Account Director, Earned Media Strategy

Who We Are

Weber Shandwick is more than a leading global PR agency – we’re an engagement agency and we’re working in and around the cutting edge of the new media landscape. We’re storytellers, content creators, and we engage people IN the story. Our success is built on a deep commitment to client service and to our people. We embrace creativity and collaboration, and we engage stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputations.

Are you a savvy media strategist with a genuine passion for beauty PR? A skilled marketer with integrated campaign expertise? Are you constantly in the know on the latest pop-culture and beauty trends? Do you have relationships with key beauty & lifestyle media? Then we want to hear from you!

We’re seeking an enthusiastic and skilled Director, Earned Media with deep beauty expertise to join our Integrated Media team in New York. This person will have a strong pulse on what’s shaping culture — someone who lives and breathes the worlds of beauty and haircare and understands how those categories play out in the media, on social, and in real life.

What You’ll Do

As a Director, you’ll play a leading role in developing and executing earned media strategies for some of the biggest beauty brands in the industry. You’ll be a trusted media partner, expert client counselor, creative storyteller, and mentor to junior teammates.

Core Responsibilities:

• Lead Earned Media Efforts: Lead proactive and reactive media outreach to secure high-impact coverage across top-tier beauty, lifestyle, consumer, social-first and trade publications, translating brand strategies into compelling earned storylines that break through with press, consumers, and on social.
• Drive Day-to-Day Client Relations: Serve as a key day-to-day client contact for earned media, confidently presenting strategies, updates, counsel and recommendations while fostering trust through clear, compelling communication.
• Build & Maintain Editorial Relationships: Cultivate strong, ongoing relationships with editors, writers, producers, news-fluencers and emerging media voices — from traditional outlets to non-traditional platforms like newsletters/Substacks, podcasts, and social channels.
• Integrated Planning: Collaborate cross-functionally with IAT partners and external agencies to help shape holistic campaign plans, ensuring earned media is thoughtfully integrated into broader brand, influencer, social, and paid strategies.
• Support Product & Campaign Launches: Develop and manage media strategies for major brand moments — from product & campaign launches and press trips to NYFW, stylist relations, red carpet partnerships, cultural moments and seasonal storytelling.
• Trend Spotting: Stay on top of emerging beauty, wellness, social and pop culture trends; identify real-time opportunities for clients to insert themselves into relevant conversations.
• Press Material Development: Draft and edit compelling media materials, including press releases, pitches, messaging docs, and executive talking points.
• Team Mentorship: Mentor junior staff, providing guidance on pitching, relationship-building, newsjacking and account management.
• Evaluate Earned Impact: Distill insights and key learnings to optimize future earned strategies, KPIs or benchmarks, and demonstrate impact to clients.

Who You Are

• A media connector with 6–8 years of PR experience and a strong network of beauty and lifestyle editors, writers, and creators.
• A strategic storyteller who can connect brand goals to cultural moments in ways that feel authentic and fresh.
• A beauty enthusiast — you’re genuinely excited about product innovation, artistry, and how beauty intersects with culture.
• A social-first thinker who devours thumb-stopping content on their feeds and can turn them into storytelling opportunities.
• A collaborator who thrives in integrated environments and enjoys partnering with strategy, creative, influencer, and social teams to bring campaigns to life.
• A doer and a mentor — someone who can both lead media efforts and develop junior teammates with clarity and empathy.

Basic Qualifications

• 6–8 years of PR or communications experience, agency or in-house
• Bachelor’s Degree (preferably in Communications, Marketing, Journalism or related field)
• Proven media relationships across beauty, lifestyle, entertainment, and cultu