Vice President, US Public Relations

Job Description

The Vice President of Public Relations is a leadership role within Communications reporting to the Chief Communications Officer.

Company Description

Hudson’s Bay Company is one of the fastest-growing department store retailers in the world.  In North America, HBC’s leading banners include Hudson’s Bay, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gilt, Saks OFF 5TH, , and Home Outfitters. In Europe, HBC’s banners include GALERIA Kaufhof (the largest department store group in Germany), Galeria INNO (Belgium’s only department store group), and. At HBC we are a company of adventurers who explore uncharted territory, challenge convention, and work with imagination and fun.   

Major Responsibilities

The Vice President, US Public Relations will take the lead in developing, planning and overseeing the execution of the public relations and image building strategies for Saks Fifth Avenue, Gilt, Lord & Taylor and Saks OFF 5TH. This individual will provide leadership to three teams across three divisions of the company to ensure proactive public relations campaigns in fashion, lifestyle, retail, consumer, and digital media that will dominate the media. This role will work closely in partnership with banner merchants, marketing, events, digital and stores to create authentic communication strategies that drives consumer, industry, vendor and, preference for our banners.

Role responsibilities include:

1. Strategy Creation: Direct consumer, fashion, lifestyle, celebrity and digital public relations strategy creation annually for each banner, supporting key initiatives along with daily ongoing implementation. Create master narrative for each business and update based on shifting business needs.
2. Build and Foster Business Relationships: Oversee critical fashion media relationships for the banners and ensure that the team is well positioned with proactive relationships. Also takes the lead with the management of agency relationships.
3. Build World Class Teams: Build and lead team with the appropriate mix of talent and skills to drive innovation and performance, while identifying talents of direct reports, and assisting with their growth and development plans.
4. Executive Management: Serve as communications business partner for three banner Presidents and their leadership teams, while developing strategies to platform those executives in the media.
5. Project Management: Lead creation of annual strategies for each of the banners, along with individual strategies for marquee initiatives inclusive of goal setting, calendar development, and measurement against key benchmarks.
6. Deliver Exceptional Results: Create new processes to ensure communications align with banner planning and leveraging resources and relationships across the team to effectively deliver stellar proactive media results.
7. Budget Planning: Oversee creation and management of Public Relations’ budgets across multiple businesses.
8. Oversee Communications Support: Edit and coach the team in the creation of all media materials including press releases, key messages, and Q&A for press interviews and external events.
9. Store Communication: Develop strategies around new store openings and support Saks stores in major regional markets with localized press opportunities.

Qualifications

Personal Characteristics

The successful candidate should be a seasoned leader with a strong ability to develop, mentor, and manage a public relations team as well as agencies. He/she should be well poised to negotiate well among merchants, vendors, stores, and media. This individual must possess a high level of teamwork and interpersonal skills and will know how to get things done, overcomes obstacles, while respecting others’ points of view and positions. The successful candidate will be someone who works well under pressure, is flexible, resilient, and able to thrive in a dynamic, rapid paced complex retail environment.

Professional Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of experience in Fashion/Retail Public Relations, Events, Communications
• Experience in writing media communications materials and pitching press, with a proven track record of successful media placements
• Must have a demonstrated abilityto work with national and regional media and will have established senior-level editorial relationships across magazine, print, television, and digital media in fashion, luxury, entertainment and digital
• Have a working knowledge of publicity metrics and ROI
• Experience in providing strategic direction and oversight of a business
• Deep understanding of the luxury retail, digital retail space with a strong knowledge of the competitive landscape
• Ability to oversee $1M+ budget
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills

Educational Credentials

University degree in Communications or Marketing

Travel

Office environment with approximately 20% travel within the United States and Canada.