WHAT DOES A DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS DO?
Updated: Mai 28, 2025 - The Director of Public Relations develops and implements strategic communications and public relations plans across all channels, collaborating with various internal departments and international representatives to expand the Las Vegas brand. This position coordinates media opportunities, events, and trade missions, while also serving as a spokesperson and managing media inquiries. This role oversees the Public Relations Department’s budget, approves financial documents, and ensures accurate communication materials are prepared for internal and external stakeholders.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Director of Public Relations
1. Director of Public Relations Duties
- Public Relations and Media Support: Provide public relations and media support on a local, national, and international scale and for both internal and external audiences.
- Media Opportunities Management: Identify and execute on proactive media opportunities and leverage incoming media opportunities to drive favorable coverage for the school and elevate the school’s reputation.
- Media Relations Processes: Develop communications and processes that support both proactive and reactive media relations efforts, including media-contact lists, media statements, spokesperson briefing materials, proactive pitches, and the data and monitoring tools required to evaluate success, increase earned media, assess message pull-through, and stay abreast of current and potential issues in higher education, technology, and engineering.
- Media Programs Design: Design and implement effective media relations programs with routine outreach to local and national news organizations, and establish and leverage relationships with key reporters, editors, media, community, and government leaders.
- Strategic Planning: Participate in strategic planning, special projects, and other assignments pertaining to the mission of communications and PR functions.
- Media Issue Mitigation: Rapidly respond to incoming media issues to mitigate potential negative impact, and support and respond to day-to-day media inquiries.
- Coordination and Brief Development: Coordinate with campus units and subject matter experts to develop responses, briefs, talking points, and other research.
- Faculty Promotion: Build relationships with faculty members to promote faculty thought leadership and research to external audiences via media outlets.
- Strategic Counsel and Crisis Communication: Provide strategic counsel on issues that could impact the school’s reputation, prepare for crisis communications response, direct response, and serve as the school’s spokesperson.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with stakeholders such as government officials, other media agencies, and the general public.
2. Director of Public Relations Details
- Client Liaison: Act as primary liaison with the client.
- Client Strategy and Counsel: Provide day-to-day counsel, strategy, and tactics to client executives.
- Client Onboarding Leadership: Lead client onboarding process.
- Expectation Management: Set and manage expectations.
- Account Team Leadership: Lead account teams in the execution of all programs and ensure all deliverables are met.
- Proactive Outreach: Ensure that teams are constantly conducting proactive outreach.
- Content Development: Work closely with clients to develop and publish compelling media content.
- Campaign Measurement: Understand tools and methodologies needed to measure the progress of strategic campaigns across all channels.
- Document Drafting: Draft documents with little editing required, including press releases, social content, speaking abstracts, contributed articles, etc., for review by senior executives.
- Media Relations Campaigns: Develop and execute media relations campaigns.
- Public Relations Leadership: Lead Public Relations team.
- KPI Tracking: Measure and track KPI’s for the PR Team.
- Media Management: Oversee research, coverage, reporting, and media contacts management.
3. Director of Public Relations Responsibilities
- Strategic Communications: Develop strategic and comprehensive communications and public relations strategies across all channels.
- Public Relations Management: Direct day-to-day domestic public relations and communication efforts with the agency of record.
- Market Analysis: Analyze market conditions, identify relevant audiences, and recommend activities to expand the Las Vegas brand while effectively utilizing resources.
- Media Coordination: Coordinate and manage consumer, trade, and business media opportunities, including FAM trips, trade shows, trade missions, in-market events, international events, activations, and airline launches.
- International Representation Management: Assist with the identification, selection, training, and evaluation of international representative offices if applicable.
- Team Leadership: Motivate, encourage, and direct internal staff and international representative offices to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate and innovate with local stakeholders and other LVCVA departments such as Airline Development, Global Business Sales, International Sales, Digital Engagement, Public Affairs, and Research Center.
- Media Spokesperson: Serve as LVCVA spokesperson and point of contact for domestic and international media inquiries.
- Administrative Oversight: Review and approve travel requests, expense accounts, and other financial and administrative documents for the Public Relations Department and international representatives.
- Communication Preparation: Develop talking points and other communication documents for staff and executives, ensuring they are prepared with current destination information.
- Media Newsletter Distribution: Prepare and distribute the weekly media opportunities newsletter and other communication documents to resort and allied partners.
- Content Development: Research, write, edit, and update press releases, talking points, articles, and other communication materials.
- Budget Management: Oversee the program budget for Public Affairs efforts.
4. Director of Public Relations Job Summary
- Media Relations Strategy: Develops and executes media relations strategies aligned with external relations objectives and University strategic pillars, focusing on delivering results that effectively position the University with media and key external stakeholders.
- Media Relationships: Develops and maintains excellent relationships with journalists and other key influencers, and advises university members on media responses.
- Media Outreach: Leads regular outreach and education initiatives for media and key external stakeholders.
- Strategic Media Planning: Leads long-term planning for media engagement strategies to proactively address issues and leverage opportunities.
- Agency Management: Oversees and manages communications/PR agencies for strategic planning and securing media coverage across various platforms, including print, online, television, radio, and blogs.
- Content Development: Writes and executes press releases and University news releases or delegates tasks as needed.
- Executive Thought Leadership: Advances executive thought leadership across the university, partnering with Marketing, Government Relations, and support agencies to establish DeVry’s POV and leadership in topical areas.
- Executive Media Engagement: Supports the execution of executive media engagement programs and speaking engagements.
- Supporting Materials Creation: Reviews, drafts, and approves supporting materials such as talking points and Q&A documents.
- Data Reporting and Analysis: Develops data reporting and analysis processes to measure the success of communications initiatives, providing actionable insights and creating metrics dashboards for monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting.
- Team Leadership: Manages a part-time PR colleague and external strategic communications/PR agency to ensure goals and objectives are achieved.
- Budget Management: Prepares budgets and monitors costs for the PR team.
- Crisis Management Support: Assists the Senior Director of University Relations with crisis management issues that have potential media impacts on the University.
5. Director of Public Relations Accountabilities
- Corporate Communication Strategy: Develop, implement, and execute corporate communication strategies and plans.
- Media Relationship Management: Develop and nurture beneficial relationships with key media outlets.
- Interview Coordination: Schedule, prepare, and staff proactive and reactive interviews for corporate executives and directors.
- Request Evaluation: Screen and evaluate incoming media and executive speaking requests.
- Content Creation: Conceptualize, write, edit, and distribute press releases, media alerts, pitch letters, and other materials covering diverse subject matters.
- Contract Negotiation: Negotiate contracts and direct collaborative PR efforts with external PR agencies, partners, vendors, and contractors.
- Press Material Management: Ensure the maintenance of an accurate press library of clippings, videos, and other press materials.
- Emergency Media Accessibility: Be accessible to media 24/7 for emergencies or fast-breaking news stories.
- Press List Maintenance: Maintain up-to-date press lists.
- Media Relations: Maintain extensive and positive relationships with local, regional, national, and international media.
- Media Relations Strategy: Develop and implement media relations strategies and plans, seeking high-level placements in print, broadcast, and online media to elevate brand awareness.
- Press Material Development: Create press materials such as brand messaging, customized pitches, press releases, and media training/briefing books.
- General Duties: Perform other duties as required and assigned by manager and upper management.