Strategic Communications Manager

HLK; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

HLK seeks a Communications Manager to lead day-to-day communications for select clients, collaborating with internal teams to move projects forward. The role emphasizes strong writing, flawless execution in earned and owned media, and meticulous calendar tracking.

Requirements include a BA in PR/communications, at least 3 years in PR/communications, social media and earned-media experience, and excellent written/verbal communication. Able to juggle multiple projects with attention to detail.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications or related field.
• Minimum of three years of public relations or communications experience.
• Experience managing and creating for social and earned media.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage select clients' strategic communications needs per plans.
• Develop and maintain current statuses.
• Collaborate with the account team on earned media calendars and social calendars.
• Develop, coordinate and execute PR plan tactics including media calendar and lists.
• Establish media relationships, facilitate inquiries and write press materials.
• Pitch topics to target media and staff events like media days and conferences.
• Analyze media relations reports and present insights to clients.
• Support report development for new opportunities or changes.
• Manage social channels, including influencer strategy and organic social activities.
• Monitor industry trends and advise on communications strategy.

Skills

Public relations

Communications

Social media management

Written communication

Project management

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in public relations or communications

Tools

Muck Rack

Brandwatch

Meltwater

Cision

Sprout Social

Sprinklr

HubSpot

Job description

Position Summary

Responsible for managing day-to-day communications efforts and interacting with internal teams to move projects through the agency. The Communications Manager must have attention to detail, be a strong writer, have the ability to flawlessly execute communications in the earned and owned spaces, and maintain status and relevant calendars to keep all work moving forward.

Responsibilities

• Manage select clients' strategic communications needs as outlined by the annual and campaign-specific plans.
• Develop and maintain current statuses.
• Collaborate with the account team(s) on earned media calendars and social content calendars.
• Develop, coordinate and execute all tactics outlined within the approved PR plan, including but not limited to:
• Developing the annual media editorial calendar.
• Establishing and managing media relationships and lists.
• Facilitating media inquiries and interview requests.
• Handling all PR writing (bylines, news releases, blogs, etc.).
• Pitching timely editorial topics, news releases, story ideas, etc. to the target media audience.
• Organizing and staffing promotional events such as media days, trade shows and conferences.
• Analyzing media relations reports from owned channels and other monitoring platforms (Cision, MuckRack, Sprout, CreatorIQ, Brandwatch, Google Analytics, etc.).
• Writing meaningful media relations reports with insights and recommendations from media relations reports and presenting it to clients.
• Supporting report development to bring forward action items to the communications lead for new opportunities or changes.
• Manage social channels as needed, including:
• Developing and maintaining a robust influencer strategy - from vetting, to negotiation, through execution.
• Developing and executing organic social media strategy, including editorial calendars, posting, community management and engagement, content development, and analytics.
• Follow industry trends affecting clients and make appropriate recommendations regarding communication strategy surrounding them.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications or related field.
• Minimum of three years of public relations or communications experience.
• Experience managing and creating for social and earned.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated and capable of managing multiple simultaneous projects.
• Knowledge of media monitoring platforms like MuckRack, Brandwatch, Meltwater and Cision.
• Experience with social media management tools like Sprout Social, Sprinkler, HubSpot, etc. is a plus.