Public Relations & Community Relations Manager

JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions – BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit – and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.

Location: Onsite Farmers Branch, TX - 4 days per week

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT:

The Public Relations (PR) & Community Relations Manager develops and executes external communications programs that increase visibility, protect reputation, and deepen trust with priority audiences. The role blends media relations with community programs, events, partnerships, and reputation management so that the company’s public voice and stakeholder relationships reinforce each other.

This PR & Community Relations Manager serves as the primary execution lead for earned media, community engagement, stakeholder outreach, and reputation-building initiatives, translating enterprise communications strategy into meaningful programs and measurable outcomes.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

• Develop and execute earned-media and community-relations strategies aligned to business and reputation goals

• Execute media outreach campaigns and communications initiatives developed in partnership with the Sr. Director, Strategic Communications – Public Relations

• Manage day-to-day relationships with journalists, local media contacts, influencers, community partners, and stakeholder groups to support earned-media and community engagement objectives

• Draft and edit press releases, statements, talking points, briefs, bylines, op-eds, social copy, and event materials

• Create and manage integrated content calendars that align media outreach, community engagement, social media, events, and stakeholder communications with business priorities.

• Develop and publish content across owned external channels, ensuring messaging consistency, audience relevance, and alignment with reputation and communications objectives.

• Develop and manage a community relations story-mining process to identify, capture, and amplify grassroots activities, local partnerships, volunteer efforts, and community impact stories across the organization for use in earned media, social media, stakeholder communications, and reputation-building initiatives.

• Drive execution of assigned communications campaigns from concept through delivery, managing timelines, content creation, approvals, distribution, and performance measurement.

• Prepare executives and subject-matter experts for interviews, public appearances, community events, and stakeholder meetings

• Monitor traditional, digital, and social channels for sentiment, risk, misinformation, and emerging issues

• Identify and escalate emerging reputation risks, stakeholder concerns, and media opportunities to communications leadership

• Support, develop and help execute community and philanthropy programs

• Manage day-to-day relationships with nonprofit partners, community organizations, educational institutions, and other external stakeholders

• Coordinate speaking opportunities, press briefings, media lists, and event logistics in partnership with marketing and business teams

• Build response protocols for sensitive or negative public situations and partner with leadership on reputation management

• Measure the impact of media, events, community participation, and advocacy outcomes

• Maintain message consistency across press, social, events, and stakeholder touchpoints

• Manage corporate social media platforms and monitoring

• Coordinate with larger communications teams to ensure this external role connects to employee communications touch points such as intranet articles, townhalls and other individual and leader touch points

• Support executive thought leadership initiatives through research, content development, event coordination, and media preparation

• Maintain community partnership calendars, sponsorship activities, and stakeholder engagement plans

• Prepare recurring reports and insights on media performance, community engagement outcomes, stakeholder sentiment, and reputation trends

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Demonstrates strong media relations and pitching capabilities, proactively identifying opportunities to secure earned media coverage that supports business and reputation objectives

• Develops compelling narratives and storytelling strategies that translate complex topics into clear, engaging, and audience-focused communications

• Applies sound reputation management principles, exercising good judgment when addressing sensitive issues, stakeholder concerns, or emerging risks

• Leverages social listening and monitoring tools to identify trends, stakeholder sentiment, misinformation, and opportunities for engagement

• Builds productive relationships and trust with media, community partners, customers, and internal stakeholders through professionalism, responsiveness, and credibility

• Demonstrates diplomacy and stakeholder management skills when navigating competing interests, sensitive conversations, and public-facing situations

• Supports executives and subject matter experts with preparation for media interviews, public appearances, speaking engagements, and stakeholder meetings

• Plans and coordinates events with strong project management discipline, ensuring flawless execution and positive stakeholder experiences

• Effectively assesses, prioritizes, and responds to emerging issues, escalating concerns appropriately and recommending practical solutions

• Designs and implements community engagement programs that strengthen relationships, reinforce organizational values, and support business objectives

• Uses data, metrics, and analytics to evaluate communications effectiveness, identify insights, and recommend continuous improvements

• Produces concise, accurate, and compelling written communications tailored to diverse audiences and communication channels

• Demonstrates initiative and accountability, consistently delivering high-quality work with minimal supervision and strong attention to detail

• Thrives in fast-paced environments, effectively managing multiple priorities, changing deadlines, and evolving business needs

• Translates complex information into clear, compelling messages tailored to a variety of stakeholders and audiences

• Maintains composure and sound judgment when responding to sensitive issues, reputational challenges, and high-visibility situations

• Approaches challenges with curiosity, resourcefulness, adaptability, and a solutions-oriented mindset

• Collaborates effectively across functions while balancing competing priorities and stakeholder expectations

• Represents the organization with professionalism, diplomacy, and credibility in all public-facing interactions

Education, Certification and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required

• 5 – 8 years of experience in public relations, external communications, community relations, public affairs, or integrated communications roles

• Strong media-relations experience

• Experience writing press materials and executive content

• Demonstrated success managing multiple stakeholders, projects, and competing priorities simultaneously

• AP-style fluency and copyediting strength

• Demonstrated success developing media relationships and executing earned-media campaigns

• Experience supporting executive communications, thought leadership, events, and stakeholder engagement programs

• Experience measuring communications outcomes and using data to inform recommendations and future planning

Physical Demands and/or Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.

OUR VALUES

Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.

Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.

Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.

Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.

Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community.

Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do.

OUR BENEFITS

We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:

• Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
• HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities
• Wellbeing Program
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
• Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
• Varsity Brands Ownership Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Access to Financial Coaching and member-owned Credit Union
• St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
• Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment!

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability.