Communications Associate

About the Opportunity: The Communications and Marketing Associate will join Davidson Kempner’s three-person Communications and Marketing team based in New York and London. The team sits within the Firm’s Client Partnership and Business Development function alongside Sales, Product Specialists and Investor Relations, and is responsible for the Firm’s public relations, external and internal communications, thought leadership, corporate branding and select events support. The team also supports the communications needs of Davidson Kempner’s senior leadership. Its mandate is to develop and execute a coordinated communications program for a range of stakeholders, including current and prospective investors, business partners, employees and candidates, media and other external audiences. The role will work closely with colleagues across Client Partnership and Business Development, the Executive Office, Investment Research, Investment Professionals, Legal & Compliance, Technology, Human Resources and other functions across the Firm. The role reports to the Firm’s Director of Communications in New York.

Candidates should be excited to join a growing function and contribute both strategically and through hands-on execution. This is an opportunity to take meaningful ownership of high-impact and high-visibility work at a leading global multi-strategy investment manager and to play an important role in advancing the Firm’s communications, marketing and brand priorities.

About the Firm: Davidson Kempner is a global investment management firm with approximately $40 billion in assets under management. Backed by more than 40 years of experience, our global teams invest across the capital structure applying a research-driven investment process to evaluate and execute a diverse range of transactions across asset classes, geographies and market cycles. We combine an opportunistic, event-driven approach with a disciplined focus on downside protection. Davidson Kempner has approximately 500 employees across New York, Philadelphia, London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Abu Dhabi and Mumbai.

We bring together exceptional people from different disciplines and backgrounds who are energized by the challenge of navigating complexity. We look for colleagues who demonstrate strong critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and creativity, and who value diverse perspectives in reaching well-calibrated decisions. These qualities help our people succeed not only in a specific role but throughout a long-term career at Davidson Kempner.

Additional information is available at: DavidsonKempner.com and LinkedIn.

Key Responsibilities

Media Relations

• Identify and help secure media opportunities that support the Firm’s business and communications objectives
• Respond to media inquiries concerning the Firm, investment positions and other business matters in a timely, thoughtful and coordinated manner
• Develop briefing materials, talking points, Q&A and other preparation materials for Partners and business leaders ahead of media engagements
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with journalists across key business, financial and trade publications globally
• Monitor for and disseminate media articles about DK

Thought Leadership

• Review, edit and help develop Davidson Kempner-branded white papers, podcasts and other thought leadership materials
• Support the creative production of thought leadership materials using Canva, Figma and other design and content-development platforms
• Collaborate with the Firm’s Head of Research and Research team to translate data, market perspectives and complex information into compelling thought leadership materials

Events

• Support the development and execution of the Firm’s internal and external event strategy
• Maintain and update event materials to ensure consistency of messaging, positioning and voice across external engagements
• Develop briefing materials, talking points and other preparation materials for Partners and business leaders ahead of speaking engagements
• Support executive speaker preparation and coaching sessions with Partners and other business leaders
• Support post-event follow-up, recordkeeping and related communications and marketing activities

Corporate Branding

• Help ensure consistent application of the Davidson Kempner brand across communications, collateral and other materials
• Maintain and update the Firm’s branded collateral across print and other communications formats

Internal Communications

• Draft and edit firm-wide communications for Partners and other business leaders
• Develop select communications for publication on the Firm’s Intranet and other internal-facing channels
• Maintain the Firm’s Intranet and coordinate cross-functionally on routine content or platform updates

Business Issues Management

• Support the development and execution of communications strategies for sensitive, confidential or time-critical matters for Davidson Kempner or portfolio company in coordination with cross-functional teams
• Develop and maintain messaging, Q&A, holding statements, briefing materials and other communications resources for emerging reputational or business issues
• Help coordinate issues-response processes and ensure key stakeholders are aligned on messaging, roles and next steps

Other Responsibilities

• Manage and support relationships with vendors and external resources that contribute to communications and marketing efforts, including PR agencies, graphic design firms, video production companies and podcast consultants
• Manage and support commercial and proprietary systems and platforms used by the Communications and Marketing team
• Track and analyze communications activity and outcomes, including media coverage, thought leadership and event-related efforts; synthesize insights and reporting to assess effectiveness and inform priorities

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

• Proven Experience: 5-8 years of relevant professional experience; experience at an asset management firm, particularly one with credit or alternative investment strategies, or at a PR / strategic communications firm serving financial-services clients is preferred
• Strong Communication Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate financial markets, investment viewpoints and complex business topics into clear, concise and audience-appropriate language
• High Attention to Detail: Consistently high standards of accuracy, judgment and attention to detail
• Multi-Stakeholder Content Creation: Experience developing content for different stakeholder groups, geographies, formats and communications channels
• Collaborative Execution: A strong team player who can also operate independently, manage multiple priorities and work effectively across functions in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment
• Critical Thinking: Ability to assess information quickly, exercise sound judgment and approach problems thoughtfully and creatively
• Growth Mindset: Intellectual curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning with a willingness to contribute beyond the immediate scope of the role when needed
• Technological Fluency: Comfort with communications, content-development and workflow platforms with the ability to learn new commercial and proprietary systems quickly
• Working Hours Flexibility: Flexibility in working hours during the week and on the weekend given the global nature of the role and breadth of responsibilities

US Base Salary Range

$100,000—$125,000 USD