Full-Time

Senior Account Executive

Public Relations, Cybersecurity

Highwire

Highwire

51-200 employees

Scholarly publishing platform and manuscript management

Compensation Overview

$63k - $90k/yr

+ 401(k) matching + Employee referral bonuses + New business referral bonuses + Monthly technology reimbursement + Annual Growth Mindset stipend

San Francisco, CA, USA

Hybrid

Three days in-office per week for candidates within commuting distance of the San Francisco office. Remote work is available only to residents of listed states.

Category
IT & Security (1)
Sales & Account Management (1)
Growth & Marketing (1)
Required Skills
Incident Response
Public Speaking
Social Media
Cybersecurity
Journalism
Data Analysis

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Requirements
  • Three to five years of public relations or communications experience in an agency setting.
  • Direct experience working with cybersecurity clients or within the security industry.
  • Strong media relationships across technology, business, and security trade publications.
  • Ability to understand and translate complex cybersecurity topics into compelling media narratives.
  • Strong writing, editing, and content development skills.
  • Experience managing client communications, priorities, and deliverables.
  • Confidence using analytics tools and reporting on performance metrics.
Responsibilities
  • Own tactical execution of cybersecurity-focused public relations program elements, including media relations, analyst engagement, thought leadership, speaking, and content.
  • Lead weekly client calls, provide strategic counsel, and serve as a trusted point of contact during sensitive or reactive news cycles.
  • Manage projects from kickoff through execution, keeping deliverables on track and aligned to broader strategic goals.
  • Develop quarterly cybersecurity campaign plans incorporating industry trends, breaking news, and creative angles.
  • Monitor the threat landscape, competitors, and relevant regulatory developments to identify timely commentary opportunities.
  • Support client media training, including message development and session follow-up.
  • Help develop budgets and allocate team resources based on evolving client needs.
  • Lead media strategy and execution for cybersecurity clients.
  • Craft and deliver proactive pitches that generate media coverage and thought leadership.
  • Identify new media trends, outlets, and journalists relevant to the security space, and share insights across the agency.
  • Drive and support influencer engagement, content campaigns, and amplification strategies across digital and social platforms.
  • Use social channels to boost client visibility and executive voice while supporting broader narrative efforts.
  • Measure and communicate the return on investment of public relations programs, using analytics to optimize ongoing initiatives.
  • Coach junior staff on cybersecurity-specific media strategies and relationship building.
  • Write and edit cybersecurity-focused content, including thought leadership articles, press releases, contributed pieces, speaking abstracts, award nominations, analyst briefings, media pitches, briefing books, backgrounders, and internal client materials.
  • Ensure content reflects technical accuracy, industry nuance, and journalistic relevance.
  • Create timely, creative narratives that make technical topics relatable to media and business audiences.
  • Lead results reporting and campaign measurement, clearly articulating outcomes and public relations value to clients.
  • Leverage insights and data to refine cybersecurity campaign strategies.
  • Collaborate across teams to ensure integrated service delivery around artificial intelligence, design, content, and social media.
  • Identify and adopt artificial intelligence tools that support campaign precision, speed, and efficiency.
  • Mentor and support junior staff, helping them build cybersecurity knowledge, media skills, and client confidence.
  • Foster an inclusive, high-performing team culture built on respect, communication, and shared success.
  • Lead by example through proactive, solution-oriented collaboration and professional conduct.
  • Contribute to new business initiatives, from background research to pitch participation.
  • Write for Highwire’s blog and engage with agency social channels to share cybersecurity insights and wins.
  • Attend and encourage participation in security conferences, networking events, and relevant meetups.
  • Bring ideas to improve agency culture, workflows, and team growth.
  • Set and track quarterly goals with a manager to support career development.
  • Prioritize tasks effectively to meet client goals and internal expectations.
  • Drive projects and initiatives forward independently with minimal oversight.
  • Seek feedback and act on it to support continuous improvement.
  • Meet deadlines and communicate clearly when priorities shift.
  • Stay up to date on cybersecurity news, industry changes, and media trends.
Desired Qualifications
  • A collaborative, curious, and client-first mindset.

