Braintrust is hiring: Director, Brand PR (Onsite - Boca Raton, FL) in Chicago

Position Overview Celsius Holdings, Inc. is seeking a Director, Brand PR to lead U.S. earned media strategy and execution across a multi-brand portfolio including CELSIUS, Alani Nu, and Rockstar Energy.

This leader will serve as the day-to-day owner of Brand PR performance across the U.S. portfolio, partnering closely with the SVP of Communications, Brand Marketing leaders, and external agency partners to ensure each brand shows up in culture with relevance, credibility, and consistency.

This is a build-stage leadership role within a newly formed Brand PR function. The Director, Brand PR will help establish team rhythms, operating standards, agency governance, and scalable ways of working while leading a team of Brand PR specialists and managing PR agency partners.

The right candidate will bring deep consumer PR and earned media experience, strong people leadership, in-house brand-side experience, and the ability to translate brand priorities into earned media impact across traditional media, culture outlets, social-first news channels, partnerships, experiential moments, product launches, and consumer storytelling.

**A relocation package is available for qualified candidates. 
~ An equity and bonus package is included as part of the total compensation, if selected.

12+ years of progressive experience in consumer/brand PR and earned media, with meaningful leadership responsibility.
~ CPG experience strongly preferred; beverage experience ideal.
~ In-house experience required, including experience operating within a corporate brand environment.
~ Strong track record leading consumer PR programs across culture, partnerships, experiential moments, earned media, social-first media, and product/innovation storytelling.
~ Experience managing PR agencies and external partners with clear governance, high standards, and strong performance management.
~ Proven people management experience, including coaching and developing junior PR talent.
~ Strong executive presence and business acumen, with the ability to present PR strategy, outcomes, and impact to senior stakeholders.
~ Proven ability to influence marketing and brand stakeholders through trust, strong judgment, and effective cross-functional partnership.
~ AI fluency required: ability to explain and implement how AI improves PR planning, analysis, monitoring, content development, governance, measurement, and insights.


Team leadership, coaching, and talent development
Cross-functional partnership and stakeholder management
Applied AI workflows for productivity, quality, and insight generation

Portfolio Brand PR Strategy & Planning
Brand PR strategy across CELSIUS, Alani Nu, and Rockstar Energy, ensuring PR meaningfully advances each brand’s strategy, audience, and marketing priorities.
Build annual and quarterly PR roadmaps and integrated calendars aligned to marketing tentpoles, innovation, partnerships, experiential activations, and cultural moments.
Create and drive proactive story pipelines that build sustained earned visibility and consumer interest throughout the year.
Establish narrative guardrails, message frameworks, and quality standards that improve consistency, accuracy, and brand-appropriate tone across earned media.
Adapt PR strategy by brand, recognizing the distinct audiences, cultural lanes, and storytelling opportunities across CELSIUS, Alani Nu, and Rockstar.
Leadership of Specialists + Program Operations
Lead, coach, and develop a team of Brand PR specialists supporting CELSIUS, Alani Nu, and Rockstar.
Build a high-performance culture rooted in urgency, strong judgment, accountability, quality, and talent development.
Ensure clear briefs, tight feedback loops, strong editorial rigor, and disciplined follow-through across all PR workstreams.
Build operating rhythms and program discipline, including planning cadence, workflow management, approvals, reporting, and delivery standards.
Manage and optimize relationships with existing and future PR agency partners.
Define expectations, working standards, scopes, briefing discipline, deliverable standards, approvals, and performance expectations.
Ensure agency partners are clearly aligned to brand priorities, internal workflows, and quality standards.
Lead consumer PR programs that reach consumers through traditional media, social-first news outlets, culture outlets, lifestyle media, and earned media channels.
Translate brand moments, partnerships, athlete/creator programs, product launches, experiential activations, and cultural moments into credible earned media and consumer buzz.
Maintain strong understanding of what modern media needs, including traditional reporters, digital publishers, culture editors, and emerging social-first outlets.
Build and maintain relationships that help CELSIUS, Alani Nu, and Rockstar show up credibly in the right conversations.
Influencer + Partnership Earned Amplification
Partner closely with influencer, creator, sports, entertainment, college, and field marketing teams to maximize earned media impact.
Drive PR storytelling and coverage opportunities tied to influencer relationships, brand partnerships, athlete programs, events, and sponsorships.
Senior Cross-Functional Partnership
Serve as a senior Brand PR partner to Brand Marketing leaders and the SVP of Communications.
Partner closely with Sports & Entertainment, College Marketing, Field Marketing, Legal, Sales, Operations, and other cross-functional teams.
Bring confident, solutions-oriented PR leadership to planning discussions, offering strategic counsel, best practices, and clear recommendations.
Translate PR activity into business relevance, helping stakeholders understand the value, impact, and ROI of earned media.
Crisis Readiness + Brand Issues Support
Support the crisis response team in partnership with the Issues & Reputation Management communications leader and cross-functional stakeholders.
Help prepare for and respond to consumer-facing brand issues, including misinformation, partner/athlete-related controversy, product perception issues, or consumer backlash.
Ensure fast alignment and clear, responsible communications when brand issues arise.
Balance proactive consumer PR with sound judgment around reputation, risk, and brand safety.
AI-Enabled PR Operations
Embed AI tools into PR planning, monitoring, analysis, content development, governance, measurement, and insights.
Set standards for responsible, effective AI use that improves speed, consistency, and quality.
Train and enable the Brand PR team to adopt AI-enabled ways of working.
Stay current on how AI is changing communications, media relations, content development, and PR operations.

Clear, strategic PR plans and calendars are established across CELSIUS, Alani Nu, and Rockstar.
Brand PR is consistently converting marketing priorities into consumer-facing earned media and word-of-mouth impact.
Earned presence improves across volume, quality, relevance, share of voice, and accuracy of coverage.
The Brand PR team has a disciplined operating cadence, clear workflows, strong briefs, and consistent delivery standards.
PR specialists are well-coached, well-directed, and consistently delivering high-quality work.
Agency partners are operating with clear scopes, expectations, accountability, and performance standards.
Senior stakeholders view Brand PR as a strategic partner that helps amplify brand priorities and drive consumer relevance.

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
~ Long- and short-term disability
~ Life insurance
~10 vacation days per year, subject to accrual policy
~11 company-paid holidays
~Identity theft and legal services
~ Bonus eligibility
~ Equity eligibility, subject to company plans