Director, Media Relations (New York or San Francisco)

This full-time role at Hotwire is hybrid and open to our New York or San Francisco office locations. This role at Hotwire is internally titled, Director, Media Strategy.

About you…

You are in the know with all things media and PR agency! You have existing relationships, especially in the B2C space, and you know who covers what, what stories they tell and how to stand out in their inbox.

You love to tell stories of technological impact on the day to day lives of consumers while also crafting creative ways to show how that impact is driving growth for brands.

You are passionate about reading the latest news from all corners of the world – from technology to business and geopolitical to domestic politics and always looking to understand what is driving the current conversation. 

You understand the ins and outs of a news cycle and love to work with clients on not only how to enter the conversation, but when.  

You view journalists as colleagues and understand it’s a relationship that only succeeds by building trust and being a good partner. 

You're ultimately a storyteller at heart, roll up your sleeves, whatever it takes, team player.

No job is too big or too small. It's all about the creative process and pushing client brands to their full potential.

If this sounds like you, read on…

About us…

We are the global communications and marketing consultancy that powers the world's most innovative tech brands. We are a group of expert communicators who are fanatical about tech and are here to help businesses ignite their possibilities. Our local experience and global scale allow us to deliver bold but pragmatic comms guidance to tech companies all over the world.

When you work with us, we connect and support you in a way that allows you to achieve limitless success and career growth. For years now, we’ve been named a Best Place to Work by PR Week, PRNews and Crain’s New York.

We are curious, ambitious and connected, but most of all we are one team working together to be the global alternative. 

We are looking for an exceptional person to join our team as Director, Media Relations. 

The Director, Media Relations role sits on our North America Media Strategy team, with a wider group of team members at Hotwire focused on media strategy and development. This role drives media strategy for 4-6 clients and provides additional media counsel for additional teams as requested. 

The Director, Media Relations fully understands the media landscape, has strong relationships with the media, knows what delivers results and what media strategies are imperative for our clients. This role serves as a mentor throughout the agency, helps upskill staff with the best practices of media relations and is educated on the evolving media landscape.

As Director, Media Relations you come armed with strong relationships with journalists in tech, business and trade publications and know how to develop and maintain new connections along the way.

Daily you will…

• You drive media strategy for 4-6 client accounts through media analysis, audience analysis and media relations.
• Immerse yourself in all types of media; business, tech, trade, and verticals to identify what is driving the conversations that matter most to your clients.
• Work with client teams to execute media strategies that drive results in both earned and paid media.
• Manage one or more direct reports, be responsible for your team’s development, performance, and wellbeing.
• Serve as a media team leader, supporting the development of the wider Media Strategy and junior team at Hotwire.
• Take the lead to support media strategy in new business activities.
• Participate in monthly media roundtables, host reporter meet and greets and attend events to build stronger relationships with journalists.

You’ll Bring:

• 7-10 years of media relations experience, either in a comms role - both in house, agency or newsroom.
• High level understanding of the evolving news climate and overall media industry.
• Strong established relationships with journalists in tech, business and trade publications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain journalist relationships.
• A proven track record of successfully developing and implementing media strategies in the tech space.
• An existing network in tech and business industries – from clients and connections to talent and media.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and a desire for continuous learning.
• Strong storytelling skills and confidence in presenting ideas and providing counsel to internal and external audience.
• Experience managing teams and developing career paths for your direct reports

Why Us:

• Flexibility – We understand that life doesn’t always fit around the 9-5; and that work/life integration is crucial.
• Global Reach & Opportunity – You will have the opportunity to work within global teams and travel within the US and globally to connect with clients and colleagues.
• Great Benefits - Strong benefits package includes paid time off, holidays, sick leave, cultural celebration days off, paid time off for community involvement, medical, dental and vision insurance, disability and life insurance, 401K match and a paid 6-week sabbatical after every 4 years of continuous employment. Hotwire offers a variety of bonus opportunities to include business development, annual company bonuses and referral bonuses. Additional benefits include wellness allowance, internet, and phone reimbursement.
• Development Opportunities – A strong learning and development program with training opportunities at all levels.
• Autonomy – The freedom and support to be limitless, and the opportunity to own your career and create the future you want.
• Variety – No day is the same as the last. Both within our own walls, and with our clients, we navigate change daily and there’s always an opportunity to stretch your skills, learn something new, seek out a new challenge, and gain expertise.
• Our Amazing Team – We are connected, ambitious, and friendly. We don’t step on toes to get ahead, we build each other up, develop and teach each other and understand that each person’s individual success is a win for all.

We engage in Thoughtful Working, empowering our talent to determine the best way to work for our clients, our team and Hotwire every single day.

Compensation Range: $100,000 - $145,000

The range listed is just one component of Hotwire’s total compensation package for employees, which includes bonus opportunities and a variety of benefits mentioned above. Hotwire takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, as well as the position’s work location, expected work to be performed, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. A potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.