Director of Corporate PR & Brand Strategy

Director, Head of Corporate PR

Whatnot's mission is to enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce. We're looking for a strong communications leader to join the Communications & Policy team to help shape how the world understands Whatnot – our business momentum, our leadership in live, and our role in the broader commerce landscape.

The Director, Head of Corporate PR will lead our corporate PR strategy, building and protecting Whatnot's reputation with the press, key partners, and the broader industry. The ideal candidate is a seasoned storyteller and strategic operator who thrives in fast-moving environments, knows how to manage complexity and nuance, and can counsel senior leaders with confidence. The focus areas for this role are:

• Corporate Brand & Business Narrative: Own the PR strategy that establishes Whatnot as the defining company in live commerce – with business press, financial media, and industry influencers. You'll shape how we articulate our growth, our market position, and our vision for the future of shopping, translating complex business developments into clear, compelling stories that resonate with sophisticated audiences. You'll own executive thought leadership programs that build visibility for senior leaders across business press, podcasts, and industry stages.

• Financial Communications: Partner closely with Finance, Legal, Data and the leadership team to lead communications around financial milestones and strategic announcements. You'll develop the narratives and materials that inform and excite key audiences, ensuring Whatnot's story is told accurately and ambitiously in moments that matter most.

• Reputation Management: Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on reputational risk, developing the frameworks, playbooks, and instincts to navigate sensitive situations with speed and judgment. You'll build a proactive issues management practice that anticipates challenges before they arise and responds decisively when they do – protecting Whatnot's credibility with all stakeholders.

• B2B, Partner & Industry Communications: Lead communications that deepen Whatnot's credibility and visibility with sellers, brand partners, and the broader commerce and creator economy ecosystem. You'll build relationships with trade and industry press, support key partnership announcements, and position Whatnot as the platform of choice for the next generation of live commerce entrepreneurs.

This role will report into the VP of Communications & Policy.

Team members in this role are required to be within commuting distance of our Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York City hubs.

You

Curious about who thrives at Whatnot? We've found that low ego, a growth mindset, and leaning into action and high impact goes a long way here.

As our Director, Head of Corporate PR, you should have 12+ years of communications experience, plus:

• Deep expertise shaping corporate narratives for high-growth companies, ideally within consumer tech, marketplace, fintech, or creator-driven industries
• Strong relationships across business, financial, and trade press – from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg to industry-specific outlets covering commerce, retail, and the creator economy
• A track record of leading communications through high-stakes moments: fundraises, executive transitions, regulatory scrutiny, product issues, and rapid growth
• Exceptional writing and messaging skills, with the ability to translate complex business situations into clear, credible, and compelling narratives
• Experience partnering directly with C-suite executives – you're a trusted advisor who can push back, move fast, and deliver under pressure
• Strong people management experience – you've built and led high-performing teams and know how to develop talent while staying hands-on yourself
• Low ego and high ownership: you're equally comfortable in a strategy meeting and drafting a statement at midnight
• A builder's mentality: you're excited about creating programs, playbooks, and processes from the ground up in a fast-changing environment
• You are a problem solver with sharp judgment and the ability to stay calm when the stakes are high

Benefits

• Generous Holiday and Time off Policy
• Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
• Work From Home Support
  • Home office setup allowance
  • Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet
• Care benefits
  • Monthly allowance for wellness
  • Annual allowance towards Childcare
  • Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
• Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally
• Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
  • All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We're passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!).
• Parental Leave
  • 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.

EOE

Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.