Communications Program Manager

Overview

Join our team as a Communications Program Manager, seeking a motivated PR professional with strong external communications, media relations, and social media skills. The ideal candidate thrives when collaborating with people around the world to shape and tell inspiring stories through integrated campaigns. Reporting to the Head of External Communications, this role will have the support of a skilled and experienced team and our agency partners.

The Communications Program Manager will shape and develop external-facing, multichannel communications that highlight Waters' industry leadership across press announcements, media relations, organic and paid social media campaigns, and written and visual content. This role will lead our end-to-end trade media program - including partnering with the business on product announcements and promotion, trade show media strategy, and proactive, reactive, and thought leadership media opportunities that highlight Waters' innovation.

We are looking for a solution-oriented individual with a strong commitment to building a deep knowledge of our business and science, as well as establishing trust, connections, and influence across the company. The successful candidate will be strategic, collaborative, driven, curious, adaptable, creative, detail oriented, and self-directed. The candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment, and welcome new ways to optimize our external communications strategy and outcomes.

• Collaborate with the internal team and agency partners to influence, shape, and promote public relations narratives that educate and resonate with the general public and key company stakeholders.
  • Disseminate narratives across channels, audiences, and regions to build and sustain awareness for Waters' innovation and industry excellence.
  • Initiate relationships across the company to source stories, value propositions, and proof points that reinforce core external messages.
  • Play a critical role in translating technical topics and expertise into compelling, engaging, and relevant content for target audiences.
• Take full ownership over the end-to-end trade media program, with a strong emphasis on media strategy, messaging, and reporter relationships.
  • Coordinate product launches across the company. Advise product promotion strategy. Oversee product press release development, messaging, and distribution.
  • Conduct relevant trade media outreach. Cultivate relationships with priority publications.
  • Prepare spokespeople for media interviews and engagements.
• Lead the design and development of external communications collateral, including press releases, media materials, Q&A documents, speaking and award submissions, and bylined, blog, and social content.
• Act as strategic partner to public relations agency. Provide direction and support execution of agency program to achieve goals and report success.
• Fulfill role as go-to media relations and social media resource across the company. Provide consultations and trainings for leadership, internal subject matter experts, employees, and customers.
• Collaborate with Corporate Communications team members and business partners to align social media campaigns and content to corporate strategy and outcomes.
  • Provide strategic support across organic and paid social media strategy and reporting.
  • Brainstorm and implement creative approaches to expand Waters' social media visibility and engagement.
• Approach communications strategies and campaigns with a data-driven lens.
  • Benchmark success with KPIs aligned to business objectives.
  • Leverage data to demonstrate communications impact and optimize current processes and results.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, or related field
• 7+ years of public relations experience
• Excellent oral, written, media relations, and digital communications skills
• Ability to translate technical scientific content into engaging and memorable campaigns for external audiences
  • Driven to understand, simplify, and effectively communicate complex information
• Demonstrated success achieving cross-functional influence and alignment on communications strategies and execution plans
• Wisely prioritize and reprioritize work;
  Leverages strategic insight to meet evolving priorities and business needs
• Ensures consistency across communications and channels;
  Demonstrates exceptional organizational skills and strong attention to detail
• Supports development of platform-specific social strategies;
  Shapes optimal content approaches and targeting based on audience behavior and business objectives
• Leads by example, mentoring team members to enhance performance and processes
• Comfortable presenting to and advising company leadership and stakeholders;
  Prepares executive-ready communications, recommendations, and reports
• Appetite for continuous learning and advancement, including surfacing and proposing new ideas to achieve goals. Ability to challenge status quo
• Distills high-level directives into…