Job Description
Job Title: Director of Public Relations & Editorial
Department : Marketing & Communications
Reports To : VP of Marketing & Communications
Designation : Full-Time / Exempt
Salary : $85,000 - $100,000
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Start Date : September 2025
Work Model : Hybrid / Majority in-person
To spread joie de vivre through language, culture, and connection! Attracting over 150,000 visitors annually, L’Alliance New York is the city’s premier center for French language and francophone arts and cultures. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, L’Alliance New York’s mission is to provide our members and students with engaging French language classes and audacious multi-disciplinary programming that celebrates the diversity of francophone cultures and creativity around the world. L’Alliance New York is internationally known for offering the largest selection of fully-immersive French language courses for students aged one to 101, and for its renowned cultural programming including the annual Bastille Day celebration that takes place on New York's famed Madison Avenue, attracting over 50,000 visitors each year; the Crossing The Line arts and performance festival that engages NYC cultural institutions in bringing dynamic international artists to audiences; Animation First, the biggest animation festival in the U.S; and the Comic Arts Fest, celebrating the intersection of American and francophone comic arts.
Position Summary L’Alliance New York is seeking an experienced, highly organized, versatile, and editorially sharp Director of Public Relations & Editorial to lead public-facing communications across the organization. This role will shape the voice of L’Alliance New York—expertly managing media relationships, all press and public relations, collaborating on crafting compelling content, and ensuring the clarity and consistency of our brand voice across all platforms. Responsibilities include developing and executing comprehensive internal and external communication strategies across diverse platforms, ensuring consistent brand messaging and a positive public image. This leadership position demands expertise in team mentoring and development, and fostering a collaborative environment among internal team members and external partners.
Reporting to the VP of Marketing & Communications, you will be a senior member of the Marketing & Communications team, partnering closely with the Director of Audience Development & Marketing to ensure that every campaign tells a clear, cohesive story—in every format and across every channel.
Key Responsibilities Strategic Planning & Execution: - Develop and drive a multi-channel communications strategy aligned with organizational objectives, encompassing proactive brand awareness initiatives, program-specific promotion, and crisis communication protocols.
- Take a leadership role in the ongoing development, documentation, and implementation of efficient and robust processes for creation of marketing and communication materials.
- Track key performance indicators across various platforms to inform data-driven decisions and optimize communication strategies.
- Stay at the forefront of AI-driven marketing tools and trends, regularly evaluating opportunities to streamline press workflows, enhance editorial content, and amplify media impact.
Editorial Leadership: - Own and evolve L’Alliance New York’s brand voice across all communications platforms.
- Oversee the creation and quality control—including writing and editing—of all communication materials, ensuring alignment with L’Alliance’s brand voice and integrity across all platforms, including tone, accuracy, and style consistency. This involves collaboration with all members of the marketing team to ensure cohesive messaging. This includes but is not limited to press releases, program and class descriptions, web copy, email newsletters, signage, printed matter, and other program materials.
- Collaborate closely with the Director of Audience Development & Marketing to ensure that all marketing materials are on brand and in the correct editorial voice.
- Develop editorial frameworks and storylines to support seasonal initiatives and audience engagement.
Press, Public Relations & Media: - Lead all press, PR and media relations efforts, including pitching stories, writing and distributing press releases, obtaining preview articles, press listings and reviews, and coordinating interviews.
- Create, implement, and oversee innovative press strategies and execution timelines for all programs at L’Alliance New York.
- Bring a strong existing network of relationships with key journalists and editors in New York and nationally, as well as in international markets (specifically France and the francophone world), with a focus on major news outlets, culture, education, lifestyle, and French language.
- Prepare and distribute press kits, coordinate media attendance at events, organize press gatherings, and respond to incoming press inquiries.
- Develop and implement proactive crisis communication plans and manage PR crises and sensitive communications with discretion, ensuring clear, timely, and strategic messaging that safeguards the reputation of the organization.
