About Purple Strategies

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 help leverage or reduce pressure on a business, brand or issue. We help build and defend reputation and brand value and serve Fortune 500 companies, associations, nonprofits and some of the most recognizable brands in the world. 

Purple helps the world’s most important organizations address their toughest challenges. 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; and 
• NAVIGATE reputation issues, acute crises, key business choices and policy/regulatory changes to inform decision-making. 

About The Position

This is a full-time position in Purple Strategies’ Communications Expertise Group. The purpose of the Communications EG is to shape what’s said when our clients talk and when the world talks about them. Priorities of this EG include:

• Delivering consistent communications plans, audience-facing deliverables and media materials
• Providing strategic counsel to internal teams and clients and coaching for client executives
• Providing expertise and materials needed to activate campaign plans

The Senior Director, Communications is responsible for directing, creating and delivering effective strategic communications efforts for companies, brands, and public affairs clients facing big challenges and reputations changing opportunities. You readily identify opportunities to add value through communications, confidently express your POV and respectfully assert your expertise. You have experience managing key stakeholders including executives, principals and clients, in addition to colleagues. You create winning communications plans. You have a passion for writing and developing persuasive campaign activation ideas and compelling content that lives across channels. You’re experienced in working with media, and have an appetite for news coupled with the ability to spot, deconstruct and shape stories. You know how to collaborate 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.  

In This Position, You Will

• Lead the creation of effective communications plans, activation plans and messages from unique, insights informed strategy. 

• Guide and edit development of high-quality written deliverables, such as press releases, blog posts, op-eds, social media content, client memos and presentations talking points & Q&As, speeches, op-ed, press releases, blog posts, client memos and presentations (often) under tight timelines.  

• Develop plans that orchestrate third-party voices to align with client’s campaign objectives; oversee and enhance third-party materials to activate engagement plans. 

• Participate in business development activities including writing proposals and developing pitch decks. 

• Collaborate with client’s leadership and communications team to craft responses to external pressure on tight timelines. 

• Guide and coach client’s rapid response approach during urgent news events and lead development of protocols and materials to prepare. 

• Lead message adherence by teams and clients.  

• Develop and refine creative earned media strategies; counsel client media teams on what works and doesn’t and find alternative ways in. 

• Identify risks and opportunities in the news cycle and bring forward POV on how best to engage. 

• 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. 

• Support Purple’s external brand building. 

Qualifications and Experience You Need To Be Successful In This Role

• Bachelor’s degree and recommended 12+ years of experience as a strategic communications leader. 

• Deep understanding and experience leading clients in a rapid response environment and an understanding of the evolving media landscape.  

• Experience developing and executing holistic communications campaign plans. 

• Experience shaping and improving the work of junior communications colleagues especially related to public facing materials and client plans. 

• Proactive and able to bring a sense of pace and a sense of calm in challenging circumstances. 

• Ability to quickly determine when you need to drive the development of work or when you need to directly produce the work. 

• Embodiment of Purple’s values: Adaptable, Collaborative, Curious, Innovative, Industrious, Respectful.  

Work Location  

This is a full-time position based in either our Alexandria, VA headquarters or our Chicago office.  Purple Strategies offers a hybrid model and seeks employees who are comfortable working in the office for a portion of their workweek. Purple values the camaraderie, connection, inclusion and professional development that in-person interactions provide, yet still recognizes the importance of flexibility and balance in our employees’ lives.

How To Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter online at purplestrategies.com/join-our-team/    

Purple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics.