Senior Public Relations Manager

Senior PR Manager Operators Who Hijack the News Cycle Welcome to Apply Seeking.com | Full-Time, Exempt, Remote (US) | Reports to: CMO About the Role Seeking.com is the world's largest luxury dating platform, and we are entering the most important chapter of our brand transformation. We are looking for a Senior PR Manager who will own Public Relations and Communications end-to-end as a small, high-output in-house function, with two North Stars: Share of Voice against named competitors and earned media impressions. This is the scope of a Head of PR delivered by a player-coach. You will set the strategy and execute it personally. You will write the press release, pitch it to the journalist, prep the Co-CEO for the podcast, brief the agency on the follow-on, file the award submission, and clean up the asset library before the end of the day. You will also lead a small team: at least one direct report (PR Associate or PR Coordinator) whom you will hire, mentor, and grow, plus two external agencies (W in the UK and 5W in the US) as a force multiplier on outreach and relationships. You will coordinate cross-functional marketing campaigns with creative, product, social, and digital teams. This role exists because Seeking is moving past its legacy reputation and becoming the definitive platform for ambitious people building extraordinary lives. We need a PR operator who treats the news cycle like a marketplace, finds Seeking a seat at every relevant table, and makes us one of the most talked-about dating and lifestyle brands of the next 24 months. If you want a corporate seat with five layers above you, this role is not for you. If you want a function you can build, a brand you can shape, a team you can grow, and direct exposure to the Co-CEOs and CMO from day one, keep reading. Who Should Apply We care more about wiring than resume. We are especially open to candidates from these backgrounds: Agency operators (mid-level to senior) at consumer, lifestyle, or entertainment shops who are ready to run their own shop in-house Former journalists, reporters, or editors who already think in story angles and have a newsroom network In-house PR managers at high-growth consumer brands who have built something from a small base Comms operators with a journalism degree or background who have spent time on both sides of the pitch Communications generalists from entrepreneurial or founder-led companies where PR was being built from scratch If you have spent your career telling stories, editing content, or working in newsrooms, your skills translate. We value your understanding of what journalists need, how editors think, and what makes a story worth publishing. Core Responsibilities Team Leadership & Talent Development Hire your first direct report (PR Associate or PR Coordinator) within the first 90 days, with input from the CMO Manage and mentor at least one FTE direct report. Set their priorities, coach their writing, develop their judgment, and grow them into a stronger PR operator than when they joined you Run a weekly 1:1 with each direct report focused on feedback, development, and removing blockers Build a quarterly development plan for each direct report so they have a clear path of growth Delegate the work that is below your bar (media monitoring, basic asset maintenance, lower-tier outreach) and use the leverage to focus on tier-one pitching, executive visibility, and strategy Scale the team thoughtfully as Share of Voice and earned media impressions grow; make the business case for additional headcount when warranted Strategy & Earned Media Ownership Own the PR and Communications strategy for Seeking.com, with explicit ownership of Share of Voice and earned media impressions as your primary KPIs Build and maintain a rolling 90-day PR calendar tied to product moments, the cultural calendar, and trend opportunities Define quarterly themes and narratives the brand will own in tier-one media Set and report on KPIs weekly: SoV vs. named competitors, earned impressions, tier-one placements, sentiment, share of conversation on key topics Build a quarterly executive readout for the CMO and Co-CEOs Writing, Pitching & Media Relations Write press releases, media alerts, pitch letters, op-eds, bylines, talking points, Q&As, fact sheets, executive bios, and briefing books end-to-end with minimal editing required Pitch directly to journalists, editors, podcast bookers, producers, bloggers, and influencers. This role does not outsource pitching to the agency Maintain and grow a personal list of journalist and producer relationships across dating, relationships, lifestyle, business, consumer tech, and culture beats Respond to inbound media requests with speed (within hours, not days) and gather information across the company to prepare approved messaging Identify and pursue PR opportunities through Qwoted, HARO, and similar platforms daily Insert Seeking into the news cycle through trend-hijacking: spot a story moving on X, in newsletters, or in early-morning headlines and have a pitch out before lunch Edit and proofread all external communications for accuracy, AP style, tone, and brand consistency Co-CEO & Executive Visibility Build a podcast, interview, and speaking pipeline for our Co-CEOs and place them on shows their target audiences actually listen to Prepare them with briefing materials, narrative arcs, and message tracks for every appearance Identify and submit the company and executives into industry, business, and culture awards that drive Share of Voice Manage stage and panel opportunities at conferences relevant to dating, lifestyle, consumer tech, and growth Coordinate executive visibility across earned media, social, and owned channels Spokesperson Duties Be available to participate in interviews and serve as a named or unnamed spokesperson for Seeking.com when needed Substitute for the Co-CEOs when they are unavailable, when an outlet wants a non-executive voice, or when the story is better served by a member-of-the-PR-team perspective Hold the same expectation across the PR team: everyone in PR, including any direct reports, should be media-trained and willing to step in front of the camera, the microphone, or a reporter's notebook on the company's behalf Maintain personal media-readiness: keep talking points current, complete media training as the company offers it, and be comfortable on camera and in audio Coordinate with legal and the CMO on any spokesperson appearance with reputational sensitivity Member Casting & Storyteller Book Build and