Communications Specialist

SUMMARY Overview of the position

Upper Deck is looking for a passionate collector who is in-tune with the hobby, is creative and has a background in copywriting and editorial calendar management. The role will be the key position to drive all Upper Deck written content for owned and operated channels as well as collaborating and managing the relationship with the PR Agency which will include activation ideation, copy editing, interview scheduling and calendar management. They will also provide comprehensive reporting on initiatives as well as industry news.   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an individual assigned to this job. Other duties may be assigned. 

• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to identify products, licenses and athlete announcements, research possible relevant dates in the news cycle and product release schedule to recommend timing, develop and manage the annual PR calendar, as well as prioritize initiatives to determine scope of support across PR levers.
• Manage the day-to-day activities and project schedule for PR campaigns including strategic briefs, press releases, interviews etc. 
• Collaborate with brand and marketing teams to identify objectives of each campaign to isolate key message points we want to communicate as a part of the press release, set KPIs based on prior initiative results.
• Identify opportunities in the schedule and provide ever-green topics related to Upper Deck initiatives, products, programs and brand pillars to create storytelling opportunities. 
• Collaborate with PR Agency to keep on top of current affairs subjects and work with internal stakeholders for topical subject information that can be contributed to inserting Upper Deck into the conversation. 
• Collaborate with the Content Manager to ideate written content to highlight Upper Deck past, current and future products, initiatives, programs/promotions, campaigns as well as ever-green topics related to Upper Deck brand pillars to cover through UpperDeck.com stories and LinkedIn content. 
• Develop written content for Upper Deck Blog and News Announcements for UpperDeck.com 
• Develop relationships with hobby industry media outlets to improve relationships and report on product releases, content and differentiations.

Reporting

• Research, measure, compare and report on social chatter presence associated.
• Review and report PR Agency campaign reports and relay on an agreed upon cadence, identify areas for improvement in real time and circulate weekly/monthly/quarterly reports. 
  1. Compare YoY and MoM results and collaborate with PR Agency.
• Keep a pulse on industry news, including secondary market activity, to provide timely alerts for important subjects as well as weekly roundups

INTERACTION

This position will interact closely with supporting marketing staff as well as various teams across the company including Brand, Talent Relations, Product Development and Executives. 

EDUCATION/YEARS EXPERIENCE 

• BA or BS in Communications, Journalism, Business, Marketing or equivalent experience. 
• 3 years’ experience in developing written content and working with the media.