Director, Agency Communications
Situation Group · New York City · $100,000–$120,000 (stated in the posting)
Situation, a full-service agency building passionate communities for live experience-based clients like WICKED on Broadway and The Metropolitan Opera, seeks Director, Agency Communications to own and drive how Situation presents itself to the outside world. This role will report to the President and will be responsible for shaping our agency narrative, finding and creating stories worth telling, and turning the work, people, thinking, relationships and impact already happening across Situation into greater visibility, reputation and engagement.
The selected candidate should be a driver and connector.
They should constantly be asking:
- What’s happening inside Situation that more people should know about?
- What should Situation be talking about right now?
- Where should our people and ideas be showing up?
- Who should we be bringing together?
- What relationships should we be building?
- How can we turn something we’re already doing into a bigger opportunity?
This position will have production and execution support, but the expectation is that they set the agenda, create the opportunities and keep the organization moving against them.
What You’ll Do
This is not simply a PR role. We see it as a communications-focused chief of staff for the agency’s external presence — someone who understands what is happening across the company, connects the dots, creates opportunities and ensures we are speaking with a clear and consistent voice.
They will work closely with agency leadership and our individual business units, but they are expected to drive the agenda, not simply execute requests.
Responsibilities
Agency Narrative & Communications
- Own and continually sharpen how Situation talks about itself — who we are, what we believe, what makes us different and where we are headed.
- Develop and drive the agency’s overall communications and content strategy across press, social, thought leadership, events and other external channels.
- Stay close to the work happening throughout the agency and proactively identify stories, ideas, people, client work and insights that deserve a larger audience.
Press, Awards & Industry Visibility
- Build relationships with relevant press, journalists, influencers and industry voices.
- Proactively pitch Situation, our people, our work and our thinking to trade and mainstream media.
- Identify and manage the awards, innovation lists, agency rankings and other recognition opportunities where Situation should be represented.
- Create opportunities for Situation leaders and team members to participate in panels, juries, conferences, podcasts and other industry platforms.
Executive Visibility
- Develop a proactive visibility strategy for the agency’s senior leadership.
- Identify and pursue speaking engagements, interviews, panels, podcasts and other opportunities.
- Help package our ideas, perspectives, research and experience into compelling pitches and platforms.
Thought Leadership
- Turn Fandom Unpacked into a larger communications and thought-leadership platform.
- Identify stories, research, trends and conversations emerging from the work that can generate press, speaking opportunities, partnerships and original content.
- Extend the life of our research and intellectual property across social, articles, presentations, events and client-exclusive content.
Philanthropy
- Find opportunities to tell the Project’s stories externally while creating more meaningful ways for clients, partners and employees to participate.
- Drive client and partner engagement through volunteering, student experiences, educational programs, research collaborations and events.
Hospitality, Events & Relationship Building
- Develop a more intentional agency hospitality and engagement strategy in partnership with our business-unit leaders.
- Create opportunities that bring together clients, prospects, partners and interesting people — from intimate dinners and cultural experiences to agency events, briefings and learning sessions.
- Help determine how we strategically use tickets, trade, sponsorships, donations and other agency assets to deepen relationships.
- Help make Situation events more intentional, valuable and differentiated rather than simply broadly accessible.
Requirements
- 6-8+ years of communications, PR, brand or agency experience, ideally with experience working across entertainment, culture, media, advertising, sports, hospitality or adjacent industries.
- Proven ability to create opportunities, not just execute them. Someone who can identify the story, develop the angle, make the connection and drive it forward without waiting for a brief.
- Strong media and industry relationships with demonstrated success earning press, securing speaking opportunities, awards, panels, partnerships and other forms of visibility.
- Excellent writer and storyteller with strong strategic instincts. Able to understand a business quickly and translate its work, people and ideas into a clear, compelling external narrative.
- Highly connected and relationship-oriented. Someone comfortable engaging senior clients, journalists, industry leaders, partners, influencers and prospects—and who naturally thinks about how bringing the right people together can create value.
- Entrepreneurial and highly self-directed. Comfortable operating with significant autonomy, managing multiple workstreams and being accountable for outcomes rather than simply delivering a list of communications activities.
Benefits
We are open to several models for the right person.
This could be a full-time senior member of the Situation team.
It could also be an experienced communications leader building their own boutique practice, with Situation serving as their anchor client.
Or it could be someone currently at a communications or PR firm who wants to build something of their own with a significant client already in place.
Regardless of structure, we want someone who operates as part of the Situation leadership ecosystem — deeply connected to the agency, close to its people and work, and accountable for how Situation shows up in the world.
As a full-time employee, we offer a competitive base salary and a range of benefits and perks.
- Salary range: $100k - $120k per year, commensurate with experience
- Health care plan (medical, dental, and vision)
- Retirement plan with employer match
- Life and disability insurance
- Generous paid time off package that includes vacation, sick, “life happens” days, birthdays, summer Fridays and public holidays
- Paid family leave
- Cold brew coffee, snacks and fresh fruit
- Wellness resources
- Special access to New York City’s arts and entertainment scene
We have been honored for our commitment to our team with workplace awards from Crain’s, Best Companies Group, Cynopsis, Digiday, and Fortune.
Our Company
We are Situation, a full-service agency that builds and drives passionate communities to meaningful action. We partner with live experience-based brands like WICKED on Broadway, MJ on Broadway, The Metropolitan Opera, and Cirque du Soleil.
Situation is part of Situation Group, a digital-first collective of award-winning advertising agencies.
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