We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. As an equal opportunity employer Walker Sands is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and welcomes everyone to our team.
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The Senior Media Relations Manager is among a select group of talented media relations professionals within the agency who’ve shown a unique aptitude and penchant for working with the media. In this role, your day-to-day will involve direct outreach to journalists, reporters, editors, influencers, Substack writers, podcasters, and show producers.
You will be joining the Media Expert team, a focus area in our Public Relations Department that specializes in pitching our B2B technology and services clients to the highest-value media targets.
The roles first objective is to initiate and nurture strong relationships through authentic, thoughtful engagements with members of the media. To that end, the Senior Media Relations Manager should already have existing media relationships, a fluent understanding of the media landscape, and an understanding of the media that goes above and beyond that of a typical public relations professional.
As a member of the Media Expert team, you’ll be a permanent fixture on a small number of PR accounts, while also providing temporary guidance to other agency teams as needed. In this role, you’ll engage in direct communication with reporters and journalists on behalf of your clients, to whom you will provide counsel in determining the news value of campaigns, how to reach the highest-value, most competitive reporters, and how to plan effectively for complex announcements that need exposure in the media.
You will also be expected to play a strong role in our media excellence initiatives, contributing to trainings to upskill our media relations specialists, and other internal / operational projects designed to foster outstanding media relations.
The Senior Media Relations Manager should display experience and interest in managing and/or mentoring junior media relations staff.
Responsibilities
- Be a leader that can advise clients on strategy that includes media outreach, influencer engagement and strategic communications
- Help clients set, meet and/or exceed their media relations goals
- Motivate, influence and coach a team of junior media relations professionals
- Foster a media-centric and reporter-first culture that delivers results and views the journalist as a respected partner, rather than a marketing tool
- Develop and maintain national, tier-1 media relationships to bring clients’ stories to life
- Counsel account teams on media relations strategies and best practices
About You
- 4-6 years of combined journalism and media relations experience
- Follows the tech industry and the tech giants, especially the B2B tech / B2B software sector, and how media covers these spaces
- Already has relationships with media targets or influencers, preferably those working in the tech or B2B sector
- Ability to present media strategy that aligns with client business goals and gives clients confidence that they are in good hands
- Strong writing and pitching skills, with proven ability to land stories with notable publications
- Proactive and resourceful; takes initiative in developing media outreach strategies and building relationships with reporters without heavy direction
- Strong client communications abilities
- Ability to think on your feet in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to interface with client executives on media-specific topics during a variety of scenarios, including new business meetings, new account kickoff meetings, discovery calls, quarterly planning meetings and quarterly reviews
- Ability to think about media results in the context of broader client outcomes
- Believer in the importance of data & analytics in decision making
- Experience managing and coaching direct reports or interns
Compensation & Benefits:
- We strive for salary range transparency in our hiring process. This is a major step towards not only complying with regulations where required, but also to make sure pay equity and DEI are top of mind during the hiring process. Base salary is only a part of the total rewards package – this role will also be eligible for a bonus based on company performance, as well as benefits. Below is the starting salary for this role:
- Starting Salary: $85,300 – $88,825 a year
- Placement on the salary scale will be determined by various factors, such as, but not limited to, relevant qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, education, business or organizational requirements and internal equity.
- Starting salaries are not inclusive of a full range of compensation for this role and are instead meant to reflect the expected beginning salary for a new hire. Merit-based increases can be earned after time in role.
- Total Rewards Package:
- 🩺 Health Coverage: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, plus mental health resources, pet insurance, fertility benefits, and more.
- 💰 Retirement Savings: Employer-matched 401(k) and access to financial planning services.
- 🌴 Flexible PTO: Take time as needed for vacations, mental health, or personal days. Includes 8 paid holidays, half-day summer Fridays, and a week off between Christmas and New Year.
- 🏡 Hybrid Work: Mix of in-office and remote work, with tools to stay connected across teams.
- 🎉 Milestone Sabbatical: Celebrate five years with a two-week sabbatical and a $2,000 gift.
- 👶 Family Support: Generous paid leave for new parents and caregivers, plus policies for pregnancy loss, adoption challenges, and more.
- 📚 Growth Opportunities: Clear career paths, mentorship programs, and learning events to help you grow professionally.
- 🌟 Culture: Our agency values our supportive, collaborative culture where we work hard to achieve the best outcomes for clients. Read more on our website here!
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