Communications Lead

Purple Strategies is a corporate reputation and strategy firm that combines the creativity and discipline of brand communications with the speed and strategy of political campaigns to serve Fortune 500 companies, associations, nonprofits and some of the most recognizable brands in the world.  

We operate in a highly collaborative environment and apply integrated team-based approaches to help clients: 
 

• ANTICIPATE reputation challenges and opportunities; 
• COMPEL change through business actions and transformation; 
• NAVIGATE reputation issues, acute crises, key business choices and policy/regulatory changes to inform decision-making. 

Purple helps the world’s most important organizations address their toughest challenges. 

Position Summary:

The Communications Lead will be responsible for overseeing and creating effective strategic communications efforts for companies, brands, and public affairs clients facing big challenges and reputations changing opportunities. We’re looking for people who love to write and can develop persuasive campaign activation ideas and compelling content that lives across channels. The right candidate will know how to work with research and insights colleagues to establish a data-backed perspective on a client challenge and can then help manage deliverables that involve the work of multiple colleagues while also building a trusting relationship with clients.

The perfect candidate for this position is someone who considers themselves a communications professional, regardless of whether their experience is with earned media, digital content creation, speechwriting, or even internal and executive comms. As a politically inspired strategic communications firm, we’re always looking for new colleagues with political/issue advocacy campaign and federal, state, or local government experience, but if you’re at a public affairs or public relations agency and the work excited you, please apply.

Strategic messaging:

• Create effective messages from unique, insights informed strategy, produce and edit high-quality written deliverables, such as press releases, blog posts, op-eds, social media content, client memos and presentations (often) under tight timelines
• Help craft and deliver persuasive messaging and related collateral materials, simplifying complex legislative, regulatory, legal or other general issues into digestible communications
• Develop a communication strategy -- including messaging -- that orchestrates third-party voices to align with client’s campaign objectives
• Participate in strategic communications planning initiatives that incorporate traditional and digital communications channels and platforms
• Oversee and provide input to the creation of editorial calendars to guide a client’s communications strategy
• Participate in business development activities including writing proposals and developing pitch decks

Rapid response:

• Collaborate with client’s leadership and communications team to craft responses to external pressure on tight timelines
• Help initiate and manage client’s rapid response content needs during urgent news events

Earned media:

• Develop creative earned media strategies that include pitch angles and reporter targets; work directly with reporters to place and inform stories, and serve as on-the-record spokesperson for some clients
• Build client relationships and serve as client’s daily media contact when necessary; address client issues thoughtfully and provide effective media counsel to all levels of client team

Qualifications

• 7+ years' experience as a strategic communications leader
• Deep understanding and experience in a rapid response environment and an understanding of the evolving media landscape
• Experience developing and executing elements of holistic communications campaign plans
• Experience using digital communications and social media platforms for clients, candidates or elected/appointed officials; experience in social media advocacy a plus
• Experience overseeing the work of junior communications colleagues especially related to clips, media monitoring, and social media listening