Director of Communications (Remote)

Stack Overflow is empowering the world to develop technology through collective knowledge.

Our public platform serves 100 million people every month, making it one of the most popular websites in the world. Our asynchronous knowledge management and collaboration offering Stack Overflow for Teams, is transforming how people work.

Stack Overflow is hiring a Director of Communications to lead external and internal communications for the company. This communications leader will be tasked with telling the story of our public platform to new and existing audiences while elevating the profile of our SaaS Stack Overflow for Teams product and our Reach and Relevance advertising offerings. This individual manages a team of two (an associate who works on PR and social media and a senior manager who oversees executive communications) as well as a US-based PR agency, an EMEA-based PR agency, and a speaking agency. The role reports to the Chief Marketing Officer.

Who we're looking for:

• You'll work closely with the CMO to tell the company's story, and you'll act as counsel to the Senior Leadership Team on media relations, thought leadership (including talks at conferences), and internal communications.
• You are a trusted partner to the company's CEO and Senior Leadership Team, with experience working with executive teams.
• You are an expert communicator: you are comfortable ideating, writing, and editing.
• You are a relationship builder, with strong reporter relationships and the ability to work closely with the company's CEO.
• You are an experienced manager who can support and develop a team of two and manage agency relationships in order to drive them towards maximum results. (Experience working at an agency is nice; experience working with an agency is a must.)
• You have your finger on the pulse of media trends and media consumption habits - from the top tech publications influencers are reading, to the podscape landscape, to the best newsletters.
• You do well in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment, having worked on projects that sometimes required a rapid-response approach.
• You have a solid grasp on internal communications best practices, with experience working in partnership with an HR/People team on company communications cadences (emails, town halls, AMAs, etc.)

What you'll do:

• Priority 1 - set the 2022 media strategy in partnership with the CMO and our PR agencies in order to tell the company story to a more expansive audience and to elevate the profile Stack Overflow for Teams to developers & technologists everywhere as well as to business decision makers.
• Priority 2 - build on priority 1 by creating a story bank that excavates stories from users, customers, community members and employees that can be used in our external communications efforts (including blog posts and pulse surveys). This also includes data stories and pulse surveys, which the Communications team owns.
• Priority 3 - work with the People Team and Senior Leadership Team to evolve internal communications practices as the company grows (eg ensuring a successful company meetup in mid 2023).
• Your everyday responsibilities:
  • Partner with our PR agencies to secure media placements through pitching, desksides, etc.
  • Own press request inbox, vetting and responding to inbound requests in a timely manner
  • Partner across Marketing on conference placements, written thought leadership, speaking engagements, and more
  • Counsel Senior Leadership Team on all communications-related initiatives externally and internally
  • Work closely with People Team and internal stakeholders to evolve our internal communications practices

What you need to have:

• An extensive background in tech with experience at B2B SaaS companies and/or community-focused companies; experience at a late-stage startup is a plus
• 10+ years of experience working in the communications field with a focus on media relations
• Existing relationships with reporters and editors at top media outlets in the US and EMEA
• Experience managing PR agency relationships (in the US and EMEA)
• Experience working with developers is a plus, as is the ability to translate complex technical ideas into clear/compelling messages
• Internal communications experience, working closely with a HR/People Team, is highly preferred
• Passionate, detail-oriented, growth-focused, and able to deliver on deadlines
• While we are open to all US-based applicants, the ideal candidate is East Coast based or willing to work East Coast hours

Also note:

We'll only consider applications with a cover letter - please make sure to include yours and tell us what you'll bring to the team.

What you'll get in return:

• Competitive Base Salary & Commission
• 20 days paid vacation
• Generous parental leave (16 weeks at 100% pay), family care leave, and unlimited sick days
• Stock options
• Completely free health insurance (no copay, no premiums)
• Gym membership reimbursement
• Employees will never be poked with a sharp stick

If you want to work remotely . We'll reimburse you up to $2,000 to set up a great home office.

If you want to work in our office You'll be in our headquarters in New York City, and enjoy additional benefits like free lunch every day prepared by our own in-house chefs, transportation reimbursement, and all the espresso you can drink.

Employment is conditioned upon successful completion of a background check and upon having the appropriate legal right to work.

Diverse teams build better products.

Legally, we need you to know this:

Stack Exchange, Inc. does not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other protected class. We support workplace diversity.

But we want to add this:

We strongly believe that diversity of experience contributes to a broader collective perspective that will consistently lead to a better company and better products. We are working hard to increase the diversity of our team wherever we can and we actively encourage everyone to consider becoming a part of it.