Public Relations Manager

Great benefits. Competitive pay. We know these are some of the things people look for in a job.

But if you're the kind of person who also cares about making an impact and serving our nation's wounded warriors and their families, then you're exactly the kind of person we're looking for. When you join Wounded Warrior Project, you're committing to making a difference. We make a commitment to you too - helping you to find that spark, ignite your passion to serve, and embark on a career with meaning and purpose.

At Wounded Warrior Project we recognize our mission cannot be accomplished without our talented teammates, which is why we're proud to offer benefits such as:

• A flexible hybrid work schedule (3 days in office, 2 days' work from home)
• Full medical, dental and vision coverage for both teammates AND family members
• Competitive pay and performance incentives
• A fun, mission focused and collaborative team environment

• Manage public relations and thought leadership team members, mentoring them, and developing their skills and abilities. Manage team and individual performance to achieve organizational goals. Promote a supportive working environment where employees are encouraged to proactively address issues and solve problems.
• Manage the external communication of WWP programs, priority initiatives, strategic partnerships, and more through the development and implementation of integrated communication plans that leverage earned, shared, owned, and paid strategies.
• Lead and ensure the team collaborates with internal teams including, but not limited to, content marketing and social media, marketing, speakers' bureau, and donor relations.
• Work closely with the Content Manager to develop content strategies that engage newsroom readers while raising awareness for the WWP mission.
• Collaborate with the leadership team to prioritize the public relations team's proactive pitching of news and feature stories highlighting organizational priorities, programs and services, community integrations, strategic partnerships, and warrior personal stories.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with national, regional, and local media representatives.
• Manage requests for information, interviews, and endorsements about WWP, its executives, experts, and warriors. Ensure subject matter experts are trained and prepared for interviews.
• Oversee subject matter expert (SME) strategy implementation and identify opportunities for WWP SMEs to speak at conferences, sharing best practices to position WWP as a leader.
• Effectively communicate the WWP mission, vision, and values, and the importance of WWP programs in public forums, events, and campaigns.
• Lead the development and ongoing updates of company key messages based on evolving strategies and stakeholder feedback.
• Evaluate advertising and promotional programs for compatibility with public awareness and marketing efforts, as needed.
• Identify and track the effectiveness of communications and messaging. Prepare reports with performance metrics for leadership to improve effectiveness of messaging and communications plans.
• Source and manage vendors, including but not limited to public relations agencies, newswire services, and media monitoring and analytics.
• Participate in process improvement activities and on project teams, as appropriate.
• Participate in strategic planning activities and contribute to the development and management of the department budget.
• Other related duties as assigned.

• Established experience managing public relations agencies, contractors and other vendors that provide public relations services.
• Strong expertise and working knowledge of organizational communications strategies.
• Proven success and expertise in managing organizational messaging and media communications.
• Shown aptitude in issues management and crisis communications.
• Demonstrated ability to develop robust media relationships with news organizations and reporters.
• Proven success in media pitching with confirmed media results.
• Demonstrated ability to create content in the organization's voice. Expert knowledge of communication principles including Associated Press (AP) style. Expertise in creating and editing press releases, statements, and organizational communications.
• Expert-level written and verbal communication skills. Exceptional editing skills.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of data analytics, performance metrics, and trends analysis.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills. Proven capability to develop and maintain professional relationships and interact effectively with diverse individuals to build effective working relationships. Demonstrated emotional intelligence.
• Ability to handle highly sensitive matters with confidentiality, diplomacy, and professionalism. Exceptional judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to establish credibility, be decisive, influence others, and influence change.
• Strong presentation skills. Confident communicator with proven ability to present information effectively.
• Strong organizational and time management skills. Proven capacity to troubleshoot, prioritize, and complete assignments with strong attention to detail in a fast-paced environment, while effectively managing multiple projects with efficiency.
• Proficient using Microsoft Office and Office 365, including desktop and cloud-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and more. Experience using project management tools such as Monday.com or similar.
• Proficient at using and evaluating the performance of press release distribution and media monitoring services, such as PR Newswire, Cision, Meltwater, and Critical Mention.
• High energy level. Self-starter; willing to take initiative.
• Unequivocal commitment to the highest standards of personal and business ethics and conduct.
• Mission-driven, guided by core values, and a pleasure to work with.

• Five years of communications, public relations, or marketing experience.
• Three years of staff management experience.

• Seven years of communications or public relations experience.
• Five years of staff management experience.
• Five years of experience working with a nonprofit organization.
• Two years of experience developing multimedia assets.
• Two years of experience working with search engine optimization and backlinks.

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communication, journalism, or relevant related field. Equivalent combination of applicable education, training, certification, and experience may be considered in lieu of degree.

• None.

• Valid state-issued driver's license.

• None.

• General office environment; temperature controlled.
• May require lifting/carrying items up to 25 pounds.
• Up to 25% travel.