About this role
As a challenger brand in the U.S. industrial automation market, Rittal & Eplan requires a sophisticated, earned-led media strategy that builds credibility, accelerates visibility, and drives influence across technical buying audiences.
Job Summary
The Paid Media & Public Relations Manager will lead Rittal & Eplan’s, earned-first media and advertising strategy across industrial automation and electrical engineering audiences, respectively. This role owns where and how Rittal & Eplan and Eplan shows up in the market—deciding where dollars are invested, which media outlets matter, and how paid media accelerates earned credibility.
This position balances strategic leadership and hands-on execution, with accountability for planning, allocating, optimizing, and defending media spend. The ideal candidate brings deep industrial automation domain knowledge, an established network across trade media and associations, and the confidence to say “no” to low-value placements.
The Paid Media & PR Manager partners closely with in-house marketing managers who own SEO, business unit, channel and product marketing strategies while utilizing a team that executes creative and copywriting .The Paid Media & PR Manager understands how paid and earned media integrate with the larger marketing ecosystem as it relates to SEO, AI driven discovery, product, channel and BU marketing strategies that drive growth.
Compensation: $110,000 - $140,000 + Bonus
Key Responsibilities
Earned-First Public Relations Leadership
- Develop and execute digital-first and traditional PR strategies that prioritize earned media as the primary driver of credibility, influence, and brand authority.
- Create and position newsworthy, data-driven content (including, but not limited to: press releases, articles, interviews, industry reports) designed to attract high-quality media coverage and natural backlinks.
- Establish and maintain senior-level relationships with industrial trade journalists, editors, publishers, industry influencers, and industry associations across verticals including but not limited to, panel builders, machine builders, food & beverage, rail, utilities, automotive & tier suppliers, logistics, and baggage handling.
- Secure consistent coverage in influential industrial publications, reinforcing brand credibility while gaining share of voice.
- Manage earned media measurement and reporting using Cision and/or new tools that capture tracking reach, media pick-up, sentiment, share of voice, and competitive insights.
- Listen for and identify emerging narratives and trends that Rittal and Eplan can leverage to drive thought leadership and media visibility
- Lead planning, allocation, and optimization of paid media investment across industrial trade publications, industry events, digital platforms (such as social media and account-based marketing retargeting), sponsorships, and integrated media packages, in collaboration with the marketing managers.
- Negotiate and secure high-value, multi-channel media partnerships, ensuring message pull-through, audience quality, and commercial impact.
- Apply a commercial mindset to advertising decisions, prioritizing placements that drive reach, credibility, and influence with technical buyers, not vanity impressions.
- Confidently assess media quality and decline low-value opportunities that do not meet performance, brand, or audience standards.
- Optimize campaigns based on performance data including impressions, CTR, SOV, leads captured, ROAS, and where possible, revenue attribution via tagging and dashboards.
- Partner closely with Business Unit Marketing Managers, and Digital Marketing (SEO & analytics) to ensure earned and paid media align with business priorities, launches, and vertical strategies.
- Ensure PR and advertising investments support Rittal & Eplan’s Owned Media strategy, reinforcing key narratives and consistent message pull-through across channels.
- Collaborate with the SEO Manager to ensure earned media placements and brand mentions are optimized for modern discovery (search, AI answers, and knowledge panels) without duplicating SEO ownership.
- Provide media insights that inform broader brand awareness, positioning, and competitive strategy discussions.
- Own PR and advertising performance reporting, translating data into clear insights and investment recommendations.
- Track and communicate performance across:
- PR: reach, coverage, media mentions, pick-up, impressions, sentiment, share of voice
- Advertising: impressions, CTR, SOV, leads, ROAS, and revenue influence
- Understand keyword lift, visibility trends, and dashboards at a strategic level while partnering with SEO for execution and analysis.
- Continuously evaluate emerging media formats, platforms, and industrial thought-leadership opportunities.
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, or related field.
- 10+ years of experience in B2B industrial automation, and/or electrical engineering sectors, or with a leading industrial automation publication or media group.
- Established media network across industrial trade publications, associations, and digital outlets.
- Proven success leading earned-first PR strategies with paid media used strategically to amplify credibility and reach.
- Strong advertising expertise with experience owning budgets, negotiating media buys, optimizing spend based on performance and managing media schedules
- Familiarity with SEO and AEO fundamentals as they relate to PR and media visibility (experience is a plus, not a requirement).
- Demonstrated ability to operate confidently at both strategic and executional levels.
- Highly analytical, commercially minded, and comfortable making firm investment decisions.
- Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills within complex, technical industries.
This role plays a direct role in changing Rittal & Eplan’s market visibility and credibility in the U.S. industrial automation landscape. The Paid Media & Public Relations Manager will shape how the market perceives Rittal & Eplan—deciding where we show up, how we’re talked about, and which audiences we influence first.
If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may contact the company’s Human Resources Department at (937) 399-0500.
This option is reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability.
Rittal LLC and Eplan are proud to be an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. EEO, including Disability/Vets.
Other facts
About Rittal LLC
Rittal LLC is the U.S. subsidiary of Rittal GmbH & Co. KG in Germany and was founded in Springfield, Ohio in 1982. Its parent company, Rittal, was started in Germany in 1961 and has grown to include offices in more than 70 countries and manufacturing facilities on 4 continents.
Rittal LLC's U.S. Headquarters, located in suburban Chicago, Illinois, is a state-of-the-art facility that serves as a customer training center, including expanded teaching resources, product testing facilities and a large-scale product showroom where customers can have a hands-on experience with the entire Rittal System. Rittal LLC's manufacturing center of excellence facility in Urbana, Ohio, consists of more than a half-million square feet of space to ensure that customers' production and stocking requirements are fully met. Lastly, Rittal LLC's distribution centers in Georgia, Texas and Nevada enable Rittal to meet the needs of its customers quickly and reliably.
Situated on a 105-acre campus, Rittal LLC's manufacturing facility is filled with state-of-the-art equipment and processes, and contains in-house engineering and modification services, as well as the longest non-automotive paint line in North America, stretching more than 3 miles within the confines of the factory. The on-site warehouse is outfitted with an 8-story Automated Storage & Retrieval System.
Rittal manufactures the world's leading industrial and IT enclosures, racks and accessories, including high efficiency, high density climate control and power management systems for industrial, data center, outdoor and hybrid applications. Rittal's off-the-shelf standard, modified standard and custom-engineered products are known throughout the world as high quality, affordable solutions for practically any industrial or IT infrastructure application - from single enclosures to comprehensive systems.
Rittal is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified.
What you'll do
- The Paid Media & Public Relations Manager will lead the earned-first media and advertising strategy for Rittal & Eplan, focusing on industrial automation and electrical engineering audiences. This role involves planning, optimizing media spend, and ensuring alignment with broader marketing strategies.
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