Vice President, Higher Education

BerlinRosen; New York, Washington (NY, District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End-of-year bonuses

Hybrid work model

Visa sponsorship / Green card

Job summary

BerlinRosen, part of Orchestra, seeks an experienced Vice President to lead the Higher Education team. The role focuses on shaping communications strategy, guiding campaigns, and driving media coverage for multiple colleges and universities.

A proven track record in PR and higher education is required. You will manage senior staff, mentor teams, draft strategic materials, and collaborate with senior leaders to win new business.

Qualifications

• Eight plus years of communications experience in PR agency or in-house for higher education, nonprofits, media or journalism.
• Strong news sense and relationships with reporters covering top issues.
• Experience engaging with media for rapid response and long-lead stories.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience mentoring staff and providing strategic direction.
• Ability to lead and motivate a diverse, high-performing team.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic conversations and advance the communications strategy for multiple high-profile client accounts.
• Develop and oversee integrated campaigns using public affairs, media and digital tactics.
• Directly manage and mentor staff and provide strategic direction for development and client work.
• Draft high-level materials including strategy decks, communications plans, messaging and op-eds.
• Collaborate with management to inspire the team to be innovative and creative.
• Help win new business and expand client relationships by leveraging your network.

Skills

8+ years comms

News sense

Media relations

Written communication

Oral communication

Staff mentoring

Leadership

Job description

BerlinRosen is part of Orchestra, a strategic communications and marketing company built for today’s complex and fragmented world. From decoding audiences to designing bold strategies, Orchestra integrates people, platforms, and stories that stick to help clients build lasting influence. The company offers programs that span from the highest level strategic business counsel through to tactical execution. Orchestra brings together 700+ people with experience across consumer and lifestyle, technology, nonprofit and philanthropy, real estate, sports, travel, hospitality, and more. Made up of leading firms BerlinRosen , Civitas Public Affairs Group , Derris , Glen Echo Group , Inkhouse , M18 , Message Lab , Onward and Small Girls PR . It also launched Brightmode , a talent acquisition firm for communications professionals, and Versus Media Group , a strategy-first political media team. Learn more at www.orchestraco.com .

People of all backgrounds and abilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Orchestra is committed to building and maintaining a diverse staff, and recognizes that its continued success depends on hiring and retaining high-quality creative professionals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Opportunities for advancement exist, and we are committed to helping all staff develop and grow.

ABOUT THE HIGHER EDUCATION TEAM

The Higher Education team brings deep expertise in guiding colleges, universities and academic institutions through today’s complex communications landscape. Our work spans paid, earned, social, content and crisis communications, giving us the ability to deliver fully integrated, cross-channel strategies that drive impact.

We partner with leading institutions spanning the Ivy League, elite R1 research universities and flagship public university systems, helping them elevate their voices, protect their reputations and engage key audiences in a competitive and fast-changing higher education environment.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

We are seeking an experienced strategic communicator to join our growing Higher Education team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in PR with a proven track record of creating and driving strategy, managing campaigns and promoting programs that drive media coverage. They should excel at managing multiple clients and work streams, thrive in a fast-paced environment and bring a strategic mindset that helps drive innovative, results-driven PR campaigns. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who carries a passion for higher education and the role it plays in society, in elevating the stories of colleges, universities and other corollary organizations and in leading on client work to achieve and advance their goals and initiatives.

Role location: This role is available in our New York City, NY and Washington, D.C. offices on a hybrid basis. We will also consider candidates based in other Orchestra office locations or remote candidates

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

As a Vice President on the Higher Education team, you will…

• Lead strategic conversations and advance the communications strategy for multiple high-profile client accounts to deliver top-notch results for our clients
• Develop and oversee integrated campaigns that leverage public affairs, media and digital tactics to reach key audiences and achieve client goals
• Directly manage and mentor staff and provide overall strategic direction and feedback for their development and client work
• Hold the pen on drafting high level materials including strategy decks, communications plans, messaging and op-eds
• Collaborate closely with the management team to develop and inspire our team of strategists to be innovative and creative
• Help our practice win new business and proactively expand our relationships by leveraging your existing network and identifying new opportunities

Essential skills:

• At least 8 years of relevant work experience in communications: PR agency or in-house for higher education institutions, companies, nonprofits media or journalism
• Is an avid consumer of news, with a strong news sense and knowledge of the media and experience engaging and maintaining strong relationships with key reporters covering the top issues of the day
• Experience engaging with media for both rapid response and long-lead stories
• Strong written and oral communications skills
• Experience managing, prepping and staffing high-touch principals or organizational leaders
• Ability to multi-task easily, including handling multiple assignments at once, working quickly and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment while paying close attention to details
• Enjoys managing people and has experience in successfully motivating, leading and mentoring a diverse team to meet objectives

WORKING AT BERLINROSEN

Salary range (commensurate with experience and skills): $130,000-$150,000

Vice Presidents are eligible for end of year bonuses based on firm, team and individual performance.

To ensure that applicants are matched with the job that best suits their qualifications and interests, information that you submit may be shared with our network agencies. By providing your information, you are consenting to allow us and our subsidiaries to keep your information on file and to contact you regarding job opportunities, recruitment events and other related updates.

Note: Orchestra offers temporary (non-immigrant) work visas for new and existing employees and green card sponsorship for existing staff.

Note: This role is based in our New York office and follows a hybrid work model.