Public Relations Manager

About Niche:

Niche is the leader in school search. Our mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, we help millions of people find the right school for them. Our company is growing rapidly, having tripled our headcount and grown our revenue by 5X in the last three years. And our Niche Direct Admissions program is making headlines, with recent features in The Wall Street Journal and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Niche is all about finding where you belong, and that vision inspires how we operate every day. We want Niche to be a place where people truly enjoy working and can thrive professionally.

About The Role

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced PR Manager. This unique role has the opportunity to drive brand awareness and corporate reputation for a rapidly growing edtech company. Reporting to the Director of Communications, you will work to craft and execute PR strategies that build the Niche brand. You'll be tasked with fostering relationships with key media, seeking out brand and corporate storytelling opportunities, executing seasonal campaigns for our annual rankings, and optimizing our media monitoring and measurement process. The ideal candidate will have experience with developing PR strategy but is not afraid to be in the weeds, digging into tactical execution.

What You Will Do

During the first month, you will:

• Start building relationships and trust with key stakeholders
• Meet and collaborate with various team members to get a clear understanding of our users, clients, products, competitive landscape, value proposition and marketing strategy
• Gain a deep understanding of our current media monitoring and reporting process and begin to take ownership
• Start seeking out opportunistic media through HARO and other media sourcing requests

Within three months, you will:

• Establish strong relationships with data team members to build cross-functional cohesion
• Proactively flag opportunities for new media approaches and angles
• Assume primary responsibility for Niche's news engine, including maintaining media lists and drafting pitches and press releases
• Begin to identify opportunities to optimize the media monitoring, reporting and analytics process
• Learn the process of promoting our annual best places to live, best schools and best colleges rankings

Within six months, you will:

• Work collaboratively with the Director of Communications to define the company's PR strategy and roadmap, with the goal of building rich connections across education trades and top-tier media outlets
• Contribute valuable insights and recommendations to build and enhance Niche's reputation through award submissions, executive visibility and employer branding efforts
• Strategize and execute media outreach for our best schools and best colleges rankings
• Deepen relationships across the organization, including with senior and executive leadership, to become a trusted partner and advisor on PR strategies
• Conceptualize and execute long-term improvements to corporate media center and About Us pages

What We Are Looking For

• 5+ years of PR and communications experience in in-house or agency roles
• Strong written communication skills—ability to craft on-brand messaging and convey our value proposition through concise storytelling
• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, journalism, marketing or a related field is preferred but not required
• Experience working with PR software like Cision or Muck Rack
• Some experience working alongside Executive and Senior Leadership teams
• Self-directed; ability to translate vague requirements into prioritized problems to solve
• Proven track record of getting things done
• Collaborative; thrives in a team environment

Are you excited about the position and its responsibilities, but hesitant because your experience doesn't align 100% with the posted requirements? We believe you are more than a resume, so go for it! You won't want to miss the opportunity to play a part in helping students find where they belong.

WhyNiche?

• We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you
• Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
• Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Free unlimited mental health consultations so you can prioritize you and your family's mental wellbeing
• Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
• Professional Development stipend each year for continuous learning and growth
• Ability to join our diversity committee (Niche Diversity Initiative) to shape company-wide programs and events
• Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
• Meaningful Stock options and 401(k) with employer match
• Your ideas and work will make an immediate impact on our company and millions of users
• You will join a team that cares about you, our mission, our work - and celebrates our wins together!

Niche will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this opening.

We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, DC.

Candidates only. No recruiters or agencies, please. Sorry, we do not offer relocation assistance.

Niche is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

All interviews are being held remotely. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.