Senior Account Executive 

This position's pay range starts at: $75,000/year and scales based on experience. A one-time sign-on bonus of $1,000 will be provided as part of the compensation package. 

First, let’s set the scene: Indigenous-owned marketing agency Grasslands is hiring a Senior Account Executive with 5-6 years of public relations experience (the majority of those years should be on the agency side leading and running accounts) to join its 24-person Clio Award-winning team to service clients in the agency’s cannabis practice, where this new colleague will work among the U.S.’s fastest-growing industry.

And now, a brief on Grasslands: “The modern cannabis and psychedelics industries constantly overlap with lifestyle, science, CPG, hospitality, art, tech, wellness, agriculture, nutraceuticals, traditional healthcare and so much more—and this rapidly expanding market needs super-charged PR and marketing to support the immense growth at hand. That’s where the Grasslands team comes in.”—Ricardo Baca, Founder & CEO, Grasslands

Next, let’s get tactical: Grasslands is a journalism-minded  PR & marketing agency—meaning we actively listen and communicate, deliver on expectations, are beholden to deadlines and drive results for our clients. Every Grasslands staffer is a trailblazer, and we have placed our clients on the cover of Forbes magazine and on NPR, and everywhere in between.

The ideal candidate has experience in cannabis or other highly-regulated industries and would live in or around a major media city (NYC, Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA etc…). The role would work from a home office with occasional in-market trips to visit clients and to our Denver HQ. If you are based in the Denver area, this is a hybrid office-WFH role

Responsibilities Include: 

• Lead 4 to 6 accounts (a mix of B2B and B2C). The role requires a high level of accountability, being comfortable managing up and down, the ability to successfully juggle strategy development, drive results, and maintain client and media relationships
  • Includes: Act as main point of contact for client; proactively pitching and obtaining top-tier exposure with targeted media; developing and executing comms strategy; independently leading client status calls; working with account support to ensure media lists are developed and updated to include appropriate target contact
  • Prioritize team workload to ensure efficient workflow and execution, including overseeing administrative duties of account support such as organizing meetings / calls, status call and end of week recaps, media alerts, monthly reports
• Own and create strategic PR plans (including the development of elevated and non-traditional tactics such as stunts, activations, trends reports, etc… displaying thoughtful media relations and strategic tactics (both traditional and out-of-the box) that generate news; work closely with account support to successfully execute on strategies
• Mentor and aide in the training and development of support colleagues across accounts–ability to flex management muscles skills and provide constructive feedback in real time 
• Own development of client press materials including news releases and pitches; Draft or edit writing projects, providing constructive feedback to support team and delivering client-ready work to PR team leadership for feedback and approval
• Share pitching efforts with assigned account support, actively connecting with regional, local and national media contacts to place campaign-driven coverage for clients
• Maintain and develop meaningful relationships with key members of the media on various beats 
• Independently lead client status calls, including brainstorms, while active listening and contributing to the conversation
• Research and identify appropriate awards and speaking opportunities
• Provide counsel to clients in times of crisis and recommended course of action to PR leadership for approval
• Assist with client media training and development of key message points
• Support account oversight team in client management responsibilities  

Key Requirements Include:

• 5-6 years of public relations experience in an agency setting with superior client communication and strategic thinking skills
• Must have experience working in cannabis or other highly regulated industries 
• Ability to show metric-driven ROI for campaigns using Google Analytics  and other data insights 
• Proven success delivering results for both B2B and B2C clients 
• Self-starter with superb time management, strong internal / external communication skills and ability to prioritize projects
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team 
• Proficient in the Google Suite apps, Muck Rack (or similar platform), Google Analytics and project management systems like Basecamp

The ideal Senior Account Executive candidate embodies (and has examples to back it up) Grasslands’ core values: 

• Go For it - We are strategic, bold and brave
• Hold Your Own - We are accountable
• Sweat the Details - We are journalism-mindedTM; details matter 
• Figure it Out - We are process-, solutions - and results oriented 
• Share the Win - We are a village and celebrate together
• Over-The-Top Hospitality - We are community builders 

Founded in 2016, Grasslands specializes in integrated marketing—including strategic public relations, thought leadership campaigns, traditional and digital marketing in highly regulated and emerging industries. All full-time employees receive a full benefits package that includes: 

• Phantom equity shares in the agency
• 2 weeks of paid vacation (begins accruing on day 1, and increases to 3 weeks after 2 years) PLUS! The week off between Christmas and New Year’s. 
• Paid holidays including the day off for your birthday and sick days 
• Flexible Fridays so team members can get a jump on their weekends year-round
• Medical, dental and vision insurance (Grasslands covers 50% of the premium)
• Optional short- and long-term disability 
• Monthly cannabis wellness stipend
• Monthly cell phone stipend 
• Retirement plan with a company match
• Monthly donation to a nonprofit / charitable organization of your choice, covered by the agency
• Referral bonus for new business, recruiting leads 
• Flexible, hybrid-work schedule 
• Professional development through continuing education and personal growth opportunities 
• Plus, perks like: volunteer days, team-building offsite and regular events celebrating agency milestones

The Grasslands team is led by the world’s first Cannabis Editor, Ricardo Baca, now a two-time Marketer of the Year (per AdCann). Grasslands is proud to have been awarded the prestigious Denver Business Journal 2020 Small Business Award. The agency was also named a Top 20 Cannabis Company to Work For in 2021 by the workplace experts at Vangst, and MG magazine also named Grasslands one of the Top Cannabis Industry Employers in 2021 and 2022. 

If you found yourself nodding your head and silently (or not so silently) saying “hell yeah” when reading Grasslands’ core values, we’d love to hear from you. Please include a resume, cover letter (this role requires strong writing skills, so a cover letter is a must) and salary requirements to work@mygrasslands.com. Grasslands strives to be a diverse, inclusive workplace. We're committed to bringing together talented individuals with varied experiences and backgrounds. 

Grasslands is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer.