Senior Manager, Public Relations

Department:  PR

About Hawke Media 

Hawke was founded on the idea that every modern business needs a CMO-level expert to lead digital marketing efforts. We customize data-driven, performance-focused solutions to help launch, scale, and invigorate businesses of all sizes, industries, and revenue models. We’re shifting the agency paradigm by putting client success ahead of our own. We’ve been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, INC, Business Insider, and CNN, and we can boast clients such as Red Bull, Verizon, Evite (and many, many more). We work hard and collaborate to create our dynamic culture. 

Job Summary 

The Senior PR Manager is a senior practitioner and client leader responsible for developing and executing sophisticated PR strategies, delivering meaningful media results, and serving as a trusted communications advisor to clients.

This role owns a portfolio of client accounts while also creating leverage through the effective management of contractors, specialists, writers, and other PR team members. The Senior PR Manager is expected to operate comfortably across strategy and execution, from identifying the story and advising senior client stakeholders to developing the pitch, building media relationships, and securing coverage.

As a senior member of the PR team, this person also contributes to high-level communications strategy, reputation management, and crisis communications; supports the development of more junior team members; and is capable of stepping into broader team leadership as the department grows.

Success in this role means producing strong client outcomes, exercising excellent judgment, and making the people and accounts around you better.

• Own PR strategy and results for an assigned portfolio of clients, connecting communications strategy to each client's broader business and brand objectives.
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to clients, confidently guiding conversations around positioning, messaging, media strategy, reputation, and emerging opportunities.
• Lead client meetings and strategic planning conversations, translating business priorities into clear PR strategies and tactical plans.
• Proactively identify cultural, industry and media trends that create opportunities or risks for clients.
• Establish meaningful client KPIs, regularly evaluate performance against them and adjust strategy when results or market conditions warrant.
• Build strong relationships with senior client stakeholders and confidently manage expectations, difficult conversations and changing priorities.
• Contribute strategic counsel to reputation management, sensitive communications and crisis situations, including messaging, scenario planning, response strategy and media considerations.

• Develop compelling, differentiated story angles that earn attention from relevant consumer, trade and business media.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of the media landscape and cultivate meaningful relationships with journalists, editors, producers and other relevant contacts.
• Actively pitch media and secure coverage. This remains a hands-on practitioner role.
• Identify timely opportunities for reactive commentary, thought leadership, contributed content, trend participation and other earned media strategies.
• Review and improve pitches, messaging, and media materials developed by other team members before they reach clients or media when appropriate.
• Analyze media response and results to continuously improve angles, targeting and overall strategy; oversee and contribute to monthly and quarterly reporting 

• Manage and direct contractors, writers, specialists, and junior PR team members supporting assigned accounts.
• Translate client strategy into clear assignments, priorities, and expectations so contributors understand both what they are producing and why.
• Review work for strategic quality, accuracy, and alignment before delivery.
• Hold contributors accountable to deadlines, quality standards and client expectations.
• Coach Strategists and other team members on media strategy, pitching, client management and professional judgment.
• Help identify workflow, capacity, or performance issues and work with department leadership to resolve them.
• Be prepared to take on direct people-management and broader team leadership responsibilities as the department grows.

• Own account health across results, client satisfaction, scope, budget and team performance.
• Manage client budgets and resources effectively, identifying when priorities or staffing need to shift to achieve client goals.
• Identify risks to client retention early and proactively develop solutions.
• Identify opportunities to expand client relationships based on genuine business and communications needs.
• Participate in renewals, new business conversations, strategic ideation, and proposal development.
• Partner with department leadership and other Hawke teams to identify integrated opportunities for clients.
• Contribute to department processes, standards, training, and the continued evolution of Hawke's PR offering.

• 6+ years of public relations/communications experience, with significant agency experience as part of work history.
• Demonstrated experience independently owning PR strategy and client relationships across multiple accounts.
• Strong track record of developing media strategies, pitching journalists, and securing meaningful earned media coverage.
• Experience managing contractors, specialists and/or junior team members and holding others accountable for quality and deadlines.
• Excellent strategic writing and editing skills, including pitches, messaging, strategic plans, executive communications and client-facing materials.
• Experience advising clients or senior stakeholders on complex, sensitive or high-stakes communications.
• Working knowledge of crisis communications and reputation management, with experience contributing to crisis strategy and response.
• Strong judgment and ability to make sound decisions quickly with incomplete information.
• Ability to connect communications recommendations to broader business, brand, and reputational considerations.
• Strong knowledge of consumer PR, with the ability to operate effectively across trade and B2B media as needed.
• Deep familiarity with PR tools and workflows, including media databases, monitoring platforms, project management systems and measurement/reporting tools.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple accounts, contributors, deadlines, and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to coach others, provide clear feedback, and raise the quality of work across a team.

Sponsorship Notice: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire. The company is not able to sponsor employment visas for this position at this time.

Compensation Range: $75,000 - $85,000 Annual Salary

Location: Full-Time in-office Santa Monica HQ (5 Days in-office)

Perks And Benefits

Health and Wellness

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Financial Benefits

• Competitive Base Salary
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Life and Disability Insurance

Time Off

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Paternal/Maternal Leave

Growth and Development

• Ongoing Training and Learning Opportunities
• Career Path Progression