Sazerac Company Overview

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton's, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram's V.O., Myers's, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

We're proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the "Best Places to Work in Kentucky" four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of "world's most award-winning distillery" through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you're a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

Job Description/Responsibilities

Sazerac is looking for an experience d and passionate communications pro fessional to fill the newly created position of Corporate Communications Manager . This position will provid e communications direction and message development on all corporate topics . As the lead corporate spokesperson, the right candidate must also be able to foster relationships among key stakeholders, including internal teams, the news media, industry trade publications, and community partners.

Candidates must be able to "connect the dots" quickly and effectively to guide the message on behalf of the organization and has a thorough understanding of media relations , corporate reputation development and crisis communications . This is a new role reporting into the Director of Communications, with a responsibility line into the Senior Vice President of Global Affairs.

What You Will Do:

• Drive the development and execution of a successful strategic plan for Corporate P ublic R elations rooted in measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) .
• P artner with business leaders to provide counsel and craft strategies that ensure the corporate vision and mission is conveyed, including long-term vision , industry thought leadership, corporate announcements, press releases, reactive statements and acquisition initiatives, government affairs, sustainability, corporate strategy and crisis incidents .

• Build and nurture relationships with key publications and events, including regular check ins, pitching corporate and brand news, finding speakers for conferences, and running point on the execution s .
• Manage all corporate media relations for the company .
• Write and e dit releases, articles, and content.
• Ensure all copy consistently adheres to brand and company style guides including voice and positioning.
• Collaborate with H uman R esources and I nternal C ommunications on any communication s strategies surrounding Sazerac as an employer, including awards and accolades.

• Develop and lead communications strategies for our Sazerac homeplaces and supporting initiatives, including Buffalo Trace Distillery and the Sazerac House .
• Oversee and implement specific customer loyalty programs by compiling and deploying newsletters, announcements, etc.
• D evelop and lead company crisis communications plan s and external outreach in partnership with appropriate teams, including Consumer PR, Internal Communications and Government Affairs .
• Anticipate internal and/or external business challenges and/or regulatory issues and collaborate with the Government Affairs team to recommend and implement solutions.
• Craft and activate an overall organizational strategy for Sazerac's charitable endeavors .

• Lead Spokesperson content and training programs, events and activities.
• Define performance metrics (KPI's) and measur e the success of campaigns.
• Monitor the news cycle and report appropriate learnings and trends.
• Understand and comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
• Develop, coach and mentor peers, indirect and subordinate staff.

Qualifications/Requirements

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor's degree in Public Relations/Communications or related field
• 10 + years of progressive experience in corporate communications (agency or in house); alcohol industry experience is a strong plus
• Experience influencing key stakeholders effectively

• A drive to succeed and a willingness to lead
• Extremely sound, consistent judgment
• Excellent listening , presentation and communication skills
• Ability to spot problems and solve them quickly and efficiently
• Ab ility to translate complex corporate messages into tangible, clearly understood deliverables

• Outstanding content development, writing, editing, and counseling skills
• Strong media relations skills
• Creativity, strategic agility and drive for results
• Experience in crisis/issues communications
• Experience managing , crafting and delivering of corporate communications

• Expert in verbal and written communication
• Superior organizational skills
• Experience in project management and multi-tasking
• Experience leading highly visible corporate projects
• Experience working with all levels and functions within the company including C-Suite

• Skilled in the use of MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint
• Familiarity with PR tools such as Meltwater, Muckrack , etc.

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