maintain a curated 'book' of Seeking members who are willing and prepared to speak to the press on the company's behalf Recruit members into the casting book continuously, with diversity across age, profession, geography, relationship status, and story type Vet every member in the book for media-readiness, story strength, and alignment with the brand Match the right member to the right story when journalists request interview subjects, balancing speed of response with quality of fit Manage all NDAs, consent forms, talking-point briefings, and post-interview follow-ups for member interviewees Prep members ahead of every press interaction: brief them on the outlet, the journalist, the angle, and the message tracks. Members should feel supported, not exposed Maintain the casting book as a living asset, tagged by beat, story angle, and availability, so the right member can be sourced in hours when a journalist needs one Develop incentive structures (where appropriate) to keep top storytellers engaged and renewing their participation Agency Management (W in UK, 5W in US) Serve as the day-to-day client lead for W (UK) and 5W (US). Run weekly status calls, set the agenda, drive deliverables, and hold the agencies to clear quarterly scorecards Treat the agencies as a force multiplier on outreach and relationship coverage, not as a replacement for your own pitching Quality-control every agency-drafted asset before it leaves the building. Materials with our name on them meet your standard or they do not go out Share brand guidelines, messaging updates, campaign information, and approved imagery with agency partners and keep them current Track and report on agency performance metrics and ROI, and renegotiate scope when ROI slips Coordinate trans-Atlantic narrative consistency so US and UK stories ladder up to the same brand position Prepare campaign briefs, resource notes, and timeline documentation for every agency engagement Trend-Mining & Cultural Listening Monitor the news cycle continuously across dating, relationships, lifestyle, business, and tech for stories Seeking should be in Maintain a list of recurring cultural moments (Valentine's Day, Dry January, dating-app earnings cycles, cultural debates) and pre-build pitches around them Bring weekly trend memos to the CMO with at least three actionable insertion opportunities Track competitor PR activity (Match, Bumble, Hinge, Raya, and the long tail) and flag where they are taking share of conversation we should be contesting Research journalists, podcasts, influencers, and platforms relevant to the brand on an ongoing basis Issues, Reputation & Crisis Anticipate reputational issues before they hit. Maintain holding statements and crisis trees for the predictable categories Quarterback any incoming reputational story end-to-end with legal, executive, and agency input Maintain a press FAQ that reflects our current positioning, not our legacy reputation Maintain crisis communication resources and contact lists in a state ready to deploy Flag potential reputation or media risks to the CMO and Co-CEOs proactively Cross-Functional Campaign Coordination Plan, organize, and execute integrated marketing campaigns alongside creative, social, product, digital, and external agency partners Develop comprehensive campaign timelines, briefs, and resource allocation plans Coordinate press conferences, media interviews, product launches, and special events end-to-end Track campaign performance and compile reports with actionable insights for the CMO Drive collaboration across teams without formal authority Operations, Reporting & Asset Management Create and manage Jira tickets, maintain organized workflows, and keep the PR function operationally tight Maintain SOPs and process documentation for recurring PR and marketing workflows Maintain media lists, pitch calendars, journalist contact databases, and CRM tracking inside the existing marketing stack Maintain the PR asset library including approved imagery, boilerplates, key messaging, executive bios, and media kits Monitor daily media coverage across print, digital, broadcast, and social channels using Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater, Google Alerts, and similar tools Compile and analyze PR metrics including reach, impressions, sentiment, and Share of Voice Prepare weekly coverage summaries and monthly PR reports for leadership Write and edit supporting copy for blog posts, social media, internal communications, and member-facing messaging when PR and marketing overlap Manage PR budget, vendor contracts, and invoicing in coordination with finance Required Qualifications 5 to 8 years of combined experience across PR agency, in-house PR, and/or journalism. The right mix matters more than the years Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or related field, or equivalent professional track record Demonstrated record securing tier-one media coverage (national business, lifestyle, culture, or consumer tech outlets) that you personally pitched Exceptional writing and editing skills with a portfolio of published or placed work. You can draft a press release, a pitch email, an op-ed, and a tweet without a template, and they all sound like they belong to the same brand Experience managing PR agency or vendor relationships as the client, or experience inside a top agency running accounts as a senior IC AI fluency. You already use ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or similar tools to research trends, draft first passes, build media lists, and analyze coverage. You can describe the AI workflows you have built for yourself Strong personal media relationships with journalists, podcast bookers, or producers in at least one of: dating and relationships, lifestyle, business, consumer tech, culture Strong project management and operational discipline. You ship things on time, you keep your own systems organized, and nothing gets dropped Working knowledge of Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater, or equivalent, plus Qwoted/HARO, plus Jira/Asana/Monday, plus AP style Comfort operating as a player-coach: you set your own priorities and ship the work yourself, AND you can hire, manage, and develop at least one direct report Demonstrated experience mentoring or managing junior talent, even if informally (training an Associate, leading an account team, supervising interns, etc.) Preferred Qualifications Experience at a top consumer or lifestyle PR agency (5W, Edelman, BerlinRosen, Weber Shandwick, Ketchum, M Booth, Ogilvy, or similar) Newsroom