Kansas City Symphony is hiring: Public Relations Manager in Kansas City

Base pay range

$70,000.00/yr - $80,000.00/yr

This range is provided by Kansas City Symphony. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Manager of PR and Partnerships

REPORTS TO: Director of Marketing

SUPERVISES: N/A

• Creative Director, Box Office Manager (internal to team)
• Chief Production Officer, Director of Development, Director of Education & Community Engagement (internal to KCS)
• Vendor partners (external to KCS)

In only its 42nd season, the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) has already become one of America's most vibrant major orchestras, quickly gaining national and international recognition. The Symphony is entering its second season with world renowned conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its Music Director, and the positive energy and buzz around this orchestra is intensely optimistic and forward-moving.

Continuously creating live music experiences in Helzberg Hall at the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City's metro population of more than 2.2 million people and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors across a huge swath of the Midwest as well. The Symphony's 80 full-time musicians perform in diverse and dynamic musical experiences in orchestral and chamber formats each season. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, enriching the community’s cultural landscape.

While the Kansas City Symphony ranks among leading American orchestras, it also stands out as one of the most agile. The lean operation of just over 30 full-time staff enables the organization to be fast and nimble, with the excitement of a startup but the polish, stature, connections, and resources of a major cultural institution. Its $25M annual operating budget is fueled by the strongest ticket sales per capita in the sector, along with healthy annual contributions and a $135M endowment provided by Kansas City’s exceptional civic culture of philanthropy. A wide range of programming spans every genre from classical and concert opera to rock, film with live orchestra, and all manner of contemporary artists. The orchestra aspires to do more and to be more for all the people of Kansas City and surrounding regions, and the growth trajectory is exciting, rapid, and palpable.

Nothing signifies this rapid ascent more than the orchestra’s debut on the world stage in 2024. While other orchestras are pulling back from global commitments, the Kansas City Symphony is boldly stepping forward, having accepted invitations to be presented in Europe’s top concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the stunning new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The orchestra’s sold-out performances in 2024 triggered immediate re-invitations, and the orchestra is developing funding and plans to support a return to be presented once more by all of these venues in 2026.

Position Overview

The Manager of PR and Partnerships is a newly-created role responsible for managing external communications with media and the public as well as developing a “galaxy” of partners to help achieve marketing objectives and KCS’ strategic priorities. Reporting to the Director of Marketing, the Manager collaborates closely with team members to deliver world-class marketing to complement KCS’s world-class product on stage. This is not a typical non-profit marketing role. KCS has national and global aspirations so we are applying commercial best‑practices to build a Marketing and Sales team that can operate with quality at that scale.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished marketing or PR professional who is drawn to the opportunity to do transformative, purpose‑driven work as part of a small, tight‑knit team. You are a self‑motivated problem‑solver who is comfortable applying structure when needed to unstructured problems. While knowledgeable, you are a lifelong learner with a growth mindset. You love the energy that comes from doing hard work that you believe in. You are willing to both give and receive help. At the end of the day, “getting it right” is more important to you than “being right”. If this rings true, we’d love to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the Marketing + KCS PR strategy and lead the function end‑to‑end. Key target outcomes include driving media attention for key performances and events across the KCS season, building processes to reliably handle all inbound requests to KCS, and positively building the brand and reach for KCS over time.
• Develop the Marketing + KCS Partnerships strategy and lead the function end‑to‑end. Key target outcomes include growing the scope and quality of KCS strategic partners and future pipeline, leveraging partnerships to drive engagement and attendance for key performances and events across the KCS season, and leveraging partners to positively build the brand and reach for KCS over time.
• Ensure routine, high‑quality execution of marketing activities within established budgets and SLAs. Own and optimize your own calendar and timelines.
• Develop KPIs and reporting frameworks, using data to assess PR and Partnerships performance, ROI, and future optimizations.
• Lead regular planning, Media Relations and Partnership development, and performance forecasting activities.
• Partner effectively with Creative Director and Box Office Manager to ensure strategic alignment between teams.
• Collaborate effectively with key internal partners such as CEO, Music Director, Operations, Development, Education, musicians, etc.
• Oversee and own relationships with key external partners such as agencies, consultants, vendors, etc.

Other duties as assigned.

Key Performance Indicators

• Contribute to Marketing Team achievement of annual goals defined for ticketing revenue, attendance, and YoY household growth.
• Timely, quality execution of assigned tasks while adhering to annual Budget.
• Quality, professional communication to internal and external audiences.
• Positive 360 feedback from team, KCS leadership, KCS org partners, and external partners.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience owning PR and Partnerships in high‑performing marketing organizations, preferably in weekly/daily cadence industries such as live entertainment, sports, hospitality/travel, or eCommerce. Experience with cultural and non‑profit organizations is beneficial but not required.
• Proven track record in planning, executing, and optimizing marketing activities to achieve revenue targets. Demonstrated ability to self‑optimize assigned tasks.
• Proven track record in managing budgets and executive communication (written and verbal). Ability to successfully pitch new ideas and areas for investment is a strong plus.
• Expertise in collaborating across functions (creative, sales, artistic, ops, finance, technology, etc.) to deliver exceptional work.
• Familiarity with marketing analytics and performance management is a strong plus.
• Familiarity with Tessitura or other CRM systems is a strong plus.
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) is required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and marketing tools is required. Example tools include: Monday.com, Facebook/Instagram, Constant Contact, and/or others as needed.

Core Competencies

• Self‑motivated problem‑solving with a bias for action.
• An internal drive to reliably execute tasks with quality, on time.
• A growth mindset, thirst for learning, and drive for continuous improvement.
• Superior organizational skills with keen attention to detail.
• A knack for simplifying the complex and organizing the unorganized.
• Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal.
• A spirit to serve: the customer, the KCS mission, your teammates, and yourself. This is your engine for excellence.

Other Requirements

• Flexibility. Due to our performance schedule weekend and evening work will sometimes be required.
• Ability to operate in a standard office environment on location at the KCS offices.

Compensation and Benefits

• Target base salary range is $70-80k, commensurate with candidate experience.
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage.
• Generous vacation and PTO.
• Relocation support to Kansas City.

Kansas City Symphony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, disability, or veteran status.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit a resume and (optional) cover letter addressed to Julius Lai, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, articulating why you are interested in this specific role. Please send applications via email to AJ Harbison at AJHarbison@kcsymphony.org.

Applications will be accepted through November 28, 2025. Interviews are expected to commence via Zoom on a rolling basis starting late November through early December. Finalist interviews will be conducted in person in Kansas City.