Senior Vice President, Crisis Communications

Marathon Strategies is an independent communications and research firm that helps corporations, industry associations, coalitions, brands, and nonprofits realize their organizational goals and manage complex reputational challenges.

Marathon’s strength is rooted in developing high-quality, research-driven content at speed and then delivering it to target audiences to effectively shape public discussions of our clients and their issues. We create and deliver content across any platform, from traditional earned media to original videos, infographics, and paid media that can be digitally disseminated and shared on social media. Our clients work with us because we are established but nimble in our approach, operating at speed but with intelligence and thoughtful counsel. Our team works at Marathon because we are intellectually stimulated by our coworkers, energized and challenged by our client work and valued for the unique perspectives that we each bring to the firm. We are headquartered in New York City, with offices in Washington, D.C., and Albany and team members around the country.

We are looking for a seasoned crisis communications practitioner to devise and lead crisis communications preparedness and provide crisis counsel for a diverse portfolio of corporate and nonprofit clients. This position is currently remote/hybrid but candidates based near our New York or Washington D.C. offices are preferred.

The ideal candidate is a creative thinker and problem solver who knows there is more than one way to achieve an outcome for our clients and is willing to challenge the status quo in pursuit of great results. You will have a deep understanding of crisis communications - feeling at ease advising legal counsel, running an intensive crisis simulation or picking up the phone to a reporter. You will thrive on the adrenalin of crises and have strong work ethic and attention to detail.

As a Senior Vice President of Crisis Communications you will:

• Build trusted relationships with both clients and colleagues
• Oversee and direct crisis preparedness in accordance with Marathon’s process
• Manage the communications response to high profile crises
• Develop and implement an “action plan” for each client
• Manage a team and resources to deliver upon each action plan
• Work with top tier reporters during crises or issue
• Engage third parties and outside groups on behalf of clients
• Write and/or oversee the production of materials such as press releases, op-eds, reports, memos, and presentations
• Lead crisis simulation exercises
• Understand and integrate digital activity into crisis response plans
• Develop crisis communications proposals
• Mentor and develop team members

Your experience must include:

• Extensive public affairs or corporate communications agency experience, with a particular focus on crisis communications
• Demonstrated experience preparing companies for crises and running a crisis simulation training
• Robust relationships with national, DC and/or New York-based media
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects on tight deadlines
• A voracious appetite for news
• Demonstrated experience managing and mentoring teams