Public Relations Account Director, Consumer

About the role HCM is growing, and we’re looking for a Director of Public Relations to lead our Consumer & CPG practice . This is a senior leadership role for someone who knows how to take a great product and turn it into a brand people are talking about, writing about, recommending, gifting, and buying. You’ll lead a portfolio of consumer brands across CPG, food and beverage, beauty, wellness, health, lifestyle, and fashion , developing the stories and strategies that help them break through in crowded categories. You should understand the full consumer media ecosystem, from brand profiles and founder stories to product launches, reviews, gift guides, trend stories, retail moments, affiliate coverage, and cultural newsjacking. You know how to make a product relevant beyond a press release and how to build sustained momentum around a brand throughout the year. You’ll also be a senior client lead, a team leader, and an important part of HCM’s continued growth. You’ll help us win new business, develop our people, strengthen our consumer offering, and continually raise the bar for what great consumer PR looks like. If you’re excited by building brands, launching products, creating cultural moments, and helping emerging companies become household names, we want to hear from you. What you'll do Lead consumer + CPG strategy • Own the communications strategy for a portfolio of consumer and CPG brands across food and beverage, beauty, wellness, health, lifestyle, and fashion • Develop breakthrough positioning and storytelling that makes products, founders, and brands relevant to both media and consumers • Build year-round communications strategies around product launches, retail expansion, seasonal moments, partnerships, brand campaigns, funding announcements, and company milestones • Understand how earned media connects to the broader consumer journey • Identify the cultural conversations, consumer behaviors, trends, and news moments our brands can authentically own • Serve as a trusted senior counselor to founders, CMOs, communications leaders, and executive teams • Keep accounts strategically and commercially healthy, with a clear understanding of scope, staffing, growth opportunities, and renewals Drive product storytelling + media results • Build and maintain meaningful relationships with top consumer editors, product reviewers, commerce writers, producers, lifestyle reporters, and category-specific media • Personally drive tier-one opportunities across national consumer, business, lifestyle, beauty, wellness, food, tech, and commerce outlets • Develop creative angles around products that go well beyond traditional launch announcements • Lead strategies for product reviews, gift guides, seasonal roundups, trend stories, founder profiles, business features, and category leadership • Understand what makes a product compelling to an editor, whether it’s innovation, design, price point, efficacy, ingredients, consumer behavior, cultural relevance, or a strong founder story • Identify moments where sampling, gifting, seeding, or experiential can unlock stronger earned media results • Help clients build a consistent drumbeat of storytelling so the brand stays relevant between major launches • Pressure-test ideas early and know when a product, campaign, or announcement needs a stronger story before it goes to media Understand commerce + retail • Bring a strong understanding of how PR supports consumer conversion and retail success • Develop strategies around major retail launches, national expansion, DTC growth, new distribution, and key retailer moments • Work closely with HCM’s affiliate and commerce capabilities to maximize product coverage and conversion opportunities • Understand the growing importance of affiliate, commerce editorial, product recommendations, SEO, and AI-driven discovery within consumer PR • Help brands build credibility across the places consumers increasingly discover what to buy • Think beyond impressions and help clients understand how communications can influence awareness, reputation, search, retail momentum, and sales Build and develop an incredible team • Lead, mentor, and develop Account Managers, Senior Account Executives, Account Executives, and Coordinators across your accounts • Teach teams how to think like consumer storytellers, not just publicists • Set a high bar for pitching, writing, media strategy, client counsel, and creative thinking • Help team members develop stronger media relationships and understand how to tailor stories for different consumer verticals • Provide clear, actionable feedback and create meaningful opportunities for growth and promotion • Support hiring, onboarding, and retention as our consumer practice continues to grow • Build playbooks and processes that help us scale while maintaining creativity, speed, and quality Help grow HCM • Play a major role in new business across consumer brands and CPG, from developing the strategic approach and creative idea to leading pitches and shaping scopes • Help define and evolve HCM’s point of view on modern consumer PR • Work closely with our affiliate, influencer, social, and experiential capabilities to create truly integrated consumer programs • Identify new capabilities, partnerships, and opportunities that can make our consumer offering stronger • Help grow HCM’s reputation and relationships across the consumer, retail, media, and brand ecosystem What we're looking for • 8–10+ years of PR experience, with significant agency experience and a strong focus on consumer and CPG brands • Deep experience across categories such as food and beverage, beauty, wellness, health, lifestyle, consumer products, and/or fashion • A proven track record launching products and building consumer brands through earned media • Strong relationships with consumer editors, product reviewers, commerce teams, lifestyle media, and relevant category reporters • Experience landing everything from product roundups and reviews to major brand profiles, founder stories, trend pieces, and business coverage • A strong understanding of retail, affiliate, commerce media, and the role PR plays in driving consumer discovery and purchase • A portfolio of campaigns you can talk us through in detail — including what worked, what didn’t, and how you adjusted • Excellent instincts around what makes a consumer story timely, differentiated, visual, useful, or culturally relevant • Experience leading major launches, seasonal programs, retail moments, and integrated consumer campaigns • A strong manager who genuinely enjoys developing people and helping them become better strategists and media relations professionals • Excellent client instincts and the confidence to challenge thinking, give honest counsel, and push for a stronger idea • Commercial fluency and an understanding of scopes, staffing, budgets, account health, and renewals • A strong presence in a new business pitch and the ability to turn ideas into compelling, sellable strategies • Exceptional writing, storytelling, and creative instincts • Entrepreneurial energy and a desire to help build and grow a consumer practice rather than simply maintain one • Bonus: Experience taking an emerging consumer brand from launch through major retail expansion, national awareness, or category leadership About HCM HCM is a strategic communications agency for ambitious, category-defining brands across consumer, technology, health, wellness, beauty, and lifestyle . Our work spans earned media, product storytelling, thought leadership, affiliate and commerce, influencer, social, and experiential. That means we don’t think about consumer PR in a silo. We think about how someone discovers a brand, why they trust it, where they hear about it again, and what ultimately makes them buy. We’re earned-first, creative, highly collaborative, and allergic to doing things simply because “that’s how PR has always been done.” We move fast, care deeply about the work, and believe the best consumer communications combines great storytelling, great relationships, great products, and real business impact . We offer competitive compensation, comprehensive health benefits, and the opportunity to join a growing agency where your leadership will have a meaningful impact on both our clients and HCM.