Managing Director, Earned Media Strategy

About Ketchum

As a global communications consultancy with 100 years of experience, Ketchum is a trusted partner who is equal parts creative and analytical. Ketchum is a place where all perspectives and points of view are welcome and encouraged. We are a collection of communications specialists, content creators, creatives, researchers, data analysts, media pros, digital strategists, issues and crisis counselors, and tech nerds. And we love when those worlds collide to create the very best teams and solutions for our clients. We work with the world’s leading brands, emerging start-ups, and everything in between. We are beyond proud to have created some of the most celebrated and award-winning campaigns in our industry. We’re just crazy enough to think we can impact the world – and how it responds to ideas – through communication.

We encourage our employees to be curious, brave, inspiring, and a force for good. Let’s talk. Come belong at Ketchum!

Overview

Ketchum is looking for a strategic earned media counselor and leader who can craft strategic and compelling storylines for our clients and client teams. This person isn’t afraid to explore new approaches and story angles to ensure a significant ROI for our clients while still being deeply rooted to connections across all top-tier media. In this role, you will be a senior counselor to clients across all industries and specialty groups across North America. The role will lead and create a media function to work in concert with our client directors and specialist teams to ensure Ketchum is seen as possessing and operating the leading earned media group in the industry.

At Ketchum, we strive to always be curious, brave, inspiring, and a force for good. If this aligns with your personal and professional values, we’d love to start a conversation.

Responsibilities

We are seeking someone who excels at building relationships with key stakeholders both inside and outside organizations to increase Ketchum’s visibility in the marketplace and drive new business opportunities.

• Lead, motivate, and coach a team on how to cultivate media relationships, develop compelling narratives that deliver high-impact earned media results.
• Develop and execute strategic and innovative earned media plans for our clients while providing ongoing client counsel to their C-suite.
• Be an early adopter of new media trends and practices; share knowledge of learnings to instill best practices for the media team.
• Counsel and support clients by bringing new ideas to the table to exceed client expectations by leveraging industry knowledge, network, and experience.
• Integrate across analytics, strategy, planning, and creative functions to ensure we are solving client challenges and driving measurable business outcomes.
• Actively share knowledge, resources, and experience with the media team, account teams, and North American leadership team.
• Stay on top of news and PR trends in the industry; bring them to the attention of clients and associates, as appropriate, and lead the group’s education and learning initiatives.
• Participate in external company thought leadership through articles, panel discussions, presentations, professional memberships, etc., to build awareness around Ketchum’s expertise.
• Ensure a culture of fast feedback through timely and impactful dialogue about performance while creating an open dialogue to incorporate coaching and providing recognition utilizing all talent tools.
• Recognize and reward others’ successes and give credit where credit is due.
• Contribute to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture, where every employee feels a sense of belonging.
• Cast the team with DE&I as a business comparative; ensure diversity of thought, background, and ethnicity.
• Take a leadership role in new business proposal development and presentations; work with client teams to build incremental business.
• Manage and oversee group financials including engaging with client leaders regarding budget allocation and governance, supplier invoicing, and purchase orders; ensure team utilization and time entry compliance.
• Lead, build, and manage a profitable team to deliver on client scope.

Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience providing the required skills and knowledge for successful performance would qualify. Typical qualifications would be equivalent to:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, Marketing, or a related field. Master’s degree in a communications field desirable.
• At least 20+ years of experience as a respected leader in content creation (publishing, journalism, etc.) and/or corporate public relations experience.
• Proven track record in growing business and driving earned media results.
• Known top-tier editor/reporter relationships.
• Experience with creating compelling messages for different target demographics; crisis communications experience a plus.
• Expertise in all major business software applications (Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, etc.).
• Direct experience in building and managing teams.

Leadership Skills

• Leader needs to have their own relationships with media, ability to reach out and work their own contacts across top-tier media.
• Leader needs to have a strong handle on where the earned media space is today, where it is going in the future, and most importantly have a vision for where the agency needs to go to drive continued success in this space.
• Leader needs to think proactively about and advocate for how earned integrates across other channels including paid, owned, and social – set the bar and model behavior we want to see from others – bring team members into an integrated mindset.

The salary range for this position is $225,000+. This position may be bonus eligible depending on individual employee performance and Ketchum business performance. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, years of experience, past training, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and local geographic market data. A range of medical, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and/or other benefits also are available. #LI-Hybrid

What We Offer

• Hybrid Workplace: Three days a week in the office.
• Robust benefits program, effective within 30 days of hire.
• Paid maternity/paternity leave.
• Family Forming Benefits.
• Employee Recognition Program.
• Generous paid time off includes vacation, wellness, and extended holiday schedule.
• Various development opportunities to enhance personal and professional life.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Monthly Cell Phone & Wi-Fi reimbursement.

Interested? We’ve got an opportunity for you.