Section 1: Position Summary
The Director, Media Relations will play a key role in accelerating the growth of Ascensus’ businesses. The incumbent will be accountable for strategy and oversight of executions to increase relevance and shape perception of Ascensus as the industry leader in tax-advantaged savings, recordkeeping, and plan administration, and innovator in technology, and user and mobile experiences.
This role will play an integral role in the Digital, Marketing, & Analytics team’s overall efforts to drive near-term revenue generation and associate retention; leverage brand visibility and awareness to increase efficiency, cross-sell, top-of-the-funnel metrics; and long-term value creation, including expansion of business/market opportunities.
The Director, Media Relations will own the Media Relations strategy for Ascensus corporate and the four lines of business—leading press release strategy and development, fostering effective relationships with key trade and financial media, raising leader profile, managing and maximizing the company’s relationship with our public relations agency, monitoring Ascensus and competitor news coverage and share of voice, developing and sharing key metrics to inform strategy, and adopting an “embedded journalist” mentality to support development of press release, white paper, and industry engagement content.
The incumbent also will support LOB product and distribution strategies and serve on the Ascensus Brand Strategy Governance Committee, composed of the marketing heads of each LOB, Head of Brand & Communications, and Chief Digital, Marketing & Analytics officer.
They will also support Ascensus’ publication of intellectual capital and content to further enhance our perception in the market and drive business goals.
Section 2: Job Functions, Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Position Ascensus for continued growth by developing and leading implementation of highly effective media relations strategies resulting in frequent, high-quality earned media opportunities—all supported by active social media and web content
Identify, develop, and execute media strategies and tactics supporting marketing programs and tools designed to build and extend the Ascensus brand, partner brand, generate revenue, and strengthen our market position
Envision the future state, then build what is needed - strategy, infrastructure, processes, and programs to chart our path
Play an active leadership role in the expression and evolution of the Ascensus brand through earned and paid media as the company pursues its growth and M&A strategy
Drive the Ascensus press release strategy and release development in partnership with Corporate Development/M&A, the lines of business, LOB Marketing, and executive leadership.
Manage other high-profile media projects to ensure our positioning is sufficiently compelling and differentiating to connect with our target audiences
Monitor Ascensus and competitor positioning and news impact, staying current on industry trends and regulatory issues that impact our business
Collaborate effectively across the organization and other center of excellence
Oversee contract and agency resources as required in execution
Drive awareness of thought leadership strategy through effective media placement.
Work closely with the Insights & Analytics team to leverage Ascensus data and expertise to pursue media relations objectives
Prepare regular reports covering recent media opportunities and press releases for the executive team
Promote the brand strategy within and outside of the Brand & Communications team to promote consistent articulation of the brand narrative, brand attributes, and the brand promise
Protect, secure, and properly handle all confidential data held by Ascensus to ensure against unauthorized access, improper transmission, and/or unapproved disclosure of information that could result in harm to Ascensus or our clients
Support our Core Values of People Matter, Quality First and Integrity Always® through visible actions on a day-to-day basis and modeling our organizational culture
Assist with other tasks and projects as assigned
Supervision
The Director, Media Relations will have supervisory responsibilities for contractor and agency resources; coordinating with vendors, publications, and web properties as required; and leading enterprise, cross-functional projects and initiatives supporting both brand and media presence and engagement.
Section 3: Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements
A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in marketing, brand management, corporate/digital communications, media relations, and/or marketing communications is required
Strong writing skills—succinct and compelling
Ability to work positively and constructively with the media
A track record of success managing marketing activities, brand promotion and measurement, digital content development, and/or marketing communications/media initiatives is desired
Proven success and high confidence in their writing ability, oral communication and influencing skills, issues management, and cross-enterprise initiative leadership -- bringing an effective presence as a presenter and counsel and demonstrating ability to think and act strategically
Strong proficiency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as experience leveraging and collaborating with digital media outlets, content developers, and sponsors
Experience with major financial or trade media preferred
Strong bias toward progressing the brand and growing its impact is a must
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Ascensus provides equal employment opportunities to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to ancestry, race, color, religion, sex, (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, criminal conviction record or any other protected category in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local laws (“Protected Status”).