Vice President, Earned Strategy – Food & Beverage
Chicago
Edelman – Entertainment, Culture & Sport /
Full-Time /
Hybrid
Edelman Brand has helped evolve, promote, and protect some of the world’s most iconic and celebrated brands. We aspire to do work that moves people—work that inspires people to not only “buy in” to brands, but also buy. We thrive off the energy, heart, and hustle of the city around us and apply that same passion to everything we do. From consumer goods to fashion and retail, food and beverage, cars, financial service, luxury, and technology—we are fanatics about finding an insight or truth that will inform smart strategy, breakthrough creative, and brilliant programming.
We are looking for a Vice President to join our Earned Media team supporting a large food & beverage portfolio. The ideal candidate has strong media relations and strategy skills, is a natural storyteller, is detail-oriented, collaborative, a problem solver at heart, has a pulse on the latest news and media trends, and is well versed in digital/social media. Experience with restaurant, CPG, and food/beverage accounts, as well as experience in a newsroom, are a plus. This is a great opportunity to advance your experience with household-name consumer brands, work on creative, integrated campaigns, and help the team engage stakeholders across a variety of channels. Not to mention, you’ll work and learn from some of the best in the business and be a part of a firm that prides itself on entrepreneurialism and forward-thinking.
This is an opportunity for a team player who has experience leading media relations campaigns, is driven by the promise of delivering powerful stories, and has an audience-centric mindset. You can formulate media strategies that will not only help clients find the right reporter for their story at the right time, but strategies that are newsworthy from the onset and can help advance clients’ businesses.
You possess the confidence to counsel executives and the C-Suite on effective earned media strategies and partner and have a solid working knowledge of social/digital platforms and management of visual assets—with familiarity with the aspects of production and video as a medium to tell stories.
Beyond media relations, the position requires strong networking and writing skills. And you are a capable speaker who is organized, confident, and professional.
Responsibilities:
- The ideal candidate will support day-to-day account operations, specifically developing earned media strategies and implementing earned media relations on behalf of client announcements and news.
- Utilize Edelman’s resources to build the most strategic and creative approach to earned media programs.
- Have sound judgment along with the ability to be client-facing and provide recommendations in real time.
- Consistently demonstrate professionalism and ethical business behaviors.
- Be constantly curious regarding the modern media landscape and industry trends and have reporter knowledge within areas of Edelman client businesses, especially food and beverage, lifestyle, entertainment, and general news.
- Have a working knowledge of the interplay between earned and social, as well as owned and paid.
- Effectively manage projects and budgets and delegate work effectively, while overseeing a large volume of short-term and longer-term/complex assignments on your accounts.
- Accurately judge and edit the work of junior team members, manage direct report(s), and support their career development.
Basic Qualifications:
- At least 8 years of experience in earned media and media relations.
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience in an agency environment is strongly preferred
- Demonstrated ability to digest and understand a wide variety of accounts – their business, products, markets, personnel, and outside influencers among other aspects, and succinctly translate and develop this material into newsworthy storylines and themes.
- Established relationships with reporters across a variety of verticals and media outlets with success securing impactful media from top-tier outlets within print, online, broadcast, and other formats such as podcasts, video, and social content
- Strong client-counselor with proven ability to help influence/educate clients on the role earned media plays within their communications and marketing efforts, help clients understand what reporters/media are looking for, and be able to articulate the current media landscape and climate.
- Excellent storytelling skills, and provide sound media counsel to clients and colleagues
- Consistent ability to develop, manage, and implement media relations strategies across all communications channels
- AP style and grammar, spelling and punctuation master
- Ability to research, interview, write, and edit a range of media communications (press releases media alerts, pitch emails, post-project recap reports)
- Experience drafting complex client correspondence and strategies/program recommendations
- Proven ability to manage large projects (including budgets) and small teams simultaneously, function as a daily client contact, as well as develop and execute plans to meet client goals
$95,000 - $155,000 a year
An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, travel requirements, revenue-based metrics, any contractual agreements, and business or organizational needs. The range listed is just one component of DJEH’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, a Paid Time Off policy, and region-specific benefits.
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Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).
For more information please visit: www.edelman.com
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Employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (i.e., at least 2 weeks after last dose) and, if hired, present proof of vaccination before start date. Candidates may request an accommodation due to disability, sincerely held religious belief or exception required under applicable law.
Edelman is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage racially and ethnically diverse people, members of the LGBTQ community, veterans, parents, individuals with disabilities and members of any and all protected classes to apply.
