Job Description:
The Director, External Communications will lead Merkle’s communications strategy and tell strategic, high-quality stories that position us as business transformation consultancy leaders. Our ideal teammate is someone with an innate ability to identify, articulate and execute inspiring stories that weave together multiple narratives: capabilities, clients, partnerships, and thought leadership.
This role reports to the Senior Director, Marketing Strategy, with a dotted line to the VP, Communications, dentsu Americas. It requires an effective balance of strategy and execution, strong relationship-building skills, deep understanding of Merkle’s solutions, and storytelling skill. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, executive presence and cross-functional collaboration skills are a must.
Strategic planning of external communications and media engagement strategies designed to enhance Merkle’s reputation, drive positioning and lift brand efficacy with key external stakeholders, including press, clients and industry partners.
Drive communications strategy and activation with key alliance partners (e.g., Adobe, Salesforce, Braze) to position joint work, IP, events, and GTM plans.
Partner with clients on proactive and reactive communications strategies related to campaign launches, new business wins, corporate positioning and thought leadership opportunities.
Amplify thought leadership through trade media and other earned channels, increasing Merkle’s share of voice among our competitive set.
Build executive profiles of senior Merkle leaders. Demonstrate command of bylines – sourcing ideas from subject matter experts and creating content for earned, owned and sponsored opportunities.
Identify potential story angles and holistically manage announcements, including close cross-functional collaboration to develop messaging, write news releases and award submissions, and engage media and industry analysts.
Assist in supporting critical internal communications as needed
Requirements:
7+ years of experience
Ability to take story ideas from concept to launch – creating themes that can be weaved through public relations, social, digital, executive speaking engagements, and more
Established relationships with a broad range of media and outlets
Ability to bring clarity to ambiguous situations and act decisively
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience leading communications for professional services firms
Experience managing crisis communications, with a track record of successfully mitigating high-profile business and consumer issues with press, employees, and key stakeholders
At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we’re connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.
The annual salary range for this position is $99,500-$148,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.
Benefits available with this position include:
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance,
• Life insurance,
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance,
• 401k,
• Flexible paid time off,
• At least 15 paid holidays per year,
• Paid sick and safe leave, and
• Paid parental leave.
Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.
To begin the application process, please click on the “Apply” button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.
About Merkle
Merkle, a dentsu company, powers the experience economy. For more than 35 years, the company has put people at the heart of its approach to digital business transformation. As the only consultancy in the world with a heritage in data science and business performance, Merkle delivers holistic, end-to-end experiences that drive growth, engagement, and loyalty. Merkle’s expertise has earned recognition as a “Leader” by top industry analyst firms, in categories such as digital transformation and commerce, experience design, engineering and technology integration, digital marketing, data science, CRM and loyalty, and customer data management. With more than 16,000 employees, Merkle operates in 30+ countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information, visit here.
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Location:
New York - 150 E 42ndBrand:
MerkleTime Type:
Full timeContract Type:
PermanentDentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e-mail to [email protected] by clicking on the link to let us know the nature of your accommodation request and your contact information. We are here to support you.
What We Do
Dentsu Creative is a global creative agency network designed to unlock exponential growth for clients. We use Transformative Creativity as a differentiating, driving force to bring our capabilities together to positively impact people, business and society. Established in 2022, Dentsu Creative is integrated with dentsu’s Media and CXM businesses in over 145 countries and regions, to offer Integrated Growth Solutions.
