Program Lead (Director)

About Purple Strategies

Purple Strategies is a corporate reputation and strategy firm that combines the creativity and discipline of brand communications with the speed and strategy of political campaigns to help leverage or reduce pressure on a business, brand or issue. We help build and defend reputation and brand value and serve Fortune 500 companies, associations, nonprofits and some of the most recognizable brands in the world. 

Purple helps the world’s most important organizations address their toughest challenges. We operate in a highly collaborative environment and apply integrated, team-based approaches to help clients: 

• ANTICIPATE reputation challenges and opportunities; 
• COMPEL change through business actions and transformation; and 
• NAVIGATE reputation issues, acute crises, key business choices and policy/regulatory changes to inform decision-making. 

About The Position

This is a full-time position in Purple Strategies’ Alexandria, VA or Chicago, IL office. As a member of the team, the Director works to make Purple indispensable to its clients by bringing our expertise to bear in big ideas and creative thinking while making the best decisions between better choices. The Director provides strategic leadership and oversight for integrated projects, managing client relationships at senior levels, and designing and driving campaigns to manage our clients’ complex challenges. Directors create substantive work every day, ensuring we give our clients our best work and counsel at pivotal moments throughout our engagement. They oversee team performance, foster a culture of excellence and collaboration, and contribute actively to business growth. 

The ideal candidate thrives on challenges, actively seeks and applies feedback, and approaches their work with diligence, intellectual curiosity, and a deep commitment to excellence, even when it means stepping outside their comfort zone, to deliver top-quality results. 

In This Position, You Will

• Design, direct and oversee development of sophisticated integrated strategies for major clients. 

• Act as a senior advisor and trusted partner to clients, managing expectations and strategic alignment. 

• Lead cross-functional teams effectively, ensuring clarity in roles and responsibilities and hitting internal and client-facing milestones. 

• Provide strategic counsel on complex issues, crisis management, and high-level stakeholder engagement, while always keeping an eye on the news cycle and external forces to anticipate and initiate actions with the client. 

• Lead the development of comprehensive proposals and presentations, clearly outlining strategic recommendations and tactical plans tailored to client objectives.  

• Oversee and contribute to the creation of strategy decks that effectively communicate insights, messaging frameworks, and campaign strategies to clients and internal stakeholders.  

• Craft engaging and impactful traditional and digital content and related materials across channels to advance client campaigns, including the various ways a campaign team may engage with the and/or through the media (ex. Press releases, pitches, background briefing prep, Q&A, and media training prep) 

• Actively fill the white space and provide an informed point of view to team leaders and principals including opportunities for client growth and team development. 

• Develop high-level talking points, briefing materials, and communications narratives for senior client executives and internal leadership, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with broader strategic objectives.  

• Ensure quality control and strategic coherence across all client-facing deliverables, maintaining consistency of message, brand alignment, and adherence to best practices in strategic communications. 

• Lead business development initiatives, anticipating and generating new opportunities and expanding client relationships. 

• Mentor and manage team members to execute high-quality work, while encouraging continuous professional development and feedback. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred. 

• Minimum 8 - 10 years of progressive experience in strategic planning, communications, or public affairs. 

• Experience in political campaigns or state/federal government, strongly preferred. 

• Extensive experience managing client relationships and leading integrated strategic campaigns. 

• Exceptional strategic, analytical, and communication skills. 

• Deep commitment to developing the highest quality work for our clients. 

• Ability to proactively identify opportunities where you can provide value or counsel, including when it might be necessary to challenge a client’s thinking on an issue. 

• Exceptional creative thinker who embraces big ideas and has a particular aptitude in distinguishing root challenges from symptoms and in synthesizing a wide variety of information. 

• Embodiment of Purple’s values: Adaptable, Collaborative, Curious, Innovative, Industrious, Respectful.  

Work Location  

This is a full-time position based in either our Alexandria, VA headquarters or our Chicago office. Purple Strategies offers a hybrid model and seeks employees who are comfortable working in the office three days a week.  

How To Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter online at purplestrategies.com/join-our-team/   

Purple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics.