External Communications Manager

At Early Warning, we've powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose
The External Communications Manager will support the development and execution of integrated communications strategies that advance the company's reputation and strengthen its portfolio of brands as well as our foundational risk and insights business as necessary, with media and other critical stakeholder audiences. This position plays a central role in applying data-driven insights to inform communications planning, monitor performance, and optimize outreach. The role will leverage experience working with media in high-stakes situations and deliver proactive media placements that tell the company's and brands' stories in compelling and credible ways. By gathering and analyzing audience, media, and stakeholder data, the manager helps shape effective storytelling, ensures alignment with business priorities, and supports leadership in building trust with key audiences. Ultimately, the role contributes to the company's ability to deliver clear, consistent, and compelling communications that protect and enhance its reputation.

Essential Functions

• Execute communications initiatives that protect and enhance the reputations of Early Warning and its products, including drafting press releases, FAQs, statements, and other media materials; managing proactive pitching; and coordinating with stakeholders to ensure message alignment.
• Leverage advanced analytics and emerging technologies, including AI-enabled monitoring tools, to anticipate reputational risks, detect disinformation, and identify opportunities for proactive storytelling.
• Close collaboration with internal stakeholders — including Marketing, Sales, and Legal teams — to develop proactive communications initiatives that strengthen reputation and reinforce the company's leadership on trust, innovation, and purpose.
• Support high-stakes media engagement by preparing briefing materials and playbooks, drafting holding statements and Q&A, and managing select inbound media inquiries to ensure accurate and consistent messaging.
• Apply data and analytics across the communications lifecycle — from anticipating risks and shaping storytelling to measuring campaign performance, tracking media coverage, and delivering reporting that informs strategy and demonstrates impact.
• Help maintain a communications calendar to support integrated planning across campaigns, issues, and stakeholder engagement.
• Contribute to preparedness and response efforts by supporting the development of future-facing scenario plans and playbooks, monitoring issues, and helping deliver rapid-response materials in partnership with senior leaders and agency partners.
• Support operational effectiveness by helping develop and manage tools, processes, and systems that enable the communications team to work efficiently and deliver measurable results.
• Manage agency and vendor relationships through proactive communications planning, including onboarding, strategic plan development, campaign coordination, invoicing, and budget tracking, to ensure alignment with team goals and the cost-effective delivery of initiatives.
• Stay current on best practices and innovations in communications, issues management, and crisis response, applying insights to strengthen the team's capabilities and ensure the company's reputations remain future-focused.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education or experience typically obtained through the completion of a bachelor's degree.
• 5+ years of professional experience in corporate and brand communications, journalism, or a related field.
• Strong writing, copywriting, and editing skills.
• Existing media relationships.
• Experience crafting compelling storytelling narratives that resonate with media, policymakers, and other critical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to approach challenges with curiosity, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, bringing forward new ideas and problem-solving approaches.
• High level of personal and professional integrity.
• Detail-oriented self-starter; able to prioritize work, balance multiple concurrent timelines, and consistently deliver against deadlines in a fast-moving environment.
• Highly effective interpersonal skills with the ability to develop trusted relationships across all levels of the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a high-growth or start-up culture, with the ability to thrive in fast-paced environments that require agility, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial thinking.
• Demonstrated ability of managing sensitive and confidential information, complex internal stakeholder relationships and competing priorities while driving communications alignment.
• Experience developing goals, KPIs, and campaign reports that demonstrate the impact of communications initiatives.
• Crisis and issues management experience with proven ability to support high-stakes situations.
• Agency and/or in-house experience a plus.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

Physical Requirements
Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers.

Employees must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

The Base Pay Scale For This Position In
New York, NY in USD per year is: $125,000 - $156,000.

Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate's education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.

Some of the Ways We Prioritize Your Health and Happiness

• Healthcare Coverage – Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans as well as company contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) or pre-tax savings through flexible spending accounts (FSA) for commuting, health & dependent care expenses.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Featuring a 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on your first 6% deferral immediately upon eligibility.
• Paid Time Off – Flexible Time Off for Exempt (salaried) employees, as well as generous PTO for Non-Exempt (hourly) employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.
• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Maven Family Planning – provides support through your Parenting journey including egg freezing, fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, postpartum, early pediatrics, and returning to work.

And SO much more We continue to enhance our program, so be sure to check our Benefits page here for the latest. Our team can share more during the interview process

Early Warning Services, LLC ("Early Warning") considers for employment, hires, retains and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status or any other factor that is irrelevant to the performance of our employees.
Early Warning Services LLC is a proud participant in E-Verify, a federal program to help ensure a legal and authorized workforce. As part of our hiring process, we electronically verify the employment eligibility of all new hires through E-Verify. For more information on your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify please visit Home | E-Verify.