Do you thrive under pressure? See opportunity in a crisis? Feel confident in your ability to influence broad groups of people and make decisions to achieve the right outcome? If so, a senior public relations manager on Microsoft’s Reactive Communications team may be the fast-moving media strategy and communications position just for you.
Your work directly influences the trust and favorability customers have of Microsoft, and the reputation of our products and services for customers.
As a member of a world-class communications group, your work will be focused on setting context quickly for customers and the media during situations that require, and benefit from, timely communications. Issues present in the position range across a wide spectrum of products, services and topics, globally. There is also a level of engagement in the role, centered on advising co-workers on strategies to avoid problems altogether, or mitigate during situations to avoid inadvertently creating issues unnecessarily.
The Senior PR Manager role will create and adapt as needed, coordinated communications ready for use in a variety of channels. The position requires effective communications experience with social and digital media, consumer and business press, as well as a proven track record of collaboration across a number of internal teams and subject matter experts, as well as experience communicating with senior executives.
Senior PR Managers are responsible for:
Defining and executing on communications strategies for issues that have significant corporate and/or product brand impact.
Counseling communications group partners on response best practices to avoid potential pitfalls. This type of preventative consultation is the “proactive” avoidance expertise inherent in “reactive” issues management.
Partnering with communications groups across Microsoft to develop and mature response communications processes and procedures.
Providing executive communications and analysis to leaders and various stakeholders across the company during the lifecycle of the issue.
Key areas of experience and competency include:
Sound problem identification, judgment, resolution and decision-making skills often in ambiguous situations.
Excellent written communication skills, maintained to a high standard during times of extreme time-pressure.
An ability to assess the severity and priority of multiple incoming inquiries from press, customers and internal employees.
Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and to work effectively with executives.
Broad cross-company interaction requiring excellent communication skills. Technical writing background a plus.
Demonstrated capacity to lead others collaboratively, under pressure, to reach cross group consensus in short periods of time.
Experience working in the information technology industry or a similar industry, where the ability to understand complicated technologies and intersections is a regular requirement.
The ability to grasp the dynamics of an issue, creatively think through possible approaches and articulate the way in which a situation can be explained and contextualized for various audiences.
The successful candidate will have at least 7-10 years of public relations, communications and/or product marketing and product management experience, coupled with a deep understanding of media relations and success in dealing with complex, strategic, customer communications challenges. A B.A in Communications or B.S. degree in Computer Science or similar field is preferred. Experience authoring or managing content for IT or security professionals is a plus. This role requires responding to intermittent and unexpected issues that may occur and result in work activity occurring outside the hours of 8am - 6pm.
This description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in these positions. The actual duties, responsibilities, and qualifications may vary.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.
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