Integrated Media Manager

Job Title         Integrated Media & Communication Manager

Reports to:     Director of Brand Communications

Location:          Evanston, IL (hybrid)

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Company Background

Owned by Irish dairy co-operative Ornua, Kerrygold is one of Ireland’s most beloved and iconic food brands, known worldwide for it’s quality dairy products made with milk from Irish grass-fed cows.

After arriving on US shores in 1991, Kerrygold is now the #2 Butter brand and #1 Specialty Cheese brand in the US. In 2025, the Kerrygold brand celebrated a historic milstone of exceeding $1B dollar sales in the US market, and was named by Circana as one of the top CPG growth drivers.

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, Ornua has annualised sales of over €3.5 billion and a global team of 3,000 employees.

Ornua is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients. We operate from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across the globe in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the Middle East, Spain, the UK, and the US.

You may know us by our brands Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrim’s Choice, Avantage, Forto, and BEO.

Ornua Foods North America is based in Evanston, Illinois and we market and sell Kerrygold butter and cheese in the North American market. We are the number two butter brand in the US and the number one in the specialty cheese market.

Ornua’s Values

At Ornua, our Values lie at the core of everything that we do and how we behave both individually and as a business. Our five values, and their underlying behaviours, encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care and Achieve Great Things Together.

Ornua’s Growth

At Ornua, our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business. We care passionately about driving sustainable, profitable growth, underpinned by our ambitious ‘Growing For Good’ strategy. We have delivered significant growth in our core business and enhanced our footprint with a major acquisition in the USA. Ornua continues to grow strength by strength with bold plans to enhance the value created for our shareholders.

Why This Role is Valuable

The Integrated Media & Communications Manager is a communications generalist who plays a central role in delivering our brand’s communication strategy. This role supports the Brand Communications Director by coordinating across creative, media, PR, experiential, digital, and partnership initiatives to ensure cohesive, impactful storytelling across all channels. The ideal candidate brings cross‑functional fluency, strong agency management skills, and a passion for integrated brand building. They will have a proven track record in translating business objectives into tactical executions with measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

1. Communications Strategy & Planning

• Support the Brand Communications Director in developing and executing the integrated communication strategy.
• Translate strategic priorities into cohesive, channel‑appropriate plans across paid, earned, shared, and owned media.
• Working closely with a global team, implement best practice planning and protocols and drive internal alignment of the plan.

2. Agency & Vendor Management

• Serve as day‑to‑day liaison with creative, media, PR, and experiential agencies.
• Develop clear, actionable briefs for creative development, media planning, content creation, and campaign execution.
• Guide agency partners toward integrated thinking, ensuring all touchpoints deliver consistent brand messaging and are in line with strategic objectives.

3. PR, Experiential & Brand Activation

• Shape and develop the brand’s PR approach, bring the brand to life for our consumer community, identify proactive outreach moments, and reactive opportunities.
• Lead coordination of experiential activations, brand events, and large‑scale moments that extend brand buzz and earned media potential.
• Measure impact of PR and experiential programs, providing insights and recommendations.

4. Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations

• Identify and evaluate potential brand partners—creators, organizations, platforms, and cultural partners—with opportunities for content or campaign collaboration.
• Maintain relationships with existing partners, ensuring alignment with brand values and strategic goals.
• Build partnership concepts that generate reach, relevance, and meaningful brand affinity.

5. Digital, Social & Search Integration

• Partner with the digital and social teams to translate the communication strategy into always‑on content for owned channels.
• Ensure campaigns are optimized for digital excellence, including search (SEO/AEO), social formats, and emerging platform opportunities.
• Champion content quality, consistency, and channel‑fit across all social and digital activations.

6. Insights & Performance

• Track performance of media, PR, and social campaigns, synthesizing insights across channels.
• Share actionable learnings with stakeholders to inform future planning.
• Stay current on cultural trends, platform evolution, audience behaviors, and best‑in‑class brand communication.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of experience in integrated communications, brand management, media, PR, or related fields.
• Experience working with and managing external agencies.
• Strong understanding of earned, paid, and owned channels and how they work together.
• Exceptional communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into compelling briefs and actionable direction.
• Strong project management capability and comfort working in fast‑moving, deadline‑driven environments.
• Passion for storytelling, brand building, and cultural awareness

Salary Range: $130k-$159K