Estée Lauder Companies Executive Director, Media Relations
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Director
- Compensation
- $154,000–264,750/year
- Department
- Corporate Affairs, Sustainability & CSR
- Posted
- Sep 22, 2026
Estée Lauder Companies seeks Executive Director, Media Relations in New York to lead strategic communications for senior leadership with 10–12 years of experience.
Role & Responsibilities
- Serve as primary strategic communications advisor to senior leadership on all internal and external communications, reputation management, and public positioning
- Develop and execute comprehensive leadership communications strategy that advances business priorities, public reputation, and long-term legacy initiatives
- Draft, edit, and oversee all written materials including speeches, remarks, talking points, presentations, op-eds, and internal communications
- Prepare senior leaders for high-profile public-facing moments including media interviews, industry conferences, and philanthropic engagements
- Identify, shape, and manage selective media opportunities across business, lifestyle, and thought leadership outlets
- Serve as central liaison between leadership and company communications teams to ensure alignment, accuracy, and discretion
- Oversee all press and public-facing materials, maintaining message discipline and consistency across platforms and markets
- Draft and oversee social media content for executive leadership
- Lead long-form storytelling initiatives including book development, essays, documentaries, podcasts, and heritage projects
- Align communications with leaders' philanthropic, cultural, and academic commitments
- Provide senior-level judgment on sensitive, confidential, and reputational matters
- Coordinate business travel and event logistics related to communications and public engagements (approximately 10%)
- Integrate leadership communications with overall corporate media strategy and enterprise priorities
- Collaborate with Global Media Relations on select enterprise announcements involving senior leaders
- Support crisis and issues management as it relates to leadership visibility and public positioning
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field; advanced degree preferred
- 10–12 years of progressive experience in leadership communications, media relations, and corporate affairs with significant C-suite exposure
- Demonstrated experience serving as trusted advisor to senior leaders on high-stakes, high-visibility communications
- Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills with proven ability to develop and sustain authentic leadership voice
- Deep understanding of media landscapes, reputation management, and executive positioning across business and lifestyle platforms
- Exceptional media relations experience with strong track record of developing and landing impactful media placements
- Established media relationships that can be leveraged for strategic communications goals
- High emotional intelligence, discretion, and sound judgment in handling sensitive and confidential matters
- Proven ability to manage complex, long-term initiatives in fast-moving, high-visibility environments
- Experience working within matrixed, global organizations
- Background in beauty, luxury, consumer goods, or adjacent industries preferred
- Approximately 10% travel required
Skills
Experience
10–12 years of progressive experience in leadership communications, media relations, and corporate affairs, with significant exposure to C-suite leaders and demonstrated experience serving as a trusted advisor on high-stakes communications initiatives. Prior experience in matrixed, global organizations and familiarity with beauty, luxury, or consumer goods industries is advantageous.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in New York, New York, USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 154,000 to USD 264,750 per annum.
Benefits
Health insurance coverage, wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave programs, education-related programs, paid holidays and vacation time, competitive bonus program eligibility, and share incentive plan participation. Many benefits are subsidized or fully paid by the company.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Estée Lauder Companies, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Director of Leadership Communications», «Senior Communications Advisor», «Executive Communications Director», «Director of Corporate Media Strategy», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.