).*
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan: Accumulate funds through after-tax payroll deductions that can be used to purchase shares of BJ’s common stock at a 15% discount.*
• Eligibility requirements vary by position.

Job Summary

BJ’s is looking for a motivated, energetic and strategic Senior Specialist of External Communications to join our corporate communications team. The senior specialist will concentrate on public relations, community events and activations and cross-functional team support and will have proven experience securing earned media coverage and brand visibility within the retail industry. The senior specialist will have significant experience working for a corporation or large retailer, developing engaging communications strategies with ownership of projects through execution, identifying opportunities to secure media coverage and ideating strong engagement and storytelling to create brand loyalty and drive the support of sales. Experience with press release writing, pitching, media relations, agency management and brand activations is a must.

Major tasks, responsibilities and key accountabilities

• Oversee day-to-day media relations operations including monitoring, flagging and summarizing coverage and fielding inbound media requests while working with agency partners
• Support key business priorities and consumer-facing initiatives through brand-building in traditional public relations strategies while ensuring timelines and deadlines are met
• Monitor and adapt communications plans and strategies to respond to market trends, stakeholder expectations and any emerging requests
• Draft, review and distribute press releases, media kits, talking points, prep materials and other communication materials
• Ensure all external communications are clear, accurate and aligned with the company’s brand and messaging
• Develop and execute seasonal and category specific media relations campaigns
• Collaborate with partners in merchandising, marketing, membership, real estate and development and digital marketing to deliver external communications programming aligned with business priorities
• Oversee analytics using data-driven insights to refine and elevate communications strategies and improve outreach effortsIdentify trends that can help deliver against strategic objectives
• Keep a strong pulse on emerging technology and platforms, including AI tools
• Support overall corporate communications team and objectives in various areas including social media, public relations, community affairs, internal communications and crisis communications

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing or related field required
• 5 - 10 years of professional experience in public relations, external or corporate communications. Experience in social media and influencer marketing is a plus.
• Familiarity with Cision, Business Wire and other PR tools
• Strong analytical mindset with experience measuring PR performance and translating insights into actionable recommendations
• Proficient experience in crisis communications, corporate affairs, public relations writing and communications strategy development
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven storyteller and effective communicator
• Highly collaborative with internal and external partners
• Excellent writing skills and public speaking capabilities
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Proactive, resourceful and solution-oriented

Job Conditions

• Available to travel throughout BJ’s current and future club locations ( 30% travel)
• Hybrid in-office three days a week

This is a hybrid role. Tuesday through Thursday are in-office days at BJ's Club Support Center in Marlborough, MA and Monday and Friday are remote days.

In accordance with the Pay Transparency requirements, the following represents a good faith estimate of the compensation range for this position. At BJ’s Wholesale Club, we carefully consider a wide range of non-discriminatory factors when determining salary. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, education, experience, and qualifications. The pay range for this position is $78,000.00 - $101,000.00

We recognize the growing role of AI tools, including ChatGPT, and value familiarity with them. That said, we want to hear from your authentic self. Your application should reflect your own skills, experiences, and insights rather than AI-generated responses.