Vice President of Public Relations

Hagerty

2d•Remote

About The Position

Hagerty is seeking a charismatic communicator who is a highly strategic and creative leader, and a story-driven automotive industry and car culture expert for the role of Vice President, Public Relations. This role will lead the Public Relations practice with a strong focus on automotive culture, aiming to broaden Hagerty's recognition beyond insurance to an enthusiast brand that serves the needs of driving enthusiasts. The position involves proactively managing online brand reputation, building a system to respond to online feedback, and acting as a strategic partner to the CEO for thought leadership and digital content. The role also requires preparing for and leading crisis communications, and fostering a culture of collaboration and creativity through coaching and talent development. Key performance indicators (KPIs) will be set to connect PR performance to business performance.

Requirements

15+ years in public relations and adjacent disciplines, with a portfolio of work that you have led or heavily influences, either in-house or at a PR Agency
Proven ability to lead and motivate cross-functional teams, build alignment and influence senior stakeholders and brand partners
Excels at launching new initiatives, adopting new tools and processes and guiding teams through change
Demonstrates a member-first mindset in addition to well-formed, strategic point of view on digital marketing
Creative and analytical; you love fresh, ambitious ideas and engaging storytelling just as much as you pay regular attention to dashboards and analytics
Can see the big picture, but pay attention to the small details
A deep passion for car culture, driving and the automotive enthusiast community across its many genres
Partner fearlessly with others to get big things to happen, often at speed
Well connected in the automotive industry, with a strong rolodex, especially with your peers at OEM automotive brands

Nice To Haves

A strong network of contacts within the content creator space
Familiarity with public company requirements, including Sarbanes Oxley and key regulations, if applicable.

Responsibilities

Lead PR planning and strategic vision ensuring alignment with brand priorities, business objectives and broader communications strategy
Develop and execute Hagerty’s PR strategy across trade, enthusiast and mainstream outlets
Oversee proactive story development that reinforces our market position as a brand for driving enthusiasts
Provide executive-level counsel on reputation, messaging and media approach, prepare them for media interviews, and help them navigate complex moments empowering the PR team to lead execution
Collaborate with Insurance, Broad Arrow, HDC and Events teams to maximize PR value from Hagerty activities
Build and deploy an always-on social listening and rapid-response system to manage, protect and elevate our business’ online reputation, also tracking sentiment and reputational risk
Develop and continuously evolve best-in-class social safety processes and guidelines, including the development and deployment of crisis management playbooks across channels, platforms and forums
Establish and own community guidelines, moderation and crisis playbooks, while partnering with Legal, HR and others to manage sensitive issues
Research emerging and current trends and topics to inform the development of Executive thought pieces and social media posts, including topics specific to our categories and analogous or influential ones
Develop and maintain Hagerty’s crisis communications framework, playbooks and response protocols
Thoughtfully prepare the business, its leaders and team members for a range of crisis scenarios
Serve as the primary communications lead during reputational, operational or media crises, working with legal, executive leaders and your team