experience as a reporter or editor at a recognized outlet with deep understanding of how newsrooms work and what makes stories newsworthy Experience working at an entrepreneurial or founder-led company where PR was being built from the ground up Existing relationships with dating, relationships, sex-and-culture, or modern-love beat reporters Track record of award wins (industry, business, or culture awards) you personally drove the submission for Experience helping executives become recognizable voices in the media Comfort with reputation work for brands that carry public-perception baggage Experience with influencer marketing, social media coordination, or modern earned-and-paid integration Experience with member, customer, or talent casting for media stories, including managing consent and NDA workflows Experience building or scaling a small in-house PR team from scratch Familiarity with luxury, lifestyle, consumer technology, or dating brands APR or similar professional certification Critical Success Factors Earned Media Dominance: You are aggressive about coverage and you want to dominate share of conversation, not participate in it Independent Judgment: You make confident decisions on messaging, agency direction, and crisis response without constant oversight Story Instinct: You see angles other people do not, and you can defend why they will land before you pitch them Agency Management Excellence: You get more out of W and 5W than the previous client did, because you set clear expectations and hold the line Execution Precision: You ship campaigns on time, on brand, and on budget across multiple workstreams Brand Guardian: You protect Seeking's reputation in every interaction and you raise the bar on what represents the brand publicly Talent Developer: You make the people around you better. Your direct report graduates this role having grown materially under your management AI as Leverage: You treat AI as a force multiplier, not a threat, and you have already replaced parts of your old workflow with it Cultural Fit: Who Thrives Here Be honest with yourself about whether this is your environment: You move fast. You would rather ship a B+ pitch in two hours than an A+ pitch in two days You have a strong point of view and you defend it, but you change your mind when the data does You are an operator, not an architect. You like the doing as much as the planning, and you do not consider operational work beneath you You are a player-coach by nature. You will personally ship the best pitches AND you will invest the time to grow your direct report into a great PR operator You are willing and ready to step in front of the camera or microphone yourself when needed. PR people at Seeking are not just behind the scenes; we expect everyone in the function to be able to substitute as a spokesperson when the moment calls for it You care about the dating and relationships space, or you are curious enough about it to become a student You are comfortable working on a brand with public-perception baggage and helping change the narrative You take ownership. You are the kind of person who would rather fix something quietly than wait to be told to fix it Day-in-the-Life Morning scan of the news, newsletters, X, and competitor coverage; flag two to three insertion opportunities by 10am Pitch journalists on at least one live story angle before lunch Run a weekly status with W (UK) and a separate one with 5W (US); push both agencies on open pitches Draft or polish a press release, op-ed, or briefing doc for a Co-CEO appearance Vet a podcast booking and prep the executive Submit the company or an executive into a relevant award Review and approve agency-submitted content before it goes out Run your weekly 1:1 with your direct report, coach a pitch they drafted, and unblock their open items Source a Seeking member from the casting book for a journalist's interview request and prep them for the call Coordinate a cross-functional campaign element with the creative or product team Update Jira tickets, asset library, and the SoV tracker before signing off What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months Share of Voice against named competitors grows quarter over quarter on a clear, measurable basis Seeking lands repeated tier-one placements in business, lifestyle, and culture media Our Co-CEOs become recognized voices in conversations about modern dating, relationships, and consumer brands W and 5W both report to you with a clear scorecard and demonstrably better output than they delivered before you arrived The brand wins at least three meaningful industry, business, or culture awards Reactive coverage on legacy reputation topics is replaced by proactive coverage on the company we are becoming Internal teams describe PR as the function that consistently makes their launches and campaigns louder Your direct report is hired, ramped, and contributing materially to placements within 6 months The member casting book contains a deep, diverse, media-ready roster that can fulfill any reasonable journalist interview request within hours Why This Role Matters This is one of the most consequential brand roles at Seeking. The company is in the middle of a transformation from a controversial past into the definitive platform for authentic, high-quality connections among ambitious people. The way millions perceive the brand over the next 24 months will be shaped, in large part, by the person we hire into this seat. Your standards, your judgment, and your hustle will set the tone for how the world hears about us. Compensation & Benefits Base salary: $120,000 to $150,000, commensurate with experience Performance bonus: up to 20% of base, tied to Share of Voice growth, tier-one placements, Co-CEO bookings, and award wins Full-time, exempt, fully remote within the US Health, dental, vision, 401(k), and standard benefits package Direct exposure to the CMO and Co-CEOs from day one To Apply Please submit: Resume Three to five writing samples (press releases, pitches, published bylines, or op-eds you drafted) A short list (5 to 10) of tier-one placements you personally pitched and landed, with links A brief cover letter (one page maximum) telling us: how you use AI in your PR workflow today, one PR angle for Seeking.com you would pitch this week, and why this role versus your next obvious step Strong candidates will be invited to complete a paid take-home exercise before any final-round interviews. Seeking.com is an equal opportunity employer. We make hiring decisions based on capability and fit.