- Attend events on evenings and weekends as needed to greet press, photographers, and/or support general marketing functions.
- Monitor media coverage relating to L’Alliance New York and leverage it to elevate our visibility, showcasing the organization’s cultural leadership and its connections with past and present artists, guests, and partners.
- Manage and maintain the monitoring and analytics systems to track media engagement, measuring the impact of L’Alliance news and announcements.
- Manage press archives, photos, and digital files.
Event Photography Coordination: - Manage event photography scheduling and documentation across L’Alliance’s programming.
- Maintain a clear system for photo usage, permissions, archiving, and distribution.
- Work with photographers, interns, and staff to ensure brand-aligned photo coverage of key event.
- Oversee the creation and management of face-sheets for important events, ensuring key participants are accurately represented and highlighted for staff, photographer, and promotional use.
- Assist when needed with filming and photographing at events.
The job description above is not an exhaustive list of duties. The person in this role will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by the role and the overall business objectives of L’Alliance New York.
Who You Are This role might be a great fit if:
- You are highly experienced in press, PR, and editorial management
- You are an exceptional writer and editor, with a strong grasp of tone, clarity, narrative structure, and grammar
- You have proven experience managing public-facing content across digital and print formats
- You are extremely well organized with superb attention to detail, including in review processes and copy approval workflows
- You pride yourself on fostering collaborative relationships and resolving conflicts that may arise, including mediating disagreements and facilitating productive communication to maintain a positive and efficient work environment.
- You are comfortable managing event photography and working with creative teams to deliver high-quality visual content
- You are self-motivated, detail-oriented, and thrive working in a collaborative, mission-driven environment
- You are passionate about culture, language, education, and storytelling
Experience & Qualification - 6–8 years of experience in communications, editorial, and PR roles, ideally in a nonprofit, cultural, and/or education setting.
- Exceptional communication, leadership, and management skills, along with a proven track record of success in strategic communications planning and execution. This includes managing responses to challenging situations in a timely and professional manner.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an impeccable eye for detail.
- Demonstrated success in securing media coverage for a New York and/or international educational or arts institution.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
- Must bring an active and robust network of media contacts, including in New York and France
- Knowledge of emerging marketing technologies, including AI tools, with the ability to assess and recommend innovative applications for editorial excellence and media reach.
- Familiarity with email platforms, CMS, and collaborative tools (Google Workspace, Asana, Wordpress, MailChimp, etc.).
- Must be able to work on select evenings and weekends at L’Alliance New York events in Manhattan and Montclair, NJ.
- French language proficiency is a strong plus.
Why Join Us At L’Alliance New York, you’ll be part of a supportive, mission-driven organization dedicated to spreading joie de vivre through language and culture.
We offer:
- Generous paid vacation and holiday package
- Health, dental, and vision insurance with employer contribution
- 403(b) retirement savings plan with up to 5% employer match after 2 years
- Pre-tax commuter benefits (CBP) and flexible spending account (FSA)
- Free French classes and discounted cultural programs
- Complimentary L’Alliance New York membership
- The opportunity to contribute your technical expertise to a culturally rich, impactful nonprofit connecting diverse francophone communities with New York and beyond
- A collaborative, multilingual team culture that values creativity, kindness, and cultural curiosity
- Flexible work arrangements designed to respect your time and work-life balance
Whether you’re building a press release, collaborating with colleagues, or enjoying one of our film screenings or cultural events after hours, you’ll be part of a community that believes in the power of language, technology, and human connection to create meaningful experiences.
TO APPLY: Please submit a resume, cover letter, and two references. Employment at L’Alliance New York is at-will, meaning that either the employee or the organization may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, unless otherwise specified in a written agreement. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please reach out via the same email address.
L’Alliance New York is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, marital status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, citizenship status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Job Tags
Full time, Seasonal work, Flexible hours, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,