Senior Director of PR & Communications

CRUX KC LLC•Kansas City, MO

20h•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director of Public Relations & Communications leads the vision, strategy and continued evolution of Crux’s public relations and communications practice. This role serves as the senior communications advisor across the organization, ensuring our work is strategically strong, integrated across channels and directly connected to our clients’ business goals. This is a player/coach role, but one weighted toward leadership and strategic oversight. The right person knows when to empower the team to lead and when a client situation, business opportunity or complex communications challenge requires senior-level involvement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public relations, communications, journalism, marketing or a related field.
10+ years of progressive PR and communications experience, including significant experience leading strategy, senior client relationships and teams; agency experience strongly preferred.
Proven track record developing and overseeing successful PR and integrated communications strategies, including executive, reputation and crisis communications.
Strong understanding of the evolving media landscape with established media relationships and demonstrated success securing meaningful local and national coverage.
Exceptional writing, editing and presentation skills, with a strong command of AP style.
Experience with media monitoring, social listening and performance measurement, with the ability to translate results into strategic recommendations.
Strong professional judgment and the ability to advise senior leaders, manage competing priorities and navigate complex client situations.
A proactive, adaptable and collaborative leadership style with a genuine desire to coach and develop others.

Responsibilities

Lead the overall PR and communications function at Crux, establishing strategic direction, standards, best practices and expectations for quality.
Oversee communications strategies across the client portfolio, ensuring work is integrated, effective and connected to measurable business goals.
Serve as a senior strategic advisor to clients on brand reputation, positioning, executive communications, thought leadership, media relations and integrated communications.
Lead high-level client conversations and serve as an escalation point for complex, sensitive or high-visibility communications needs.
Partner across Channel Strategy, Paid Media, Email, Creative and other disciplines to ensure communications strategies support the broader marketing ecosystem.
Provide strategic direction for local, regional and national media relations, including story development, thought leadership and executive visibility.
Maintain and continue building meaningful relationships with journalists, editors, producers, influencers and other key media contacts.
Provide senior oversight for media training, executive communications and other high-visibility messaging.
Lead crisis and reputation communications strategy, providing clear and confident counsel during fast-moving or high-stakes situations.
Ensure clients have appropriate messaging frameworks, response plans and communications protocols in place when needed.
Lead, mentor and develop the PR and communications team, setting clear expectations and creating opportunities for continued growth.
Delegate effectively while maintaining accountability for the strategic quality and outcomes of the team’s work.
Identify capabilities, resource needs, processes and tools that strengthen the function as Crux grows.
Foster collaboration across PR, content, lifecycle communications and Crux’s broader channel teams.
Stay ahead of changes in the media and communications landscape and identify emerging tools, technologies and approaches that can improve client outcomes.
Establish meaningful KPIs and measurement approaches that connect communications efforts to client business goals and use insights to continually strengthen strategy.
Identify opportunities to expand PR and communications services within existing client relationships and prospective new business.
Partner with client leadership and business development teams to scope opportunities and contribute communications expertise to pitches and proposals.
Help define and evolve Crux’s PR and communications offerings based on client needs, industry trends and opportunities in the marketplace.