Senior PR Manager/Associate Director (Full-time)

JOB TITLE: Senior PR Manager/Associate Director (Full-time)

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Marketing & Communications

Do you thrive on shaping narratives that influence perception? Are you passionate about building strong media relationships, crafting compelling pitches, and shaping brand perception? The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is seeking a full-time Senior PR Manager/Associate Director to drive media visibility and expand our share of voice across traditional and emerging platforms.

This role merges PR strategy with tactical execution, emphasizing earned media, stakeholder engagement, and emerging-media innovation—including the strategic use of generative AI. This person will help drive brand visibility and authority for ICE’s excellence in culinary education, expansive network of successful alumni, professional development offerings, and hands‑on recreational courses offered at our campuses in New York City, Los Angeles and online (nationally).

Full time (in office) New York, NY

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic PR & Brand Awareness

• Manage comprehensive PR strategies (local, regional, national), combining media relations, influencer partnerships, event-driven storytelling, and organizational partnerships to drive awareness and share of voice.
• Oversee public image and share of voice growth, aligning with ICE’s brand values and institutional leadership.
• Collaborate with internal teams—marketing, academic leadership, campus directors in NYC/LA—to ensure consistent brand messaging and coordinated campaigns.

1. Media Relations & Content

• Build and nurture relationships with local, national, and trade media, culinary influencers, and cultural press
• Secure awards/top-rankings for the school from media entities ranking “top schools” in the US and worldwide.
• Draft and oversee compelling content: press releases, pitches, executive and faculty talking points, advertorials, etc.

1. Internal and External Events Planning

• Plan and manage media events on ICE campuses in NY and LA, and chef features and speaking engagements at industry events nationally.
• Spearhead PR initiatives for corporate events, and school milestones

1. Analytics, Reporting & Strategy Optimization

• Track media coverage. Measure PR impact and report against KPIs.
• Maintain media lists and evaluate partnerships or sponsorship opportunities.

1. Generative AI–Enabled Communications

• Leverage generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) to accelerate content ideation, drafts, and pitch creation—but apply human oversight to ensure tone, nuance, accuracy, and alignment with ICE’s voice and key differentiators.

1. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Liaise with Chef-Instructors, Faculty, admissions and campus leadership, as well as other members of the marketing team to answer media inquiries in a timely fashion, create a pitch plan, and event participation.
• Work closely with social, content, web and email marketing teams to amplify messaging from earned media hits.

EXPERIENCE & EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, PR, Journalism, Marketing, or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive PR experience, preferably with media success in lifestyle, education, culinary, or culture sectors.
• Proven expertise in managing media relations and securing high‑impact earned coverage across broadcast, online, social platforms and influencers.
• Established media contacts in NYC and LA, particularly in food- and restaurant-related media.
• Excellent writing, editing, presentation, and storytelling ability—with cultural sensitivity and compelling narrative capacity.
• Strong analytical mindset: able to translate media results into insights and actionable strategy.
• Familiarity with social media platforms, digital tools, media monitoring, and PR analytics.
• Demonstrated experience using—and critically curating content from—generative AI tools.
• Excellent project management, time management, creativity, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

TO APPLY

Send an email with the subject line: Senior PR Manager/Associate Director to [email protected] and include the following 3 items:

• Your resume.

• Cover letter explaining your approach to garnering success in PR, especially in food/restaurant or education sectors.

• At least 3 media samples or campaign highlights (with outcomes)

Please do not apply directly through the job boards, we’d like you to apply directly via email.

Only applicants that meet the position’s requirements and provide the above items will be considered.

Please do not submit your resume if you do not live within commutable distance to the NYC area.

WHAT WE OFFER:

PAY: $80,000 TO $100,000

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Tuition forgiveness in ICE’s Career Training programs
• Free Recreational Classes
• Flexible Spending Account
• 401(k)

The position is full-time and requires flexibility to work some evenings and occasional weekend shifts.

Work Location: In-person

About ICE:

The award-winning Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) was established in 1975 and has since grown to be one of America’s leading centers for culinary education and the largest culinary institute in New York City and Los Angeles. In 2015, ICE built and moved to a new flagship location in lower Manhattan, NY. In 2019, USAToday ranked ICE the “#1 culinary school in America.” The foundation of ICE is its programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Restaurant & Culinary Management, Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Management and Health-Centered Culinary Arts. ICE’s programs are intensive, sophisticated and can be completed in as little as 8 months. In addition to career programs, ICE offers a vast menu of recreational courses for the public, and a highly developed special events division. ICE continues to grow and evolve with the launch of its LA campus in 2018, the acquisition of the Natural Gourmet Institute in 2019 and the acquisition of the French Culinary Institute (ie International Culinary Center) in 2020. For more information about ICE, please visit our website at ice.edu or connect with us @iceculinary on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Watch our videos on YouTube at:

The Institute of Culinary Education is an equal opportunity employer.