Director of Communications

Company Description

Swiftly is on a mission to help cities move more efficiently. We are the leading transit data platform for agencies to share real-time passenger information, manage day-to-day operations, and improve service performance. Today, over 200 transit agencies in 12 countries – including LA Metro, MARTA, SEPTA, and MBTA – rely on Swiftly to improve on-time performance by up to 40% and increase passenger information accuracy by up to 50%. The result is better service reliability, increased ridership, and more efficient transit operations.

Even though Swiftly's HQ office is located in San Francisco, CA, we are open to candidates in most locations across the U.S. as well as Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. At this time we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.

About the Role

Swiftly is hiring a Director of Communications to define what a category-leading reputation looks like in transit. You'll lead our content, brand, PR, and social media functions and be accountable for the systems, standards, and metrics that turn narrative into measurable reputational impact. You'll report to the VP of Sales and Marketing and partner closely with the leaders of demand generation and product marketing so our story shows up consistently everywhere Swiftly does.

This job is for someone ambitious: a creative, systems-minded leader who wants to tell a reimagined story about transit and build the team and infrastructure to deliver it.

Swiftly is on a mission to help cities move more efficiently. We are the leading transit data platform for agencies to share real-time passenger information, manage day-to-day operations, and improve service performance. Today, over 200 transit agencies in 12 countries, including LA Metro, MARTA, SEPTA, and MBTA, rely on Swiftly to improve on-time performance by up to 40% and increase passenger information accuracy by up to 50%. The result is better service reliability, increased ridership, and more efficient transit operations.

What You'll Do

Team Leadership

• Lead and grow a high-performing team across content, brand, PR, social, and proposals, setting the bar on quality, trusting each individual to own their domain, and using AI and emerging tools to scale the team's speed and creativity.
• Build the foundational systems and workflows that enable AI to scale the team's output without sacrificing quality or the human insight that drives Swiftly's thought leadership.

Brand Strategy and Narrative

• Define Swiftly's brand strategy across our audiences, decide how we measure brand awareness and positioning, and create our strategy for moving the needle.
• Build the narrative system that aligns the business, partnering with Sales, Product, Customer Success, People, and the executive team so every external and internal moment reinforces the same story.
• Develop a content strategy that builds Swiftly's reputation as the authoritative voice in transit technology while directly contributing to revenue goals, balancing thought leadership with pipeline-building content developed in close partnership with Demand Generation.
• Steward Swiftly's brand identity in partnership with our brand designer, evolving the visual and verbal system as we mature.
• Treat proposals as a strategic communications surface, ensuring our RFP responses carry the same narrative power as our marketing.
• Operate as a senior voice in company decisions, bringing narrative and brand judgment into product, go-to-market, and strategy.

Public Relations and Thought Leadership

• Develop and execute a proactive media and thought leadership strategy, and prepare leadership for the moments that matter: keynotes, launches, and big bets.

Executive Communications

• Serve as a strategic communications advisor to senior leadership, developing executive messaging, presentations, keynote content, and stakeholder communications.

Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with transit agencies, industry associations, public sector leaders, and ecosystem partners to strengthen Swiftly's visibility, credibility, and influence.
• Partner with executive leadership to support government relations, policy communications, and stakeholder engagement efforts, ensuring Swiftly's messaging aligns with evolving industry priorities and public sector needs.

Media Monitoring and Crisis Communications

• Establish media monitoring and competitive intelligence tracking programs to identify emerging opportunities, risks, and industry trends, providing leadership with actionable insights.
• Lead crisis communications planning and response readiness, developing messaging frameworks and protocols that protect and strengthen Swiftly's reputation during critical moments.

Investor Communications

• Support company-level communications for investors and strategic partners.

Customer Communications

• Partner with the Customer team to develop communications that support retention and renewals.

What You Bring

• 10+ years in communications, corporate marketing, or brand, with leadership experience at a fast-growing B2B SaaS or mission-driven tech company.
• A track record of defining, instrumenting, and moving a north star reputation metric.
• Exceptional writing and storytelling skills: you can turn a complicated product and a nuanced industry into a story that's clear, sharp, and durable.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams across content, brand, PR, and proposals, and knowing how to motivate and inspire creatives.
• A history of thriving as a strategic partner to executives, sales, and product.
• A history of shipping messaging frameworks, narrative platforms, or positioning systems that got adopted.
• A strong point of view, a collaborative style, a learning mindset, and a love for working in a fast-paced environment with people you truly enjoy.
• Genuine excitement about public transit and mission-driven work.

Even better if you have:

• Experience communicating to or about public sector, government, or civic audiences
• Background in transit, mobility, transportation, or civic technology.

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Pay Range
In accordance with pay transparency laws, the approximate salary range for this position is listed below. This range represents the anticipated low and high end of the salary. Actual salaries will vary based on final role leveling, relevant experience, and geographic location. Salary is one component of Swiftly's total compensation package, which also includes stock options, competitive benefits, 401(k) matching, and other perks.

US Salary Range: $153,750–$205,000 USD OTE

Canadian Salary Range: $163,744–$218,325 CAD OTE

Beyond the Skills:

We are looking for candidates who are passionate about mobility, sustainability, or mission-oriented projects that have a significant real-world impact. Ideal candidates encompass the core values of our company:

• Team. Together, we are more effective and better supported

• Impact. Drive impact for our customers, our company, and all of our teams

• Diversity. See differing perspectives as ways to address our weaknesses and find new strengths

• Communication. Assume others internally and externally have good intentions

• Feedback. We share feedback because we want each other to grow professionally and personally

• Growth. Foster personal, professional, and company growth

Benefits:

• Competitive salary

• Equity compensation for every employee

• Medical, Dental and Vision

• Retirement with Employer Match

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• Home office setup reimbursement

• Monthly cell/internet reimbursement

• Monthly "Be Well" stipend

• Flexible PTO with a recommended minimum

• Flexible work environment

• 16 paid holidays, including holidays in months without US national holidays

• 12 fully paid weeks of leave for child birth/adoption

Travel note: Swiftly employees can generally expect to travel 1–2 times a year for in-person company or team offsites. As a fully distributed company, we consider these offsites important for cultivating strong relationships across our teams! Attending these in-person is expected and encouraged, although we understand everyone has different personal circumstances and we will consider requests for exceptions. Customer-facing team members and other specific roles may be expected to travel more frequently.

We are a truly mission-driven culture that is set to change the world of transit

We are an equal opportunity employer - we are committed to a workplace that is as dynamic, diverse, and passionate as the communities we serve.

Because we work with public agencies, we participate in E-Verify.