CAREERS

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.).

About The Hayes Initiative

The Hayes Initiative (THI) — a certified LGBTQ-owned public affairs firm — boasts decades of experience at the intersection of communications, government relations, and stakeholder management. Our rapid growth is rooted in a simple idea: delivering top-tier service to every client.

Our exceptional work has earned us 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.

Role Summary, PR Fellowship

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.

This individual’s primary responsibility will be producing and managing deliverables for the firm’s clients with oversight and coordination of the Account Executive 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 Executive; 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 Executive 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 Executive, 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 Executive, 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 Executive 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 Executive, 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 which will be provided in the form of a stipend.
• This year’s stipend is $4500/month and will be paid out on a semi-monthly 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.