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PR Fellowship

About The Hayes Initiative

The Hayes Initiative (THI) is a nationally respected public affairs firm, trusted by leaders to navigate high-stakes moments at the intersection of communications, government relations, and stakeholder management. THI’s rapid growth is rooted in a simple idea: delivering top-tier service to every client.

THI’s exceptional work has earned prestigious recognitions, including being finalists for “Best Boutique Agency” at the PRWeek Awards and winning the “Best PR Firm Award” from the Stevie American Business Awards in 2022. City & State has featured THI in its annual list of PR Power firms for the past two consecutive years.

THI’s team of trusted and knowledgeable advisors know that the right connections, preparation, and a defined mission will translate to action and deliver results. THI has served leaders at the highest levels including presidential candidates; members of the U.S. Cabinet, governors, and other elected officials; C-Suite executives; law enforcement officials; and high-ranking health and legal professionals. THI has worked with multi-million-dollar tech companies, fast-growing small businesses, and political candidates and advocacy groups. During the pandemic, THI provided pro-bono services to small businesses, in particular New York City restaurants, to help them navigate crisis communications and government relations, while also organizing and lobbying for sidewalk cafes and PPP loans.

THI has advised clients involved in complex legal matters and managed high-stakes media relations during crises such as Bridgegate, airport security breaches, and natural disasters including Superstorm Sandy and hurricane relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands. THI facilitates events around the world from large conferences and galas to bilateral meetings with heads of state and executives. THI has a long-standing record of securing and managing interviews with all of the major national print and broadcast outlets.

At THI, we deftly navigate high-pressure, politically sensitive, or confidential issues while demonstrating the utmost level of discretion and good judgment. The firm is proud of its work in the advocacy space and are passionate about efforts to help organizations build inclusivity in all aspects of their operations.

Role Summary, PR Fellow

The Hayes Initiative Fellowship is a 16-week full-time work experience and training program. The Fellow must be a recent college graduate or nearing completion of a graduate degree program or within the first 12 months of their professional public relations and communications career. The Fellow will assist Executives with media research and outreach, presentations, and project coordination; build media lists and databases; and compile client reports. They will join a small but fast-growing team and assist in managing daily client deliverables around media, communications, government relations, and stakeholder management . The Fellow will assist in managing the day-to-day execution of client deliverables and support strategy development.

Role Summary Continued

This individual’s primary responsibility will be producing and managing deliverables for the firm’s clients with oversight and coordination of the Account Manager and other team members.

The ideal candidate will have experience with large-scale initiatives/projects/announcements/events with a government and/or community relations overlay.

Additionally, this opportunity has the potential to lead to permanent, full-time employment as an Account Manager; therefore, all eligible applicants must be willing to work out of our NY office 2x/per week upon completion of the Fellowship, as it is a condition of accepting a spot in the Fellowship program.

The THI Fellowship prioritizes career and skills development. Fellows will be paired with a

current THI staff member who will serve as a mentor and offer ongoing support and training throughout the Fellowship program.

Primary Responsibilities

Develop your writing: With initial teaching and guidance from the Account Manager and firm team members, learn to draft op-eds, blog posts, speeches, and memos on policy topics and political issues.
Increase Research Experience: With oversight from the Account Manager, produce memos explaining substantive public policy issues. Collect background material on potential clients, reporters, news outlets, and current events. Contribute research to inform speechwriting and messaging development. Should be able to analyze and distill complex topics with an eye for the colorful details that make for good storytelling. Closely follow industry trends, relevant public policy developments, and political news.
Client relations: In coordination with the Account Manager, support THI clients and help cultivate THI’s relationships with our external partners.
Keep your team organized: Provide administrative support, coordinate work across multiple projects, including scheduling for senior team members, managing various organizational processes and deadlines, and assisting interns. Create and build media distribution lists for media outreach (i.e., MuckRack, Google) for the Account Manager to review. Assist with event check-in, press pen, escorting talent, and general needs of event staff during client events.
Develop Media Relationships: In efforts and guidance with the Account Manager, conduct strategic and thorough media outreach to land stories for our clients; develop creative hooks to capture reporters’ interests, understand each reporter’s audience, distribute press releases and media advisories; follow up with media to verify contact information, pitch status and ultimately build your media network.

Requirements

Must be based in New York City for the Fellowship program duration.
Must have recently achieved a bachelor’s degree or near completing a graduate degree program
Must be available Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm ET: THI practices a hybrid work environment. We operate Monday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm EST, and when required to fulfill contractual obligations to our clients, we work outside those hours. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the team meets in person. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the team works remotely unless we need to meet in person.
Must be able to attend evening and weekend events as needed.
Must be comfortable working in various settings that include an office environment, at high-profile events, and, most importantly, the ability to work efficiently in a remote environment.
Must have a strong interest in news, politics, and current events.
Must have access to a working cell phone, computer, and high-speed WiFi.
Previous media experience preferred.

Compensation

The Fellowship is a paid opportunity at a rate of $25.96/hour and will be paid out on a bi-weekly basis.

Benefits

$200 stipend to support your work-from-home setup.
Three days of Personal Time Off (PTO) for the fellowship duration, plus paid bank holidays.
THI closes annually during the week of the July 4th holiday and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Fellows will receive paid time off during these times.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume to info@hayesinitiative.com, with the subject line “PR Fellowship” and please reference where you found the job (LinkedIn, City & State, Friend, etc.).

Internship Program

Role Summary

The Hayes Initiative is seeking highly motivated college-level intern(s) (juniors, seniors, and graduate students) interested in getting hands-on public affairs experience focusing on communications, government relations, and stakeholder management. We will help teach our interns the skills needed to succeed in this fast-paced industry. Interns will be asked to focus on a range of projects, including longer-term and day-to-day/immediate tasks. They will learn the basics of high-level communications strategizing, writing, pitching media, and advocacy. Our internship program runs for three months with an option to extend based on performance.