Senior Account Director, Food & Beverage

Application Deadline 23 May 2025 Department Lifestyle Location PURPLE New York Compensation $110,000 - $125,000 / year

Description We seek a Senior Account Director with an insatiable passion for food, mixology, and the magic of hospitality to lead high-profile restaurant, bar, and beverage accounts. You’ll blend PR strategy with creative genius to launch Michelin-starred concepts, curate immersive dining experiences, and turn chefs into household names. If you live for the buzz of a packed restaurant opening and dream in press headlines, this is your stage.

Key Responsibilities

• Culinary Storytelling & Campaign Leadership
• • Design bold PR strategies for celebrity chefs, luxury hotel F&B programs, and emerging drink brands.
  • Brainstorm experiential campaigns—think pop-ups in unexpected locales, chef-artist collaborations, or viral cocktail competitions.
  • Craft narratives that transcend food: Position clients as cultural icons (e.g., linking Francis Mallmann’s fire feasts to sustainability trends).
• Media Mastery
• • Secure coverage in top-tier food, lifestyle, and business outlets (NY Times Food, Eater, Food & Wine, Bloomberg Pursuits).
  • Cultivate relationships with critics, editors, and influencers who shape dining trends.
  • Leverage global agency networks to amplify stories across APAC, EMEA, and Americas markets.
• Client Partnership
• • Serve as a trusted advisor to restaurant groups, chefs, hotel groups, and beverage innovators.
  • Navigate high-stakes moments: restaurant openings, crisis communications (e.g., supply chain scandals), and brand reinventions.
• Team Mentorship & Growth
• • Lead a team of account managers and creatives, fostering a culture of curiosity and precision.
  • Collaborate with in-house content creators, social media strategists, and event producers to deliver 360° campaigns.
• New Business Innovation
• • Identify and pitch prospects in emerging spaces: non-alcoholic spirits, farm-to-table tech, and Web3 dining experiences.
  • Develop proposals that showcase creative flair and ROI-driven results.

Skills, Knowledge, and Expertise

• 8–10+ years in PR/communications, with 5+ years focused on restaurants, beverages, or luxury hospitality (agency experience mandatory).
• Portfolio of campaigns that generated national headlines, awards, or viral buzz.
• Rolodex of top food critics, editors (e.g., Pete Wells, Helen Rosner), and influencer-chefs.
• Deep understanding of culinary trends (e.g., regenerative dining, zero-proof mixology) and the media landscape.
• Passion for creative risk-taking: You’ve pitched a client’s tasting menu as performance art or turned a bar into an NFT gallery.
• Bachelor’s degree in PR, Journalism, Culinary Arts, or related field.

Find more opportunities on our PURPLE PR page.

You're welcome to mention that you learned about this role through CALIBRE.