PR Director

Walker Sands•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Walker Sands is a rapidly expanding integrated B2B marketing agency seeking a high-impact PR Director to contribute to its continued growth. The agency focuses on accelerating growth for clients, employees, and the B2B industry by partnering with B2B technology and services companies. Walker Sands values curiosity, collaboration, and its people, aiming to shape the future of B2B marketing. This PR Director role offers opportunities for leadership, creativity, and making a significant impact. The position involves leading PR programs end-to-end, shaping narratives for transformative technologies, building media relationships, and guiding integrated programs to enhance brand awareness, credibility, and reputation. Additionally, the role includes agency leadership responsibilities such as mentoring teams, contributing to company culture, and advancing the Strategic Communications department.

Requirements

7+ years of B2B PR experience within an agency setting.
Preferred focus on deep tech including IT, AI, Cybersecurity, or Infrastructure.
Deep expertise in the evolving media landscape.
Ability to craft compelling narratives around technical topics.
Experience engaging with a mix of media types.
Proven ability to lead PR programs and teams confidently from strategy to execution.
Strong track record of advising senior-level clients.
Experience managing complex, high-stakes programs.
Crave candid feedback and embrace it for growth.
Incredibly curious and always learning, sharing, and pushing to improve.
Proactive, bringing ideas, solutions, and momentum without waiting for direction.
Collaborative, making work better through effective teamwork.
Build media authority by maintaining strong relationships, understanding the evolving landscape, and pitching strategically.
Coach communicators, developing team members into confident storytellers, media strategists, and client partners.
Embody agency readiness by maintaining pace, navigating shifting priorities, and helping teams do the same.
Influence with credibility by articulating a strong point of view, connecting decisions to strategy, and guiding teams and clients toward outcomes.

Responsibilities

Own the development of integrated communications strategies for B2B tech clients, particularly in IT, Cybersecurity, data, and AI.
Lead clients through strategic recommendations, program planning, and decision-making.
Translate business goals and technical concepts into compelling, differentiated narratives.
Stay informed about emerging trends in tech, media, and communications, and share these insights with internal teams and clients.
Lead PR programs from strategy through execution, ensuring excellence at every stage.
Guide teams in delivering high-impact media relations, thought leadership, and integrated communications initiatives.
Develop strong written content and newsworthy pitches aligned with client business objectives, and coach teams to do the same.
Build and maintain relationships with reporters, creators, analysts, and publications to secure coverage across various media types.
Maintain a deep understanding of the evolving GEO landscape and how PR can support AI visibility.
Incorporate an AI-forward mindset, exploring how to integrate AI into workflows and develop new AI-first workflows.
Serve as a trusted advisor to clients by managing expectations, providing proactive counsel, and navigating complex communications challenges.
Build positive rapport and trusted advisor relationships with clients.
Identify opportunities to expand and strengthen client relationships.
Participate in and support new business efforts.
Mentor and coach PR team members, fostering growth, expertise, and collaboration.
Contribute to department and agency culture.
Champion new tools, processes, and approaches that improve efficiency, quality, and strategic rigor, and share internal frameworks.