Account Manager, Design / Lifestyle / Hospitality

The Independents • New York, NY

15h • $80,000 - $85,000

About The Position

The Account Manager is a strategic, client-facing leader within Karla Otto’s Design and Lifestyle team, responsible for translating brand ambition into compelling communications strategies and culturally relevant opportunities that drive visibility, relevance, and impact. This role sits at the intersection of cultural strategy, media relations, and team leadership, serving as a trusted day-to-day partner to clients while providing strategic counsel across launches, campaigns, partnerships, events, and experiential moments. The Account Manager is both a strategic thinker and hands-on communications lead — someone who can identify the story, shape the narrative, build the right media strategy, and lead its execution from idea through impact. They bring a strong understanding of the design, lifestyle, hospitality, art, and cultural landscape, with the editorial judgment to identify what is genuinely newsworthy and the relationships and creativity to turn those opportunities into meaningful coverage and cultural conversation. This position is ideal for someone who combines strong editorial instincts, established media relationships, cultural curiosity, and commercial awareness with the ability to lead teams and clients with confidence. They should be proactive in identifying unexpected opportunities for clients, constantly looking beyond traditional PR to find new ways for brands to participate in culture, and capable of developing integrated communications programs that build both immediate visibility and long-term brand equity.

Requirements

• Strong editorial instincts
• Established media relationships
• Cultural curiosity
• Commercial awareness
• Ability to lead teams and clients with confidence
• Proactive in identifying unexpected opportunities for clients
• Capable of developing integrated communications programs that build both immediate visibility and long-term brand equity
• Positive charisma
• Enthusiastic
• Self-motivated
• Keen sense of aesthetics

Nice To Haves

• Strong understanding of the design, lifestyle, hospitality, art, and cultural landscape
• Editorial judgment to identify what is genuinely newsworthy
• Relationships and creativity to turn opportunities into meaningful coverage and cultural conversation
• Constantly looking beyond traditional PR to find new ways for brands to participate in culture

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on the development and execution of communications strategies that support clients’ commercial and cultural objectives
• Serve as a day-to-day client contact, providing strategic counsel across launches, campaigns, and special projects
• Ensure all activity aligns with broader brand positioning, cultural context, and long-term goals
• Identify opportunities and challenges proactively and communicate them clearly to clients
• Demonstrate understanding of clients' priorities and translate them into communications strategy
• Maintain and grow strong relationships with key editors, writers, and cultural voices across design, lifestyle, art, culture, and business media
• Oversee the quality, consistency, and relevance of all external communications
• Identify emerging media platforms, cultural moments, and storytelling opportunities that elevate brand perception
• Develop and execute proactive media outreach and pitching
• Lead story development, angles, exclusives, profiles, features, and announcements
• Manage press materials, media lists, briefings, interviews, and follow-ups
• Secure meaningful coverage, not just maintain relationships
• Support the management and development of junior team members, including oversight of workflows and deliverables
• Collaborate with line manager and senior leadership on resourcing, timelines, and performance feedback
• Lead communications strategy around launches, events, cultural moments, and experiential activations
• Develop media strategy, guest lists, press attendance, on-site media management, and post-event amplification
• Use qualitative and quantitative insights to assess campaign performance and inform future strategy
• Guide teams on reporting frameworks that demonstrate impact, reach, and return on investment

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• 401K Employer Match program
• Commuter Benefits
• Paid Time Off including Vacation Days, Personal Days, Sick Days, and additional Comp Days
• Company-wide closure last week of the year
• 10 Federal Holidays Observed

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed