Position Overview:

As a member of the Public Affairs Department, the Vice President of Media Relations is responsible for working across External Affairs and with project teams on the development, planning, coordination, and execution of large-scale, multi-city agency press announcements and events, which often involve the Mayor of New York City to highlight a wide variety of NYCEDC’s projects and initiatives. In addition, the VP writes and develops press materials, including press strategy plans, briefing memos, press releases, talking points, remarks, media advisories, and op-ed’s. The VP develops and maintains relationships with citywide, state, and national media and is proactive in shaping stories and pitching press, along with handling crisis response with urgency and accuracy.

The VP is a key member of the Public Affairs and External Affairs teams who reports to the SVP of Public Affairs/Media Relations and will manage junior team members. The candidate must be a strong multi-tasker, detailed oriented, and able to work well in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops and executes multi-faceted press strategies on assigned projects, coordinating across External Affairs and with project teams.
• Coordinates large-scale press events with City Hall, City agencies, or external stakeholders.
• Writes deliverables such as press releases, quotes, remarks, talking points, media advisories, op-eds and other materials as needed.
• Responds to and builds relationships with city, state, and national reporters across platforms, covering a range of stories having to do with NYCEDC’s vast portfolio of work.
• Works closely with teammates in external affairs and on project teams to relay information correctly and accurately to the media, often on a tight deadline.
• Works closely with City Hall communications staff and other City agencies on shaping press response and executing press deliverables.
• Proactively arranges media coverage and interviews to advance key messages to target audiences.
• Oversees junior team members and edits and approves press materials.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent
• 7+ years professional experience in City, State, Federal or County government communications, political campaign or experience at a PR or political consulting firm, working in public relations or public affairs.
• 2+ years working for a city agency handling press or communications preferred.
• Ability to handle multiple competing priority assignments effectively and be a team player.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment, with tight and shifting deadlines and high-pressured situations.
• Willingness to work non-traditional hours and be on-call on weekends.
• Experience shaping not just the narrative but visuals of a story.
• Demonstrated ability to stay informed on the news cycle, current events, trends, developments, and all-things NYC.
• Experience using Cision or other media distribution programs.
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience using Teams and SharePoint is a plus.
• Bi-lingual Spanish (written and spoken) is a plus.
• New York City residence is required within 180 days of hire.