Communications Manager

Distribution is our expertise, but people are our focus! At Pet Food Experts, we invest in the relationships that build businesses, support people and grow our industry. With a thoughtful approach to creating deep, long-lasting value, we put people at the center of everything we do. Because we know that when we do right by people, we ultimately do right by pets!

Position Summary

Are you a communication wizard with a passion for pets? Pet Food Experts is embarking on a quest to find a creative, audience-obsessed, and results-driven communications professional to work their magic. As our Communications Manager, you’ll wield your expertise to develop and implement innovative strategies that elevate our brand and dazzle our ever-growing network of employees, retailers, and industry partners.

You’ll craft captivating content that leaps off the screen, whether it’s through social media and email campaigns, company blog, But wait, there’s more! You’ll also sprinkle your magic across internal communications, ensuring our team stays connected and inspired.

In this role, you’ll collaborate closely with CX, Sales, Marketing, Vendor Development, and HR teams. Together, we’ll spotlight our leaders, share customer success stories, and celebrate our incredible employees.

If you’re ready to dive into this exciting opportunity and report directly to our Vice President of Marketing, let’s work together to bring impactful communication strategies to life at PFX!

Where you'll work

This role is based out of our headquarters offices in downtown Pawtucket, RI. Our in office schedule is hybrid based and designed to encourage collaboration and relationship building. The hours for this role are Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm.

You're excited about this opportunity because you will....

• Strategic Communications Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive communication strategies to support Pet Food Experts’ objectives and priorities. Collaborate with select senior stakeholders to define key messages and ensure consistent communication across various channels. Conduct research and monitor industry trends and developments to identify opportunities for enhancing executive communications.

• Thought Leadership and Messaging: Craft clear and impactful messaging that resonates with both internal and external audiences. Develop talking points, presentations, and other communication materials for executives that align with the organization’s vision and goals. Collaborate with executives to ensure their PFX voice and message are effectively conveyed, and develop clear and concise briefing materials.

• External and Internal Communication Support: Create engaging content for various communication channels, including press releases, social media, website content and internal communications. Manage relationships with media outlets, journalists, and influencers to increase brand visibility. Develop strategy for and execute high visibility moments with leaders for events, including town halls, video script writing, social media strategy, content creation, and execution. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Marketing, HR, Sales, and Vendor Development) to ensure consistent messaging and alignment on key topics. Serve as a speechwriter and content creator to senior executives, including driving the creation and delivery of compelling, executive-level presentation materials.

We're excited about you because....

• Drive awareness of how Pet Food Experts is transforming its business to deliver for its clients and drive sustainable, profitable growth. You will develop a strategic enterprise communications plan that ladders to the company's broader business strategy and reaches all internal and external audiences.

• Meticulously develop and maintain a comprehensive communications calendar, painting a vivid picture of our messaging and initiatives throughout the year.

• Implement robust communication strategies, ensuring that our messaging remains clear and consistent, whether it's directed internally or externally.

• Take pride in coordinating internal communications, and orchestrating town halls and employee eNews to foster engagement and transparency among our team.

• Craft press releases, town hall scripts, and other external communications effectively, conveying our message to retailers, brand partners, and the media.

• Manage Pet Food Experts’ Food for Thought blog, creating engaging posts that educate and inspire retailers

• With an eagle eye for detail, meticulously write, review, and edit messaging, ensuring that every word aligns seamlessly with our company's brand guidelines.

• Uphold the integrity of our company's image, ensuring that all communications uphold our values and reputation.

• Tailor compelling message content, catering to the unique needs of our employees, retailers, brand partners, and the media.

• Weave engaging and captivating newsfeed text for our social media posts, captivating our followers' attention and driving interaction and engagement with our brand.

• Establish benchmarks to measure the success of specific communications and campaigns.

• Analyze data and feedback, evaluate the effectiveness of our communication efforts, and make adjustments to enhance our reach and impact.

• Provide invaluable support in evaluating and implementing communication-related tools or infrastructures, enhancing our communication processes and efficiency.

• Collaborate seamlessly with cross-functional teams to ensure the smooth integration and adoption of communication tools across the board.

• Content curation and creation: With a keen eye for storytelling, you meticulously curate and create engaging content for our blog, infusing each post with the essence of our brand's voice and values.

• Stakeholder collaboration: You foster collaboration with internal stakeholders, gathering content ideas and ensuring the timely publication of our blog posts. By working closely with various teams, you ensure that our blog remains a dynamic reflection of our company's ethos.

• Crafting clear messages: As the voice of our brand, you craft clear and informative messages for customer communication channels such as emails, eNews, and important announcements. Each communication reflects our brand identity, ensuring a positive and memorable experience for our customers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Portfolio of work demonstrating the ability to tell complex stories in relatable terms

• Experience creating content: digital, written, videos, and print.

• Track record in communications or PR for senior business leaders

• Proficient in using various communication channels and tools, including social media platforms

• Experience with a national or global company (Multi-site)

• Experience executing highly successful, creative, and complex communications plans

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Experience developing relevant content for a diverse, dispersed, and mobile workforce

• Solid project management skills, handling multiple tasks and evolving priorities

• Possess a strategic approach to problem-solving

• Ability to exercise high judgment, particularly in narrow time-frames and when dealing with ambiguity

• Customer-service oriented with strong people skills

• Self-motivated individual requiring minimal direction

• Flexibility to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities

• Adaptable and willing to pivot quickly to meet emerging demands

• Focused and detail-oriented

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, or a related field

Experience

• 5+ years of recent professional communications or public relations experience

Minimum Requirements

• 5+ years of recent professional communications or public relations experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Communications or related field

Benefits and Perks of joining the PFX Team:

We genuinely care about our employees and it shows! Our comprehensive package of benefits for eligible employees includes the following:

• Competitive compensation package

• Excellent group health benefit programs, including medical, dental and vision

• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Company-paid basic life/AD&D, short- and long-term disability insurances

• Additional supplemental benefits with the convenience of weekly payroll deductions

• Flexible Time Off (unlimited days)

• Paid Parental Leave

• Retirement savings plan with employer match

• Employee Assistance Program

• Employee pet perks discount program

Pet Food Experts is an equal opportunity employer. Pet Food Experts does not discriminate in employment on account of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status or unfavorable discharge from military service.