Director, External Communications

dentsu•New York, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, External Communications will lead Merkle’s communications strategy and tell strategic, high-quality stories that position us as business transformation consultancy leaders. Our ideal teammate is someone with an innate ability to identify, articulate and execute inspiring stories that weave together multiple narratives: capabilities, clients, partnerships, and thought leadership. This role reports to the Senior Director, Marketing Strategy, with a dotted line to the VP, Communications, dentsu Americas. It requires an effective balance of strategy and execution, strong relationship-building skills, deep understanding of Merkle’s solutions, and storytelling skill. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, executive presence and cross-functional collaboration skills are a must.

Requirements

7+ years of experience
Ability to take story ideas from concept to launch – creating themes that can be weaved through public relations, social, digital, executive speaking engagements, and more
Established relationships with a broad range of media and outlets
Ability to bring clarity to ambiguous situations and act decisively
Excellent written and oral communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience leading communications for professional services firms
Experience managing crisis communications, with a track record of successfully mitigating high-profile business and consumer issues with press, employees, and key stakeholders

Responsibilities

Strategic planning of external communications and media engagement strategies designed to enhance Merkle’s reputation, drive positioning and lift brand efficacy with key external stakeholders, including press, clients and industry partners.
Drive communications strategy and activation with key alliance partners (e.g., Adobe, Salesforce, Braze) to position joint work, IP, events, and GTM plans.
Partner with clients on proactive and reactive communications strategies related to campaign launches, new business wins, corporate positioning and thought leadership opportunities.
Amplify thought leadership through trade media and other earned channels, increasing Merkle’s share of voice among our competitive set.
Build executive profiles of senior Merkle leaders.
Demonstrate command of bylines – sourcing ideas from subject matter experts and creating content for earned, owned and sponsored opportunities.
Identify potential story angles and holistically manage announcements, including close cross-functional collaboration to develop messaging, write news releases and award submissions, and engage media and industry analysts.
Assist in supporting critical internal communications as needed