HighWire provides a digital publishing platform and services for scholarly publishers to host journals and books, manage manuscript submission and peer review, and handle subscriptions. It offers an end-to-end, integrated workflow from author submission through editorial review to publication and monetization. By focusing on the scholarly publishing niche, HighWire differentiates itself with long-standing relationships and a full suite tailored to publishers’ needs rather than generic publishing tech. The goal is to streamline scholarly communication by delivering scalable technology-enabled tools that simplify content production, review workflows, and revenue management for publishers, societies, and university presses.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$1.2M

Headquarters

Princeton, New Jersey

Founded

2008

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 2026 CFO hire Kelly Losko signals expansion discipline after acquisition.
  • Highwire Health targets regulated healthcare budgets where crisis communications spend stays sticky.
  • Mergers with Bliss and Candor Content expand cross-sell into demand generation and executive visibility.

What critics are saying

  • AcroIntelligence competes against Cision, Meltwater, and Muck Rack with thinner software economics.
  • January 2026 Bliss integration risks culture clashes and client churn across North America.
  • Agency revenue depends on client retention; one lost enterprise can hit utilization quickly.

What makes Highwire unique

  • June 2026 AcroIntelligence and AcroAI give Highwire proprietary media-signal intelligence.
  • January 2026 Bliss Group acquisition gives Highwire 250-plus professionals and healthcare depth.
  • Highwire Health unifies life sciences, health tech, and business-of-health expertise after March 2026 launch.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Hybrid Work Options

401(k) Company Match

Home Office Stipend

Wellness Program

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-4%

1 year growth

-4%

2 year growth

-4%
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Highwire Appoints Powerhouse Michael O'Brien As Ceo

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highwire, a strategic marketing communications agency partnering with brands at the intersection of innovation and industry, today announced the appointment of Michael O’Brien as its new chief executive officer, to further accelerate the agency’s growth and lead Highwire’s journey into a new era of integrated services and impactful client programs. O’Brien brings over 30 years of experience driving growth and excellence for some of the world’s most iconic brands. He served as chief client officer for over 10 years of his 23-year career at Ketchum. There, he transformed client service by focusing on growth, reducing revenue attrition, and creating a more purposeful approach to client management. O’Brien was also responsible for global business development and strategic planning. He will succeed Carol Carrubba, who is currently serving as interim CEO

ForexTV
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Highwire Achieves Double-Digit Growth in 2024, Elevates Michael Byrnes to Chief Growth Officer

To sustain and accelerate this momentum, Highwire has promoted Michael Byrnes to Chief Growth Officer.

The Robot Report
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The San Francisco Bay Area is a nexus of AI and robotics. Source: Adobe Stock. The San Francisco Bay Area is the nexus of the artificial intelligence revolution in the U.S., anchored by San Francisco, with the renaissance of robotics investment and innovation in Silicon Valley. AI is merging with and embodied by robotics here. For instance, Waymo’s driverless cars are a common sight in San Francisco. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said the future of AI is physical AI, embodied by robotics including self-driving cars

GlobeNewswire
Dec 19th, 2024
Highwire Appoints Mike Steavenson As Executive Vice President Of Enterprise Technology Practice, Elevates Jason Mayde To Cto

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highwire, a high-impact communications and marketing partner for global technology and healthcare companies, is proud to announce the appointment of Mike Steavenson as Executive Vice President of its Enterprise Technology Practice and the elevation of Jason Mayde to Chief Technology Officer (CTO). By expanding its technology leadership team, Highwire bolsters its commitment to harness the transformative power of AI in every aspect of its business and to offer clients unparalleled expertise in both B2B technology and AI. Highwire is committed to leveraging AI in a way that ensures quality, safeguards ethics, and complies with all applicable regulations. This approach harnesses the power of AI responsibly to drive innovation, efficiency, and impactful results for clients. “AI is transforming every industry, including communications and marketing, so investment in enterprise and technology talent distinguishes Highwire as we guide our clients in this new era,” said Highwire interim CEO Carol Carrubba

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Highwire PR hires Real Chemistry's Chuck Hemann

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