Company Description

As the global leader in health and wellness innovation since 1935, GNC motivates people to reach their goals with the most trusted and exciting selection of products in the industry.

As #TeamGNC, we work hard to ensure that our consumers come first. We are always cultivating and collaborating on new ideas to bring innovative solutions to the forefront and testing new solutions to translate goals into action. Our team members are advocates for change and innovation.

There is no greater gift than good health and no greater satisfaction than helping others to achieve it. Be a part of helping others to Live Well!

About GNC

Since 1935, GNC has been a global leader in health and wellness innovation, inspiring people to achieve their goals with a trusted and dynamic range of products. As #TeamGNC, we prioritize our consumers, constantly collaborating and developing new ideas to deliver cutting-edge solutions. Our team is passionate about driving change and turning aspirations into actions. We believe that good health is the greatest gift, and there's nothing more rewarding than helping others achieve it. Join us in empowering others to Live Well!

What We’re Looking For:

At GNC we embrace a “Live Well” philosophy, fostering a dynamic environment where innovation meets passion. Whether someone is an athlete or just starting to focus on their health, we want to deliver the cutting-edge products they deserve. We are looking for an individual who is excited and eager to play a pivotal role in driving excellence in the health and wellness industry. This position offers the opportunity to engage in a collaborative environment where you will make a personal impact every day.

We are seeking a Director of Public Relations who will lead our earned media strategy, strengthen relationships with key media partners, and help position GNC as a trusted authority in health, nutrition, and wellness.

The Director of Public Relation is a strategic communications leader and strong storyteller who can translate brand innovation, product launches, and company initiatives into compelling narratives that resonate with consumers, media, and industry stakeholders. This leader will develop and execute proactive PR strategies, guide executive communications, manage media relationships, and help protect and elevate the company’s reputation.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in earned media, digital storytelling, and reputation management, along with a strong understanding of how PR drives search visibility, brand authority, and consumer influence in today's media ecosystem.

What You’ll Do:

This is a Full-Time Salary Position

The Director, Public Relations will lead the development and execution of GNC’s public relations and earned media strategy to strengthen brand authority, build consumer trust, and drive awareness and consideration across key audiences. This role will shape GNC’s external narrative across media, digital platforms, and industry channels while ensuring alignment with broader brand, marketing, and growth strategies. The Director will identify and activate compelling stories across product innovation, expert credibility, partnerships, and company transformation initiatives.

Lead the development and execution of GNC’s public relations and earned media strategy to strengthen brand authority, increase awareness, and drive positive perception among consumers, industry partners, and key stakeholders.
Identify and activate compelling brand stories aligned with GNC’s strategic priorities, including product innovation, expert credibility, partnerships, and company transformation initiatives.
Build and manage relationships with key media outlets, journalists, and industry influencers to secure impactful coverage across consumer, business, and trade media.
Develop and elevate GNC’s expert authority through thought leadership, media commentary, speaking opportunities, and industry participation.
Partner cross-functionally with Brand, Marketing, eCommerce, Product, and Analytics teams to ensure consistent narratives and storytelling across earned, owned, and paid channels.
Collaborate with SEO and digital teams to ensure PR initiatives support search visibility, authoritative backlinks, and discoverability across search engines and AI-driven answer platforms (AEO).
Strengthen GNC’s presence in digital information ecosystems by securing authoritative citations, expert commentary, and media placements that support search and AI-generated answers.
Prepare and counsel executive leadership for media engagements including interviews, speaking opportunities, conferences, and industry events.
Serve as a company spokesperson when appropriate and manage media inquiries to ensure accurate, timely, and effective communications.
Lead reputation management and crisis communications planning, ensuring readiness and alignment with corporate communications strategies.
Oversee the development of press materials including press releases, statements, media alerts, and thought leadership content.
Monitor media coverage, consumer trends, and industry developments to identify risks, opportunities, and insights that inform communications strategy.
Establish and track key PR performance metrics including share of voice, sentiment, earned media reach, and impact on brand authority and search visibility.
Manage external PR agencies and develop internal team capabilities to ensure high-impact execution and long-term communications leadership.
Other duties as assigned.

Environmental Factors & Working Schedule:

Hybrid work environment, 3 days in-person attendance (Pittsburgh, PA) in addition to ability to work remotely.
Regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands or fingers to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear
Sedentary work. Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading.
Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include long periods of computer screen usage, close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus
The noise level in the work environment is usually low/moderate
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations, Journalism, Communications or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the key accountabilities of the job required
10+ years progressive and integrated communications and public relations experience required
8+ years in a leadership role (direct or indirect)
Strong media contacts and relationships, with a record of success in securing media placements in top-tier trade and consumer publications
Strong business acumen of marketing, digital and media trends and the ability to translate complex concepts into compelling narratives for a wide range of audiences
Proven aptitude to solve problems; savvy in navigating and resolving complex situations with speed
Critical thinker – asks probing questions and anticipates and proactively addresses gaps/needs
Ability to foster relationships and maintain connections internally and with external partners
Extremely detail oriented with ability to manage and execute multiple projects
Experience and confidence in working with executive leaders
Excellent writing skills are mandatory
Fluency in major social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter) and familiarity with a variety of PR and social media tools and metrics preferred
Experience with media databases and monitoring tools

Benefits Offerings

Benefit Offerings: Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, LTD, Paid Company Life Insurance, 401K program with company match, 30% employee merchandise discount on GNC products & 20% employee discount on 3rd party products, Monthly Free Product Offers, and access to the Employee Assistance Program.Compensation Benefits

Director, Public Relations

About the job