Senior Account Executive, Public Relations Hawkins International

Location: Los Angeles

Our Hawkins International luxury travel public relations team at FINN Partners continues to expand! We’re looking for an outstanding and driven Senior Account Executive (SAE) to join our global award-winning agency.  Hawkins International, a FINN Partners Company, is a recognized leader and global player in public relations, communications and digital strategy for luxury travel, hospitality, wellness, and lifestyle brands. Boutique in size, boundless in experience, we have grown a global portfolio of clients ranging from iconic independent properties to major hospitality groups, one-of-a-kind wellness retreats and products, while developing enviable connections and maintaining rewarding relationships across print, broadcast and digital, as well as within the industries we service.

The ideal candidate thrives in tackling new challenges every day, juggling multiple clients, has experience managing 1-2 other people, and has over 4 years of public relations experience working with clients in the luxury travel, tourism, food, and/or hospitality industry. Our West Coast client roster boasts some of the most respected and luxurious hospitality brands in the industry – from well-known members’ clubs and five-star resorts both in the US and internationally to a private island tucked away in the Pacific – and we are looking for a hard-working individual who is passionate about a growing their career as a luxury travel publicist to join our close-knit team.

Work Location: Century City, Los Angeles. We are seeking candidates who wish to work a hybrid schedule of WFH and two days per week in the Los Angeles offices/in-person.

Anticipated Salary: $67,000 $72,000 salary commensurate with experience and depending upon workplace.

The SAE has exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, is highly organized, has a proactive take-initiative attitude, is confident, has a rolodex of media friendlies in the industry, and can manage public relations workloads effectively across a variety of client accounts. The candidate will be a key member of our highly skilled, collaborative, savvy, and highly motivated PR team engaged in a range of assignments spanning launches, media relations, client relations, thought leadership, social media, and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Assistant Account Executives and Account Executives by delegating responsibilities, encouraging development and providing mentorship to junior team members.
• Serve as a point of contact for clients and handle day-to-day activities of the account team, client projects and account management to ensure exceptional service to our clients; provide strategic counsel to clients regarding PR matters, correspond as the day-to-day contact (for press visits, requests, queries, etc.), and assist with regular PR conference calls.
• Execute and manage PR initiatives including: PR plans and strategy documents, press trips, media events, and media appointments. Draft press releases/pitches, build distribution lists, review PR reports and client communication, and track relevant industry awards & rankings.
• Proactively pitch media and be able to formulate compelling pitch angles and secure stories for clients in meaningful publications.
• Identify trends within hospitality and travel.
• Seamlessly execute PR campaigns and pitching for each client and ensuring annual PR objectives are reached/surpassed, working in tandem with the team.
• Support (and occasionally lead) daily client public relations account activities including developing and managing weekly timelines and action plans to effectively execute campaigns and client plans to ensure that all deadlines are met.
• Participate in new business proposals, team brainstorm sessions, and staff meetings.
• Cultivate relationships with senior level national, regional, and online media, and with freelancers and influencers; identify industry trends and build creative and strategic pitches to support them.
• Maintain current knowledge of news and events regarding our clients, their industries, and their competition: read news outlets; know what is happening in the business landscape of our clients; continuously explore and assess value-added solutions and new ideas for implementation.
• Work with junior and senior Travel PR department staff to support clients and grow the practice, supporting new business opportunities development, RFPs and proposals, research, program development and presentations.

Requirements

• Over 4 years prior experience working at a PR agency with travel and luxury hospitality clients
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Marketing, Communications, Journalism or related field
• Experience working with traditional and new media; social media and digital campaigns are a plus
• A proven track record of delivering high-quality stories in print, online, and broadcast, including travel and lifestyle consumer titles; thought leadership publications are a plus
• Comfortable leading client calls. Ideally will have served as primary day-to-day client contact in previous roles. Is a confident speaker.
• Solution driven.
• Creative thinker – ideally has experience with creative partnerships and programming
• Experience in writing and managing client programs and reports
• Knowledge of travel industry from B2B and B2C standpoints is highly desired
• Experience in delegating and managing 1 – 2 junior team members
• Solid project management and client relationship skills
• Excellent oral and written communications skills (includes presentation skills, editing skills, and strong attention to detail)
• Experience in developing awards & rankings submissions, including strategy, researching and writing submissions
• Experience working with MuckRack and other measurement platforms

To Apply

Please upload your resume and cover letter and indicate your desired salary in $US Dollars.  While we appreciate the interest of all candidates, we will only respond to those with whom we have a greater interest.

About FINN Partners

FINN Partners was launched in 2011 to realize Peter Finn’s vision to create a leading communications agency dedicated to shaping a bold new future in which innovation and partnership are strong drivers of the brand. FINN Partners specializes in the full spectrum of communications services, including digital and social media. Practice areas include arts, consumer lifestyle & sports, corporate social responsibility, education, health, manufacturing, technology, travel, and public affairs.

We are entrepreneurial-minded, global, and focused on integrated programs that bring to life the world-changing technologies, products, and services of our client partners.  Our company culture celebrates delighting our clients with innovative and creative campaigns and programs, and we provide opportunities for our employees to conduct career-meaningful work in a creative, fast-paced, collaborative, and fun environment. We work hard and play nice.

Headquartered in New York City, the agency has 1,000+ employees, with offices in 24 cities around the world: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Dublin, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Tamuning (Guam), Vancouver (Wash.) and Washington D.C.