Communications Director

Davis Elen Advertising•Seattle, WA

2d•$145,000 - $165,000

About The Position

The Communications Director is a senior regional lead within the agency’s McDonald’s practice and serves as the primary strategic counselor and brand protector for the Northwest Owner/Operator Cooperatives. This player-coach owns the Northwest account’s strategic roadmap and accountability while supporting McDonald’s Corporate in the field. The role leads a dedicated Tactician to ensure local insights and reporting reach clients and corporate partners in real time, supporting data-driven action across the system. The Director is the primary agency representative to Northwest Owner/Operator Boards, accountable for regional PR strategy and budget, and serves as a local liaison to McDonald’s Corporate Government Relations and Crisis leads. The role also cultivates community and NGO relationships, supports local crisis coordination, represents the agency and brand in public and client settings, and develops a regional Tactician. Consistent in-person presence and travel are core expectations. Travel averages two to three business days per month in lighter periods and increases to five or more business days per month during busier periods, roughly every other month. The Director attends client activations throughout the year, with heavier activity in summer, and may undertake evening and weekend field work, short-notice local assignments, day trips, and multi-day regional travel.

Requirements

12–15+ years of experience in PR, public affairs, communications, or marketing communications.
Deep experience in QSR, franchise models, or CPG/Grocery.
Confident boardroom presence and the ability to counsel and navigate a room of 20 or more independent business owners.
Ability to translate complex corporate policy into actionable intelligence for local business owners.
Strong social intelligence and adaptability across boardroom briefings, difficult owner conversations, and community activations.
Strategic judgment, a clear point of view, and long-horizon thinking that extends beyond tactics.
Strong personal accountability and a commitment to transparent budget management.
Comfort with regular travel, on-site activation work, and evening or weekend field commitments as a standing part of the role.
Preparedness for short-notice local field assignments, day trips, and multi-day regional travel.

Nice To Haves

Agency experience is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary agency representative to Northwest Owner/Operator Boards, own those relationships, lead boardroom presentations, and secure support for regional PR strategies.
Take full accountability for the regional PR budget and demonstrate value and return on investment to Owners, ensuring investment supports local brand affinity and business growth.
Collaborate with agency leads in markets such as DC, Philadelphia, and Chicago to align regional strategies with national goals.
Provide local intelligence to McDonald’s Corporate Government Relations and Crisis leads, including regulatory trends, local activism, and stakeholder sentiment.
Synthesize and deliver field data to clients and corporate partners to connect local conditions with corporate planning.
Identify and cultivate relationships with local community leaders and NGOs, supporting the brand’s license to operate in the Northwest.
Oversee hyper-local media and social monitoring through the Tactician and report local developments to Corporate so it can lead media response.
Ensure local Owners are briefed on Corporate-mandated crisis protocols and coordinated with the national response.
Represent the agency and brand at client meetings, community events, sports and nonprofit activations, and stakeholder engagements.
Maintain a composed, credible presence in unscripted settings, including field events, media opportunities, and board environments, and represent client and agency interests accurately and clearly.
Direct and develop a regional Tactician, taking accountability for their growth, output quality, and reporting discipline.
Travel for in-person client meetings, stakeholder engagement, partnership obligations, events, activations, and board engagements; attend on-site activations throughout the year.