Media Relations Account Supervisor

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. 

• 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

Work Environment & Eligibility
Hybrid 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.