Vice President, Public Relations

Derris is a brand consultancy headquartered in New York City and London. We approach our work methodically, telling stories with universal impact through strategy, positioning, content and communications. We challenge conventional thinking and seek to work with people who have an open mind for new ideas. We have a dual-pronged approach: first we help clients shape their message and then we help them communicate that story through media, only working with people, companies and causes we believe in.

About Derris

Derris is here to help build great brands. From lifestyle and fashion, to food, health & wellness, home & hospitality, technology, non-profit, finance, real estate, sports and more — we work with both new and established companies to develop narratives that stand out in cluttered industries. We create unique messaging and execute strategic media relations programs that blend traditionally separate practice areas to offer clients a holistic approach to both consumer and business storytelling. A few of the clients on our roster include: Warby Parker, Reformation, Everlane, SKIMS, Good American, Supergoop!, Blank Street, Starface, Juxtapose, Ruggable and Row 7.

Derris is looking for a Vice President who will oversee select account teams and serve as an internal strategic consultant for additional brands outside of their own rosters. The individual in this role will lead and mentor teams, work directly with clients to provide insights and collaborate with the rest of leadership on new business and growing the company. 

Location: This role is based in our New York, NY office on a hybrid basis. The Derris staff is in-office 3 days per week.

Responsibilities:

• Drive accounts forward by leading strategic thinking, planning, innovation and problem-solving 
• Establish and maintain an advisory role on all accounts while managing up to MDs, Partners and CEO 
• Provide strategic, sensitive and crisis counsel to clients, tracking tactic/strategy success and pivoting as needed 
• Attend quarterly strategy sessions, additional client calls and meetings as needed
• Maintain strong top-tier media relationships and deliver results
• Foster a well-read culture across the team and strategically pitch relevant media on an ongoing basis
• Devise plans to teach and mentor mid-and junior-level staff (both directly and with direct reports), especially related to creative strategy development and anticipating client needs, to cultivate our future leadership 
• Actively contribute to Derris' business development; both in growing our client roster and shaping current and future product offerings 
• Oversee up to 6 Direct Reports’ growth, success and retention
• Contribute to Derris’ internal workstreams at the Senior Leadership level to improve company process, procedures and habits

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of Public Relations experience - agency experience preferred
• Proven track record of media relations experience
• Ability to confidently and effectively communicate both verbally and in writing with varying levels of staff, clients and the media
• Can comfortably think on their feet with a close attention to detail in work product
• Capable of thinking through communication strategies and deliver tangible results
• Comfort with working across a variety of industries and clients

Derris offers competitive industry rate salary bands with the goal of retaining and growing talented individuals. We regularly review and adjust our compensation structure as needed to ensure equity across teams and levels.

Compensation: The salary range for this role is $135,000 - $150,000, commensurate with experience, plus end of year bonuses based on firm, team and individual performance.

Employees are eligible for employee referral bonuses, annual merit increases, and commission for any referrals that lead to formal client partnerships. Derris is also committed to providing each employee with continued training and education as you grow within your careers with our Education Reimbursement Policy.

Benefits & Perks

• Employer-sponsored Health, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401K program after 1 year of employment - We match dollar-for-dollar on the first 3%, then 50% of everything you contribute between 4% - 5%
• Flex Weeks - Work from anywhere (on EST hours) for up to four weeks a year
• Free lunch 1x per week
• Generous paid time off (PTO), inclusive of general PTO, 13 paid bank holidays and 2 days for volunteer work
• Summer Fridays
• Pre-tax commuter benefits via JustWorks
• Parental leave
• Monthly cell phone data reimbursement
• Discounted gym memberships
• Life insurance
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Continuous skills training tailored to your role

Derris provides equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

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