Freelance Operations Manager Jobs in Connecticut

About Us:vineyard vines is a highly successful, privately held, American clothing and accessory retailer founded in 1998 on Martha's Vineyard by brothers, Shep & Ian Murray. With Shep & Ian still at the helm today, vineyard vines has experienced exponential year over year growth and now operates over 120 retail locations including an outlet division, a successful e-commerce business, domestic distribution center, and expanding corporate headquarters. In addition, vineyard vines is carried in major department stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdales as well as numerous specialty boutiques across the US
vineyard vines was founded on a state of mind that Every day should feel this good. You don't need to be on a beach, by the ocean or on vacation to have Every day should feel this good moments. It's a state of mind that we all experience, and one where everyone is invited. At vineyard vines, we don't just live an #EDSFTG life away from our desks-we bring it to work with us, too
Whether in our stores, or at our Harbor Drive headquarters, our company culture is fun, encouraging and welcoming to all. We work hard and play harder, and we never take ourselves too seriously. And while we have many company goals, our number one priority is making vineyard vines a great place to work for all employees. Our team is our family, and we'd never have grown to where we are today without them
We're committed to building an inclusive team across all channels, departments and stores within our community. We hope you'll join us and see what the smiling pink whale is all about.
Overview:
At vineyard vines, we're building more than a brand-we're cultivating a lifestyle defined by optimism, authenticity, and timeless coastal style. As Director of Public Relations, you will lead the strategic vision for earned media, brand storytelling, executive communications, and cultural relevance, elevating vineyard vines' presence across fashion, lifestyle, business, and consumer media.
Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, this leader will develop and execute an integrated communications strategy that strengthens brand equity, supports business growth, and positions vineyard vines as a leading premium American lifestyle brand. The ideal candidate is an experienced storyteller, trusted media strategist, and collaborative leader with deep industry relationships and a passion for creating meaningful brand moments.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead Brand Communications Strategy

• Develop and execute a comprehensive public relations strategy that elevates vineyard vines' brand awareness, reputation, and cultural relevance across fashion, lifestyle, business, travel, sports, and consumer media.
• Shape earned media strategies that support seasonal campaigns, product launches, collaborations, partnerships, retail initiatives, and corporate milestones.
• Partner closely with executive leadership to ensure communications align with the company's long-term vision, business priorities, and brand positioning.

Build Brand Visibility & Influence

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with top-tier fashion editors, lifestyle media, business press, broadcast producers, freelance writers, stylists, and industry tastemakers.
• Identify high-impact storytelling opportunities that position vineyard vines as a premium lifestyle authority.
• Lead proactive media outreach that generates meaningful earned coverage and increases brand affinity across key consumer audiences.
• Develop executive visibility opportunities, thought leadership initiatives, and speaking engagements that elevate the company's leadership within the industry.

Drive Integrated Campaign Communications

• Lead communications planning for seasonal collections, collaborations, licensing partnerships, retail openings, experiential activations, philanthropic initiatives, and corporate announcements.
• Partner with Talent & Influencer, Social Media, Creative, Advertising, Retail Marketing, Ecommerce, Wholesale, Merchandising, and Product teams to ensure integrated storytelling across all channels.
• Develop compelling messaging frameworks and communication strategies that create consistency across earned, owned, shared, and paid media.

Lead Editorial & Product Communications

• Oversee seasonal press previews, editor appointments, media events, collection launches, and product storytelling initiatives.
• Direct all product seeding, editorial sample management, and showroom operations to maximize meaningful media placements.
• Translate product innovation, craftsmanship, and seasonal collections into compelling editorial narratives that resonate with luxury and lifestyle audiences.

Events & Brand Experiences

• Lead strategic planning and execution of press events, media previews, influencer experiences, product launches, and VIP brand activations.
• Partner with agency teams and internal stakeholders to deliver elevated experiences that deepen relationships with editors, creators, tastemakers, and key brand partners.
• Identify opportunities for vineyard vines to participate in culturally relevant events that reinforce the brand's premium lifestyle positioning.

Corporate Communications

• Serve as a trusted advisor on corporate communications, issues management, executive messaging, and brand reputation.
• Develop crisis communication plans and ensure preparedness for emerging issues.
• Monitor media landscape, competitive activity, consumer sentiment, and cultural trends to proactively identify communications opportunities and risks.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Public Relations team while fostering a collaborative, creative, and performance-driven culture.
• Manage agency relationships, budgets, performance metrics, and communications planning processes.
• Establish measurable KPIs that demonstrate the impact of earned media on brand awareness, consumer engagement, and business performance.

What You Bring:

• 10+ years of progressive public relations and communications experience within luxury fashion, premium lifestyle, consumer brands, or leading PR agencies.
• Demonstrated success developing integrated earned media strategies that build brand equity and support business growth.
• Extensive network of national fashion, lifestyle, business, travel, sports, and consumer media contacts.
• Experience leading communications for premium or luxury consumer brands with strong storytelling and editorial positioning.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Proven experience managing agencies, budgets, media events, and cross-functional marketing initiatives.
• Strategic mindset balanced with strong executional excellence and attention to detail.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Strong understanding of today's evolving media landscape, including digital publishing, social media, creator partnerships, podcasts, newsletters, and emerging communication platforms.
• Passion for fashion, lifestyle, culture, and building enduring brand connections.

Every Day Will Feel This Good Because:

• We have a fun-spirited entrepreneurial culture filled with truly "good" people
• We offer a generous employee discount so you can rep our lifestyle on-and-off the boat
• We offer a competitive salary package, 401-K, commuter benefits, and paid-family leave, health savings, flex spending accounts, life & disability insurance
• We have an onsite gym as well as health & financial wellness programs to keep you active
• We offer 2 summer Fridays to take off in addition to a competitive vacation policy & holiday calendar

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.