Vice President, Corporate

DeVries is a mid-sized, culture-first communications agency that combines the fast-moving, client-centric culture of a boutique with a global footprint across three regions: North America, Europe and Asia.  We are dedicated to decoding culture to unlock sustained, meaningful influence for brands.

In this role, you will provide corporate communications counsel and help manage day-to-day responsibilities, including corporate affairs, medical affairs, internal communications, and R&D communications. You will maintain a detailed level of understanding of your clients, including business, products, markets, leadership, and outside influences, and be responsible for ensuring that they are telling relevant stories and engaging industry stakeholders and media audiences that will support their strategic goals. You will play a key role in growing the agency’s corporate communications assignments and the staff’s corporate communications skills. You will also lead corporate communications-heavy accounts as the primary client partner and agency team leader.

You are a relationship-builder and a creative problem-solver with many years of experience elevating company and executive visibility through awards, events, social, and media relations. You add value to any conversation and always have an Agency POV. You can identify and know how to bring great ideas and programs to life.

What you’ll do:

• Storytelling and positioning, grounded in your experience and ability to work with analysts on conducting research and surfacing insights to back the recommendation • Activation plan development to reach industry stakeholders and trade/business press through strategically selected and integrated awards, events, media relations, and social media activities
• Corporate sponsorships and executive speaking engagements, pro- and re-actively vetting and recommending opportunities, coordinating participation logistics as the primary point person between the organization and company, writing materials (bio, key messages, scripts, press releases, descriptions, briefing materials, etc.), prepping executives (message training and briefing), and supporting executives on-site
• Media relations, serving as senior media lead on accounts, providing seasoned counsel on proactive and reactive media engagement strategies that meet objectives; build, maintain and evolve your relationships with corporate media staying on top of developments in newsrooms, news organizations, and new media; develop POVs about media best practices, client and competitor brand activity, and assist the team to ensure the firm delivers game-changing ideas and solutions
• Social media strategy, including channel approach, content pillars, and calendar mapping, overseeing post copy and visual development and execution
• Internal communications to ensure clear and engaging messaging reaches and resonates with employees, aligning with organizational goals and culture
• Corporate affairs management, addressing high-level business issues, regulatory developments, and external partnerships to ensure alignment with strategic priorities
• Medical affairs communications, supporting initiatives in healthcare and life sciences with tailored messaging for medical stakeholders, ensuring scientific accuracy and relevance
• R&D communications, driving engagement and visibility for innovation and development efforts, showcasing breakthroughs and aligning internal and external narratives
• Client service, working with the team to manage daily communications and reporting to your clients on industry developments, the results you are securing, progress against objectives/plans/tactics; apply learnings as real-time diagnostics of account activity to address challenges or leverage opportunities. Provide executional excellence
• Develop deep knowledge about and relationships with clients, learning their business and professional preferences
• Understand key social media, paid media, and event platforms and how to integrate these with 360 communications campaigns
• Actively contribute to new business pitches with strategy, creative counsel, and presentation support

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in corporate communications, with a deep background developing and executing corporate reputation programs, including corporate positioning, business media relations, executive communications, and supporting corporate affairs, medical affairs, internal communications, and R&D communications. Experience is a regulated category preferred.
• Relationships with marketing and industry organizations (awards, events, speaking engagements, etc.)
• Advanced knowledge of top-tier business and NY media, and well-developed skills in building and maintaining traditional and digital media relationships
• Ability to engage with and counsel senior-level decision-makers across the client’s business, including media training, message training, and addressing issues and crises
• Demonstrated experience working directly with clients on day-to-day activities, managing teams to execute public relations plans effectively, and drafting and implementing strategic corporate communications programs within budget
• Superior writing skills, with the ability to develop and edit high-quality materials such as communications plans, fact sheets, news and online media materials, bylined articles, executive correspondence, and presentations
• Entrepreneurial attitude with a knack for building trusted relationships with clients and prospects that lead to additional, incremental new business opportunities

Salary Range: $125,000 – $175,000

DeVries has included the base salary or hourly rate for this role. Actual compensation offered within the range will depend upon, among other factors: actual ranges for current or former employees in the role; market considerations; budgetary considerations; as well as a candidate’s background, relevant experience, and qualifications.

DeVries is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. DeVries recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.