[Hiring] Director of Strategic Communications @Palette Media

Role Description

Palette is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications to serve as a senior strategic partner to leading brands, institutions, and public figures navigating culture, reputation, and influence in the digital era. This role sits at the intersection of corporate affairs, politics, media, and the creator economy. You will identify the underlying business and communications challenges our clients face, and design integrated communications strategies across earned, owned, and emerging digital channels to drive reputational, policy, and business outcomes. You will shape how clients show up in high-stakes moments - developing narrative strategies, guiding decision-making, and translating cultural insight into actionable, high-impact work.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Advisory
  • Serve as the strategic voice in the room.
  • Translate cultural, media, and digital signals into clear direction clients can act on.
  • Diagnose the real problem.
  • Design communications strategies that leverage earned media, owned channels, creators, and emerging digital ecosystems to solve challenges.
  • Develop end-to-end strategies spanning narrative, communications, and distribution ecosystems, aligned to clients’ business and reputational goals.
  • Bring a clear POV in complex or ambiguous situations.
• Narrative & Cultural Strategy
  • Drive proactive narrative work.
  • Build frameworks, positioning, and messaging infrastructure that puts clients ahead of the conversation.
  • Identify cultural inflection points and moments of reputational risk or opportunity.
  • Determine how different forms of communications channels can serve as drivers of narrative, credibility, and reach.
  • Stay deeply attuned to digital culture, emerging platforms, and the evolving media ecosystem.
• Campaign & Creative Oversight
  • Guide the development of integrated, channel-specific campaigns and content ecosystems.
  • Translate insights into clear messaging frameworks, creative direction, briefs, and messaging frameworks.
  • Use social listening reports, audience insights, performance signals to sharpen and inform strategy.
  • Develop clear amplification plans in partnership with our distribution team.
  • Partner with internal teams, media, external stakeholders, creators, and more to bring strategies to life across formats and channels.
• Issues & Moment-Based Strategy
  • Identify reputational risks across media, political, and digital ecosystems before they escalate.
  • Support clients through high-stakes or time-sensitive moments.
  • Shape proactive and responsive strategies across channels.
• Client Leadership & Delivery
  • Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders including senior executives, communications leaders, and policy stakeholders.
  • Oversee development of key deliverables, including presentations, strategic memos, and campaign frameworks.
  • Ensure work is delivered at a high standard, on time, and within scope and budget.
• Firm Contribution & Growth
  • Contribute to new business efforts, including pitch strategy, positioning, and proposal development.
  • Help shape Palette’s point of view around the future of communications, influence, and narrative strategy.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of experience in strategy, communications, media, or related fields.
• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Digital Marketing, Communications, Media Studies, or other closely related field.
• Deep background in corporate communications, public affairs, or political communications.
• Experience managing high-stakes communications issues or crises.
• Advised senior stakeholders – C-suite executives, government officials, or public figures.
• Strong track record of identifying business or communications challenges and building strategies that solve them.
• Experience developing integrated communications strategies across earned, owned, and digital channels.
• Understanding of media relations and press dynamics.
• Exceptional communicator – written and verbal.
• Comfortable in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Highly collaborative, with experience working cross-functionally with creatives, analysts, and external partners.