Freelance Director, Strategic Planning

Senior Manager, Earned Media

At Weber Shandwick, we build brand stories designed to earn attention, coverage and conversation. We’re a passionate and diverse team that protects and promotes some of Canada’s (and the world’s) most iconic and beloved brands … and has fun while doing it!   
  
If you’ve got a passion for PR, here’s an opportunity to play a pivotal role at a forward-thinking, award-winning and globally leading integrated public relations agency. Over the last five years, Weber Shandwick has been recognized as PRovoke Media’s Canadian Agency of the Year, IABC Canadian Large Agency of the Year, a certified Great Place to Work (six years running) and boasts the most exciting client list of any agency in the country. 

 

POSITION PROFILE 

Do you love building relationships with journalists? Keeping your finger on the pulse of trends and breaking news? The thrill of the pitch? Landing the perfect story for your client? If so, this is the role for you. 

Our Toronto office is looking for a Senior Manager, Earned Media, who is a seasoned public and media relations consultant responsible for providing strategic client counsel around media and influencer engagement, helping plan media events, leading announcement activations, securing media stories and guiding and mentoring up-and-coming talent. The ideal candidate will have experience that encompasses media relations (earned and paid), influencer engagement, event planning and program execution. 

With 5-7 years of experience, you’ll help us create campaigns that drive impactful earned media coverage and activate influencer and social programs that generate meaningful and measurable results.  

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 
 

• Develop a strong understanding of the client’s business and target audience, and work with strategists and creative team members to deliver innovative and integrated programs that earn attention 

• Generate story ideas and topic angles, draft media materials, and pitch media to land earned coverage 

• Monitor media outlets, understand industry issues that directly and indirectly affect the client, and analyze and distill meaningful insights from media coverage 

• Support executive visibility efforts for clients including identifying, pitching and securing interviews and speaking engagements for C-suite 

• Develop strategic messaging for clients and support creation of media plans and proposals that take an integrated approach to driving awareness with target audiences 

• Provide thoughtful recommendations for content creation and distribution across multiple channels to support paid, owned and earned channels 

• Oversee client activations and activation teams  

• Counsel, coach and develop junior staff  

• Lead logistics planning for media and other influencer events 

• Support the development of KPIs to maximize media relations impact  

• Develop program staffing plans and budgets and work directly with clients and finance team to address related deliverables and questions 

• Highlight results, measuring success and promoting wins and key learnings to client 

 

REQUIREMENTS 
 

• Public relations experience of approximately 5-7 years, agency or in-house 

• Experience in retail, technology and/or small business sectors an asset 

• Expertise in media relations and event planning, including:  

• Strong existing media and influencer relationships 

• Working knowledge of and comfort executing new media forms 

• Ability to develop new media and influencer relations and turn those relationships into coverage 

• Drafting media materials, including pitches and press releases 

• Optimizing programs in real-time to maximize success based on preliminary results 

• Amplification of strategies, including paid, owned and earned 

• Ability to plan, organize, monitor and control projects and programs, ensuring efficient utilization of technical and creative resources  

• Ability to counsel clients on media relations activities and present plans in a convincing manner 

• Ability to work effectively with integrated agency teams and diverse range of internal stakeholders  

• Strong team leadership abilities  

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English 

• Strong negotiation, presentation, collaboration and problem-solving skills 

 

Salary range: CAD 79,000.00 – CAD 95,000.00

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

 

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• RRSP (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – $50 monthly cell phone reimbursement
• MyDays – Flexible time off
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave Policy

 

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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Public Relations Intern (Fall 2025)

 

Are you looking for exposure to an award-winning global marketing communications agency working with some of the world’s most exciting brands? Are you ready to IGNITE your career?

 

Weber’s IGNITE isn’t your average agency internship program. It’s a career-launching opportunity for anyone eager to play a role in solving today’s biggest communications challenges. It’s an immersive dive into our agency where you will do real work with real clients.

 

IGNITE offers a fully curated, hands-on experience that’s designed to develop your skillset, provide invaluable insights and help you explore the many facets of our industry as you define – and invest in – your career path.

 

While our story is rooted in traditional PR, we’ve evolved into a fully integrated agency working with some of the biggest names in QSR, CPG, retail, healthcare, technology and financial services.

Across media relations, influencer relations, social strategy, corporate reputation, crisis management, public affairs, branding, editorial content, employee engagement, digital advertising, experiential events, analytics, social impact and more – our work, knowledge and people are as diverse as the ideas we present every day.

