The Account Supervisor - Media Relations Lead in PR, Social & Content Department is a senior, reporter-facing role responsible for guiding proactive and reactive earned media strategy for some of the agency's most high-profile brands. This role requires deep media relations expertise, strong national and regional reporter relationships, and confident counseling in complex, fast-moving situations.
The ideal candidate brings 8+ years of full-time PR experience and is equally comfortable setting media strategy, pitching top-tier outlets, managing announcements and triaging issues, and rolling up their sleeves to edit and write clear, compelling materials. This is a client-facing leadership role that partners closely with senior clients, internal account leads, and cross-functional teams to ensure earned media efforts are strategic, disciplined, and effective.
Duties & Responsibilities Media Relations Leadership
- Serve as a senior media relations lead for clients, setting earned media strategy aligned to business priorities, brand reputation and campaign goals.
- Own editor and reporter relationships across key national, regional and trade outlets; proactively identify opportunities and manage ongoing media engagement.
- Develop and execute proactive media relations plans-including pitching, briefing materials, and story development-that drive consistent earned media coverage.
- Lead preparation for major announcements, brand moments, and executive visibility opportunities, including messaging, press materials, media lists and outreach strategy.
- Partner with account leadership to ensure readiness for issues, sensitive topics or reactive inquiries, and support escalation planning as needed.
Story Development
- Lead the creation of high-quality media materials, including press releases, talking points, media briefs, pitches, Q&A documents and executive bylines.
- Conduct interviews with senior leaders and subject matter experts to extract insights and shape media-relevant narratives.
- Apply strong editorial judgment to refine structure, framing and positioning to maximize media relevance and impact.
- Leverage AI-enabled tools to streamline research, media planning, content development, and project execution, creating more time to focus on strategic thinking, relationship building, and delivering meaningful results for clients.
- Use AI-enabled tools to accelerate the development of pitches, briefing materials, media communications, and Q&A documents, while ensuring final work reflects each client's voice, goals, and brand story.
Client Counseling & Collaboration
- Serve as a trusted day-to-day media advisor to C-suite clients, confidently guiding recommendations and explaining media strategy, risks and opportunities.
- Collaborate closely with other teams in agency to ensure earned media aligns with integrated marketing efforts.
- Support team members by providing guidance, feedback and quality control on media outreach and written materials.
- Stay current on earned media trends, shifting newsroom dynamics, and evolving expectations of reporters and editors.
Job Qualifications - 8+ years of professional experience in public relations, with deep, hands-on experience in media relations, preferably in an agency setting.
- Proven success securing earned media coverage and managing reporter relationships at the regional and/or national level.
- Strong strategic instincts paired with excellent executional skills-able to lead strategy while personally owning writing and pitching.
- Exceptional writing and editing ability, particularly for media-facing content.
- Experience counseling senior clients and executives with confidence and sound judgment.
- Comfort managing complex, high-visibility brands where accuracy, consistency and reputation matter.
- Comfort leveraging AI-enabled tools to support research, content development, and project execution while maintaining ownership of the quality, accuracy, and effectiveness of the final work.
- Proven ability to coach and develop junior team members with thoughtful guidance and a high bar for excellence.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and remain calm under pressure.
- Thoughtful, solutions-oriented collaborator who embodies curiosity, accountability and a We Before Me philosophy.
What Makes Someone Successful Here- You build on ideas with a "Yes, and" mindset
- You bring curiosity and challenge thinking in a productive way
- You care about both the work and the people behind it
- You hold high standards and take ownership of outcomes
Benefits include: Hybrid work flexibility, health + dental insurance, paid parental leave, matching 401(k) + profit sharing, a professional development fund and many more! This position is a hybrid position.
Work Environment & EligibilityHybrid role based in Madison, WI (in-office Monday-Wednesday; remote Thursday-Friday). Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.
