US Communications & PR Manager (East Coast Hybrid)

USA (Hybrid)

$105K/yr – $115K/yrMid Level5+ years expFull time

Posted 2 weeks ago

Job Summary

Lead and own the US PR programme, shaping media relations, executive thought leadership, crisis response and cross-functional storytelling across accounting, payroll and HR.

  • Build proactive story pipelines and data-led angles
  • Collaborate with senior leaders and agency partners to amplify narratives
  • Measure impact and align with AI and broader visibility goals

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • US PR and media relations: Build and lead the US PR programme, developing relationships with priority business, technology and trade media across accounting, payroll and HR. Create a strong pipeline of proactive stories, data-led angles and reactive commentary that grows IRIS’ visibility and share of voice, while identifying opportunities for global storytelling that can be amplified across other markets.
  • AI visibility: Align PR activity with IRIS’ wider AEO and AI visibility strategy, ensuring our stories, expertise and proof points strengthen how IRIS is represented across traditional media, search and AI-powered discovery.
  • Sector and stakeholder engagement: Partner with Accounting, Payroll and HR leaders to uncover newsworthy stories from across our products, customers and markets. Act as a trusted adviser, helping stakeholders identify and seize opportunities to raise IRIS’ profile.
  • Executive visibility and thought leadership: Develop and deliver thought leadership and executive communications that build the profile of IRIS leaders and experts in the US, including bylines, commentary, speaking opportunities, awards and media interviews. Prepare spokespeople with briefings, messaging and coaching so they are confident and on-message.
  • Crisis and issues management: Support crisis and issues communications as needed, including monitoring, rapid-response planning, holding statements and reactive media handling. Work with the wider Communications team and legal, security and sector leaders to protect IRIS' reputation and respond quickly and consistently when issues arise.
  • Narrative and message consistency: Keep US earned media and stakeholder communications aligned to the IRIS brand narrative, messaging framework and tone of voice, so that what IRIS says in the press, on stage and in commentary tells one consistent story across markets and sectors.
  • Agency and partner management: Manage US PR agency partners day to day, setting priorities, briefing work, reviewing outputs and holding them to a clear performance and quality bar so agency effort translates into results that matter to the business.
  • Analyst and influencer awareness: Support relationships with relevant industry analysts, associations and influential voices in the accounting, payroll and HR communities, coordinating with the wider team so IRIS is represented consistently across earned and influencer channels.
  • Measurement and reporting: Track, measure and report on the impact of PR activity, including coverage volume and quality, share of voice, message pull-through and spokesperson visibility, and use those insights to steer where PR effort is invested so impact is evidenced rather than assumed.

Requirements

  • 5+ years in PR, media relations or corporate communications, ideally in-house or agency-side supporting B2B technology, SaaS or professional services.
  • A strong working knowledge of the US media landscape and proven relationships with, or the ability to quickly build relationships with, trade, business and technology journalists.
  • Demonstrable experience securing high-quality earned coverage and growing share of voice, from developing the angle through to landing the story.
  • The ability to translate complex or technical subjects, including AI, into clear, credible, jargon-free stories that resonate with buyers and the media. Experience communicating an AI or emerging-technology narrative is a strong advantage.
  • Experience supporting crisis and issues communications, with the judgement and composure to help handle sensitive situations calmly and quickly.
  • Excellent writing and editing, with the judgement to set a quality bar and hold agencies and partners to it.
  • Familiarity with the accounting, payroll and/or HR sectors, or a track record of getting up to speed quickly in specialist B2B markets.
  • Experience managing PR agencies or external partners, briefing work and holding them accountable for results.
  • Strong cross-functional and stakeholder skills. This role leads through relationships, influence and clear standards rather than direct reports.
  • Comfort with PR measurement, media monitoring and reporting tools, and the ability to connect activity to outcomes the business cares about.

Benefits

  • Impact: Your work will influence millions globally.
  • Growth: Continuous learning and career development opportunities.
  • Belonging: A culture that celebrates diversity and empowers every individual.
IRIS logo

IRIS

3.6 Glassdoor

IRIS Software Group is a leading business software and services provider, one of the UK’s largest privately held software companies. We help organisations to make better business decisions by developing integrated software solutions to minimise admin, make business processes more efficient and give more time to do what’s valued. We started 45 years ago as an accounting software company, and have evolved to be relied on by more than 100,000 customers across 135 countries across a range of business industries. We're also trusted by more than 50 of the Top 100 CPA firms in North America to manage core business operations. Visit irisglobal.com for more information. We invest heavily in development using the latest processes and technologies, driven by our Indian & Romanian Centres of Excellence to build the next generation of cloud based accounting software, cloud HCM and cloud education solutions. Almost one million UK employees are managed by our HR software and services, and one in six UK employees are paid through IRIS payroll solutions. We are the largest third-party online tax filer with the UK Government, and we are used by 54 of the top 100 US and 93 of the top 100 UK accountancy firms. We also serve over 12,000 schools and academies, and almost four million UK families use our apps to connect to their child’s school. In 2024, we won the Payroll Innovation Award at the 2024 Global Payroll Association Awards. We were also awarded Best EdTech product: School Management Solutions in the 2024 Global EdTech Awards and won the Technical Innovation - National Supplier Award at the OnRec Awards 2024. We were also recognised in the Infinigate UK Cloud Awards for EDGE Partner of the Year and Microsoft Security Partner of the Year.We are proud of our Great Place to Work accolades, including Best Workplaces in Tech, Best Workplaces for Wellbeing and Best Workplaces for Women.

Founded in 1978
Slough, England, GBR
2.9K employees (94 in marketing)
67% recommend to a friend
80% CEO approval

Salaries

Posted range

$105K/yr – $115K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all IRIS salaries

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
67 (2% of company)
Median Tenure
3.5 years
Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
2

Funding

Total Funding
$239.1M
Last Raise
$50.1M
Private Equity, 8 years ago

Funding History

  • May 2018
    Private Equity • $50.1M
  • Dec 2011
    Private Equity
  • Jul 2004
    Private Equity • $189M

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
336K
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$382
Traffic Source Mix
Search
27.6%
Direct
36.3%
Referral
35.3%
Social
0.4%
Paid
0.3%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~2.9K

Recent News