 

WHAT YOU’LL DO

From creative brainstorming to day-to-day execution, IGNITE interns form the foundation of a talented team that generates ground-breaking, award-winning programs. During the program, you’ll work on campaigns for iconic brands and companies you likely encounter every single day.

 

Beginning day one, we’ll create an environment that allows you to explore the various facets of Public Relations and Marketing: 

• Conduct and report on media monitoring to keep us aware of client coverage and what’s happening with their competitors, identify potential risks and support with crisis management.
• Prepare and update media and influencer lists with fresh outlets, angles and voices.
• Apply strong written ability to draft research reports, social content, internal communications and media relations materials.
• Support event execution: generate ideas, source locations, coordinate vendors, engage with media/influencers, and set-up/take-down.
• Develop briefs that help planners and creative teams understand the client ask.
• Dig deep into consumer and competitive research to support with new business pitches.
• Attend brainstorms alongside strategic planners, art directors and copywriters.
• Assist account teams with ad-hoc tasks such as project management and billing support.

 

WHAT YOU’LL GET FROM US

• Experience – You’ll be part of one or more account teams working on some of Canada’s (and the world’s) top brands. You won’t be watching from the sidelines, you will be IN the work.
• Training and coaching – You’ll kick off your experience with a series of trainings to introduce you to the core areas of our work, and then be invited to workshops and ongoing local and global trainings to keep you on the cutting edge of some of the most advanced thinking in the industry.
• Mentorship – You’ll be paired with a “People Champion” to ensure you get the most out of your experience and help guide your career.
• Support – You’ll get a buddy dedicated to showing you the ropes and navigate the agency world, as well as access to a network of current and former interns to trade tips and share advice.
• A paycheck! – Our interns are paid hourly, at 40-hours per week.

 

Our IGNITE interns will earn practical experience as fully integrated members of account teams and will receive coaching from team members to help advance your career goals.

 

GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

We are accepting applications for fall (September-December) 2025. Applications are welcomed from candidates in Toronto and Montreal.

 

Weber Shandwick welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

 

Applications will close on Friday, August 8, 2025.

 

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status

SVP, Corpsumer Strategic Planning

The SVP of Strategic Planning will be the point person for “Corpsumer” work within TWSC Central market. COrpsumer reflecting the need to lead client and team partnership on relationships that need both corporate and consumer best-in-class work of a connected strategic vision and plan. This person will work to architect powerful business driving communications strategies in partnership with region and NA leadership. The ideal candidate is an experienced insightful thinker who immerses themselves in a category, loves to understand what drives consumers to act and is relentless about finding unexpected insights to drive communications forward. In this role, you will be involved in all elements of brand strategy including creating and analyzing data and market trends, shaping market research, and developing impactful insights and strategies that solve brand challenges.

Responsibilities:

• Leads businesses with powerful strategic positioning that stretches to both consumer and corporate stakeholders
• Guides client and internal integration teams to efficiently solve problems and collaborate together effectively
• Someone who has led powerful earned strategies with internal and client facing stakeholders. Ideas that are earned at the core but built to improve brand strategies.
• Acquires professional, mature presence in the team and client relationship, and shows strong presentation skills.
• Proactively identifies potential challenges with the research plan, creative brief, making recommendations for improvement prior to completion.
• Initiates and helps to execute strategic process, from research plan to creative brief, for approval from more senior leads. Co-leads client projects/ assignments.
• Mine data, research, and intelligence reports for insights and implications.
• Develop an immersive understanding of a product or brand’s market dynamics, customer mindset, competitive actions and industry trends.
• Derive and articulate insights that will drive behavior change.
• Cultivate strong relationships with staff, internal partners, and clients including counseling junior staff.

Experience Requirements:

• 10-15 years of experience in Corporate and Consumer strategies and best-in-class idea integration.
• Understanding of cultural brand strategy with familiarity of work within PR, digital and social media.
• Expertise in the marketing and communications industry.
• High level of comfort with research techniques and resources and insight generation.
• Demonstrated experience with analytics and analyzing data (not necessarily just pulling data but also manipulating it)
• Clear and compelling presentation skills.
• Agility in working style – demonstrated ability to work against tight timelines and to work collaboratively.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with the capability to construct and support arguments.

 

Chicago Salary Range: $162,000.00 – $200,000.00

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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