Director of Communications

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary agency face to the NW Owner/Operator Boards — own the relationship, lead boardroom presentations, and secure buy-in for regional PR strategies
• Full accountability for the regional PR budget; demonstrate clear value and ROI to Owners, ensuring investment drives local Brand Love and business growth
• Collaborate with agency leads in markets such as DC, Philly, and Chicago to align regional strategies with national goals
• Act as eyes and ears for McDonald's Corporate Government Relations and Crisis leads; provide local recon (regulatory trends, local activism, stakeholder sentiment) that informs national strategy
• Synthesize and deliver critical field data to both clients and corporate partners — the connective tissue between local reality and corporate planning
• Identify and cultivate relationships with local community leaders and NGOs, managing the brand's license to operate in the NW
• Oversee hyper-local media and social monitoring via the Tactician; report local developments to Corporate so they can lead media response
• Ensure local Owners are briefed on Corporate-mandated crisis protocols and synchronized with the national response
• Serve as the visible, polished face of the agency and the brand at client meetings, community events, sports and nonprofit activations, and stakeholder engagements
• Demonstrate consistent, composed presence in unscripted settings — including field events, media opportunities, and board environments — where real-time judgment and credibility are paramount

Requirements

• 12–15+ years PR, public affairs, communications, or marketing communications experience — deep background in QSR, franchise models, or CPG/Grocery is essential; you understand the speed of retail. Agency experience highly preferred.
• Boardroom presence — a confident, high-EQ counselor who can navigate a room of 20+ successful, independent business owners
• The Translator — able to take complex corporate policy and turn it into actionable, high-impact intelligence for local business owners
• Chameleon-like social intelligence — reads a room instinctively and adjusts accordingly; equally effective delivering a boardroom strategy briefing, navigating a tense owner conversation, or working a crowd at a community activation; knows when to push, when to listen, and when to defuse
• Strategically grounded — brings a clear point of view and long-horizon thinking; moves beyond tactics to advise clients on what matters and why
• Relentless accountability — takes personal pride in delivering the plan and managing budgets with total transparency
• Field-ready — genuinely comfortable with regular travel, on-site activation work, and evening or weekend field commitments as a standing part of the role