Director, External Corporate Communications, North America

We are one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. Our products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM family of brands (including The Ordinary and NIOD), and BALMAIN Beauty.

About the role

The Director, External Corporate Communications, North America will drive external relations across the region, leading integrated communications programs that support business priorities and strengthen the company’s reputation. This role requires strong judgment in high-profile situations, experience navigating a highly matrixed organization, the ability to deliver at pace, and a proven track record of advising senior leaders. You will work in close partnership with brand and cross-functional teams in the region and globally, deeply executing the strategies you help shape and translating business priorities into clear, compelling, and credible external communications. This position is based in New York and reports to the Vice President, Corporate & Brands Communications, The Americas.

Responsibilities

• Corporate Media & Executive Positioning
  • Support the development of a North America corporate media strategy, positioning the company and regional leaders across key topics such as beauty & luxury, consumer trends, retail, and digital and social commerce.
  • Design and deliver integrated initiatives across earned, owned, and digital channels in partnership with relevant brand and cross-functional teams.
  • Foster relationships with top-tier U.S. and Canada corporate media and event organizers.
  • Prepare and advise senior executives for media and speaking engagements.
  • Submit regional leadership for relevant talent awards and rankings.
  • Draft and oversee outputs including executive briefings, talking points, pitches, award submissions, press releases, opinion pieces, and stakeholder communications.
• Story Mining & Narrative Development
  • Develop clear, insight-led narratives on industry topics and for major regional announcements, partnerships, and milestones.
  • Embed with regional brands and business teams to story mine opportunities.
  • Parse business performance, industry, and consumer data to support key narratives.
• Industry Relations
  • Build relationships with relevant industry and stakeholder organizations.
  • Manage executive and company participation for relevant board seats, membership initiatives, awards programs, and annual calendar of events.
• Issues Management & Reputation
  • Provide counsel to leadership on reputational risk, including vetting proposed brand activations, partnerships, and spokespeople.
  • Track emerging trends and issues that may pose a reputational impact to the company or brands.
  • Serve as the secondary point of contact for issues management and crisis communications across the Americas.
  • Maintain alignment with Legal, Government Affairs, Crisis, Corporate Citizenship & Sustainability, and other key cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Core Experience
  • 10+ years’ experience in corporate communications, public affairs, and/or issues management.
  • Experience in beauty, wellness, personal care, retail, luxury, or other related industry.
  • Agency experience is a plus.
  • Experience advising senior executives in high-stakes situations.
  • Ability to operate at pace, manage multiple priorities, and work effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
  • Proven ability to influence across a highly matrixed organization.
  • Strong leadership, team management, and stakeholder management capability.
  • Sound judgment and calm under pressure.
• Tools & Platforms (Hands-on Proficiency)
  • Publishing & Collaboration
    • Microsoft Office suite, including PowerPoint (visual storytelling).
    • SharePoint (or similar intranet CMS).
    • Microsoft Teams.
    • Airtable (a plus).
  • Industry Resources & Analytics
    • MuckRack.
    • CreatorIQ (Tribe) (a plus).
    • Familiarity with Circana, Nielsen, or similar data sets (a plus).
• Editorial & Strategic Thinking
  • Exceptional writing and editing skills with strong editorial judgment.
  • Proven ability to turn complex business topics into clear, engaging content.
  • Portfolio or work samples required (writing, editorial placements, etc.).

Schedule

Hybrid – 4 days per week in the ELC North America office in New York.

Pay

Anticipated base salary range: $124,200.00 to $214,450.00 (scaled based on qualifications, skills, experience, and/or budget for a 40-hour work week).

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision).
• Wellness and family support programs.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Retirement savings plans.
• Education-related programs.
• Paid holidays and vacation time.
• Highly competitive incentive compensation programs, including eligibility for Commission/Bonus Plan (role eligibility may vary).