Responsibilities

• Develops and leads Natural Grocers’ public relations strategy to strengthen the Company’s reputation, increase brand awareness and support business growth.
• Writes, edits and oversees compelling, on-brand communications, including press releases, fact sheets, presentations, bylined articles, speeches, talking points, quarterly reports and other internal and external materials.
• Ensures all public relations content reflects a consistent Company voice and aligns with marketing strategies, the Company’s mission and the Five Founding Principles.
• Develops proactive media relations strategies and identifies local, regional, national and trade media opportunities for existing and new store markets.
• Builds and maintains productive relationships with reporters, editors, producers and other media professionals across business, consumer and trade outlets.
• Serves as a Company spokesperson and prepares senior leaders, subject-matter experts and other representatives for media interviews and public-facing opportunities.
• Counsels senior leaders and functional managers on public relations, media relations, public affairs and reputation management.
• Trains and develops employees to create accurate, engaging and on-brand content and effectively represent Natural Grocers in media and community settings.
• Under the guidance of Legal, leads issue management and crisis communications planning, preparedness and response, including developing messaging and supporting the Customer Service team with high-profile or sensitive matters.
• Collaborates with Purchasing, Operations, the Nutritional Education Department (NED), Legal and other departments to develop accurate, appropriate and responsive content for media interviews and public communications.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, public relations, journalism, communications or a related field required.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in public relations, corporate communications or a related field within a complex, rapidly changing business environment, or equivalent agency experience.
• Experience developing and executing public relations and media relations strategies across local, regional, national and trade media.
• Experience serving as a Company spokesperson and preparing senior leaders and subject-matter experts for media interviews.
• Experience planning and executing media, executive, community and public-facing events.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership and cross-functional partners, including Finance, Legal, Human Resources, Operations, Purchasing and Marketing.
• Ability to lead multiple complex projects independently, establish priorities and take initiative in an environment with changing deadlines and competing demands.
• Strong organizational, project management and attention-to-detail skills.
• Ability to respond effectively to emerging issues, shifting priorities and opportunities while exercising sound judgment under pressure.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with media, community partners, shareholders and employees.

Preferred

• experience with social media platforms and integrated communications campaigns preferred.