Director, Brand Communications And Public Relations

Job Summary

The Director of Brand Communications and Public Relations shapes and leads communication strategies, messaging, and media and public relations efforts to promote the brand and its world-renowned beef. This role helps shape the public narrative of the brand, its business partners and positions internal experts to help consumers find success with the best beef. This position focuses on strategic media engagement, including pitching stories, managing media relationships and working with content creators to create awareness and conversation. This position oversees both company communications and consumer-facing messaging and public relations strategies.

Sound like a great day to you? Keep reading to learn about the role’s essential functions, and preferred skills and experiences:

Essential Functions:

• Company Communication & PR Strategy: Lead and execute comprehensive communication strategies, guiding messaging and approach in engaging business partners, consumers and related media and influencer outlets. Facilitate media training and craft messaging for company spokespeople, including leadership, field experts and chefs.
• Strategic Communications Leadership: Collaborate with the Creative Director and Director of Producer Communications to help build out communications and editorial strategies that engage audiences from gate to plate.
• Media Engagement: Oversee strategic media engagement, actively pursuing media outlets, journalists and influencers to pitch relevant stories and foster strong relationships. Develop pitches and materials that align to the brand’s business goals, catering to local, regional, national and trade media outlets. Lead chef and spokespersons through preparation and successful engagement.
• Content Creator & Campaign Collaboration: Collaborate with the marketing and creative teams to develop strategies that engage content creators and influential voices to amplify campaign and marketing initiatives. Ensure all communications and messaging align with the brand voice, StoryBrand framework and goals of each individual campaign.
• Brand Reputation & Issues Management: Develop and implement proactive and reactive communications plans to protect and enhance the brand’s reputation, managing issues and media inquiries with strategic foresight. This includes contributing to the development of crisis communication plans to ensure swift, effective messaging and responses that align with company values and minimizes brand damage.
• Media Monitoring & Reporting: Oversee media monitoring activities for both proactive and reactive opportunities. Analyze coverage and report on key media metrics. Utilize tools like Critical Mention for database management and media tracking.
• Social Media & Digital Communications: Collaborate with the digital team to support social media strategies, ensuring consistent brand messaging and engagement across platforms.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Proven experience in media relations, including pitching stories and managing relationships with journalists and influencers.
• Strong background in corporate communications and issues management.
• Experience leading communication teams and managing agency relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage, educate and influence a wide range of audiences, including media, stakeholders and internal teams.
• Ability to engage with diverse consumer audiences across different media channels.
• Define success by establishing KPIs for media coverage, engagement, brand sentiment and campaign performance.
• Ability to develop and execute communication strategies that engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, including consumer preferences, competitor activities and innovations in communications to ensure the brand’s public relations strategies are innovative and relevant.
• Ability to inspire, lead and collaborate with internal teams, external agencies and influencers. Demonstrates a high level of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills.
• Proven ability to think critically, develop proactive strategies and adjust in real-time to manage issues and challenges as they arise.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously. Strong attention to detail and effective in managing time-sensitive communications.
• Provide leadership, mentorship and professional development for team members.
• Knowledge of media tools and media monitoring practices; experience with Critical Mention is a plus.
• Experience in media training spokespeople is a plus.
• Trade media engagement experience is preferred.
• Understanding of agriculture, food marketing and/or the beef industry is preferred, with the ability to learn and communicate industry-specific topics effectively.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required skill and knowledge for successful performance would be qualifying. Typical qualifications would be equivalent to:

• Bachelor’s degree in public relations, journalism or agricultural communication from an accredited college or university; and
• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in communications, media relations or public relations; and
• Experience in issues management, corporate communications and brand reputation preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position supervises a small staff and collaborates with external PR agencies.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel (via car or airplane), up to approximately 20%. Occasional overnight travel and/or weekend work may be required.

This in-office (not remote) position is located in Wooster, Ohio.

Still excited? Here’s what we can offer you.

In addition to enjoying great-tasting beef, we provide employees 10 vacation days and 10 personal days in the first year of employment. Employees also enjoy nine paid holidays and time off to volunteer in the community. We pay 90% of full-time employee health insurance. We also provide dental and vision coverage and an extensive wellness program. Both 401(k) and pension programs are available. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

More about Certified Angus Beef

The best-tasting beef starts on sustainable farms and ranches, and our role is to help market that beef to global food distributors and grocery stores, so chefs and home cooks can serve their best meals. While doing that, we stay true to our farm beginnings with staff meals around the table, open-door conversations and neighborly friendships inside our Wooster, Ohio, home and beyond. We challenge each other and push the limits of beef innovation to help our customers thrive, yet fun and celebrations are always cherished. For more than 40 years, we’ve held these traditions close and they’ve helped make us a certified Great Place to Work®.

If this position interests you, apply to join our team today.