Paid Media & Public Relations Manager

Rittal•Schaumburg, IL

10d•$110,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Rittal & Eplan LLC has built a strong tradition of innovation and takes pride in a progressive approach to engineering. We design and manufacture the world’s leading industrial and IT enclosures, racks, and accessories, including high-efficiency, high-density power management and climate control systems for industrial, infrastructure, and data-driven applications. As a challenger brand in the U.S. industrial automation market, Rittal & Eplan requires a sophisticated, earned-led media strategy that builds credibility, accelerates visibility, and drives influence across technical buying audiences. Job Summary The Paid Media & Public Relations Manager will lead Rittal & Eplan’s, earned-first media and advertising strategy across industrial automation and electrical engineering audiences, respectively. This role owns where and how Rittal & Eplan and Eplan shows up in the market—deciding where dollars are invested, which media outlets matter, and how paid media accelerates earned credibility. This position balances strategic leadership and hands-on execution, with accountability for planning, allocating, optimizing, and defending media spend. The ideal candidate brings deep industrial automation domain knowledge, an established network across trade media and associations, and the confidence to say “no” to low-value placements. The Paid Media & PR Manager partners closely with in-house marketing managers who own SEO, business unit, channel and product marketing strategies while utilizing a team that executes creative and copywriting .The Paid Media & PR Manager understands how paid and earned media integrate with the larger marketing ecosystem as it relates to SEO, AI driven discovery, product, channel and BU marketing strategies that drive growth. Compensation: $110,000 - $140,000 + Bonus

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, or related field.
10+ years of experience in B2B industrial automation, and/or electrical engineering sectors, or with a leading industrial automation publication or media group.
Established media network across industrial trade publications, associations, and digital outlets.
Proven success leading earned-first PR strategies with paid media used strategically to amplify credibility and reach.
Strong advertising expertise with experience owning budgets, negotiating media buys, optimizing spend based on performance and managing media schedules
Familiarity with SEO and AEO fundamentals as they relate to PR and media visibility (experience is a plus, not a requirement).
Demonstrated ability to operate confidently at both strategic and executional levels.
Highly analytical, commercially minded, and comfortable making firm investment decisions.
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills within complex, technical industries.

Responsibilities

Earned-First Public Relations Leadership
Develop and execute digital-first and traditional PR strategies that prioritize earned media as the primary driver of credibility, influence, and brand authority.
Create and position newsworthy, data-driven content (including, but not limited to: press releases, articles, interviews, industry reports) designed to attract high-quality media coverage and natural backlinks.
Establish and maintain senior-level relationships with industrial trade journalists, editors, publishers, industry influencers, and industry associations across verticals including but not limited to, panel builders, machine builders, food & beverage, rail, utilities, automotive & tier suppliers, logistics, and baggage handling.
Secure consistent coverage in influential industrial publications, reinforcing brand credibility while gaining share of voice.
Manage earned media measurement and reporting using Cision and/or new tools that capture tracking reach, media pick-up, sentiment, share of voice, and competitive insights.
Listen for and identify emerging narratives and trends that Rittal and Eplan can leverage to drive thought leadership and media visibility Paid Media & Advertising Strategy Ownership
Lead planning, allocation, and optimization of paid media investment across industrial trade publications, industry events, digital platforms (such as social media and account-based marketing retargeting), sponsorships, and integrated media packages, in collaboration with the marketing managers.
Negotiate and secure high-value, multi-channel media partnerships, ensuring message pull-through, audience quality, and commercial impact.
Apply a commercial mindset to advertising decisions, prioritizing placements that drive reach, credibility, and influence with technical buyers, not vanity impressions.
Confidently assess media quality and decline low-value opportunities that do not meet performance, brand, or audience standards.
Optimize campaigns based on performance data including impressions, CTR, SOV, leads captured, ROAS, and where possible, revenue attribution via tagging and dashboards.
Strategic Integration & Cross-Functional Partnership
Partner closely with Business Unit Marketing Managers, and Digital Marketing (SEO & analytics) to ensure earned and paid media align with business priorities, launches, and vertical strategies.
Ensure PR and advertising investments support Rittal & Eplan’s Owned Media strategy, reinforcing key narratives and consistent message pull-through across channels.
Collaborate with the SEO Manager to ensure earned media placements and brand mentions are optimized for modern discovery (search, AI answers, and knowledge panels) without duplicating SEO ownership.
Provide media insights that inform broader brand awareness, positioning, and competitive strategy discussions.
Measurement, Insight & Influence
Own PR and advertising performance reporting, translating data into clear insights and investment recommendations.
Track and communicate performance across: PR: reach, coverage, media mentions, pick-up, impressions, sentiment, share of voice Advertising: impressions, CTR, SOV, leads, ROAS, and revenue influence
Understand keyword lift, visibility trends, and dashboards at a strategic level while partnering with SEO for execution and analysis.
Continuously evaluate emerging media formats, platforms, and industrial thought-leadership opportunities.