Publicist (USA Media)

Location: Remote (South Africa)

Employment Type: Full-Time (Permanent via Employer of Record)

Compensation: R42,000 per month (Gross), additional performance bonuses available

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM SAST (40 working hours/week; includes a 1-hour lunch break)

About Calavera New York Calavera New York is a fine jewelry and diamond house dedicated to exceptional craftsmanship, bespoke design, and an elevated client experience.

About the Role We are looking for a tenacious, media savvy Publicist in South Africa to spearhead our outbound digital PR and media relations strategy for the US market. This role is primarily focused on proactive, high-impact outbound pitching and rapid-response journalist engagement rather than event planning or crisis management.

You will spend the majority of your day identifying opportunities, crafting compelling pitches, and building relationships with US-based editors, reporters, and writers through Muck Rack and Qwoted. Working closely with our internal subject matter experts and leadership team, you will secure top tier media placements, expert commentary features, and product inclusions that elevate Calavera New York's brand authority.

Previous experience pitching and securing placements within the US media landscape is strictly required for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Outbound Media Pitching (Muck Rack): Proactively research, build, and maintain targeted media lists on Muck Rack. Conceptualize and pitch compelling story angles, trend commentary, and product features to US journalists across lifestyle, luxury, fashion, wedding, and business verticals.

• Reactive PR & Expert Commentary (Qwoted): Continuously monitor Qwoted in real time to identify relevant media requests from US reporters. Draft and submit sharp, timely, and quotable responses on behalf of our founders and gemological experts to beat tight editorial deadlines.

• Relationship Building & Follow-Up: Cultivate long-term relationships with US editors, freelance writers, and commerce journalists. Execute strategic, polite, and persistent follow-up sequences to maximize placement conversion rates.

• Asset & Sample Coordination: Act as the central point of contact for interested media by promptly fulfilling requests for high-resolution imagery, diamond grading insights, pricing details, or executive interviews.

• Campaign Tracking & Reporting: Maintain an organized PR pipeline, track outreach metrics, clip secured placements, and report weekly on link velocity, domain authority, and share of voice.

• Global Cross-Functional (XFN) Collaboration: Partner closely with our US and international leadership, marketing, and SEO teams to align PR campaigns with seasonal launches, brand initiatives, and digital growth goals.

What We're Looking For

• US PR Experience (Required): Proven track record of successfully pitching US journalists and securing media placements in top-tier and mid-tier American publications (digital, print, or broadcast). Issuing press releases.

• PR Platform Mastery (Required): Hands-on proficiency with Muck Rack and Qwoted (or direct experience with comparable platforms like Cision, Meltwater, HARO, or Featured, with the ability to hit the ground running on Muck Rack and Qwoted).

• Exceptional Copywriting & Pitching: Sharp, persuasive, and concise native English writing skills. You know how to write subject lines that get opened and pitches that get read by busy New York newsrooms.

• Luxury & Consumer Intuition: Familiarity with fine jewelry, fashion, luxury lifestyle, or e-commerce brands is a strong plus, along with the ability to adapt effortlessly to a sophisticated brand voice.

• Speed & Self-Direction: Demonstrated ability to work independently in a fast-paced remote environment, jumping on breaking reactive PR opportunities within minutes.

• Remote Work Readiness: A quiet, dedicated home workspace in South Africa with high-speed fiber internet and reliable backup power (inverter/UPS) to ensure uninterrupted availability during scheduled hours.

Compensation, Schedule & Benefits

• Compensation: R42,000 per month gross salary, plus additional performance bonuses.

• Official Local Employment: Hired as a full-time, permanent South African employee via our global Employer of Record (EOR) partner, complete with compliant local payroll, statutory benefits, and paid annual leave.

• Schedule: Monday through Friday, 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM SAST (8 paid working hours per day + a 1-hour lunch break), providing optimal overlap with US East Coast morning media cycles.

• Location: 100% Remote from anywhere in South Africa (preferably Johannesburg or Cape Town).