Director of Public Relations

This is not a manager‑of‑existing‑infrastructure role. It is a builder role for someone energized by architecting a communications strategy for a company targeting B2B enterprise buyers, consumer audiences, financial and investor media, and a C‑suite that requires a credible thought‑leadership voice. The role also supports high‑profile partnership activations—including sports and live events—that create unique earned‑media opportunities and cultural relevance. What You’ll Own Help develop and own the company’s communications architecture: the story, the audiences, and the delivery. Translate complex technology into compelling, audience‑specific language for press, investors, and consumers. Partner with the CEO and Leadership team to build and execute a thought‑leadership platform across speaking, bylines, and media. Media Relations Build and manage relationships with journalists and editors across B2B tech, consumer, financial, and lifestyle verticals. Drive earned‑media strategy from launch through scale—pitching, placing, and managing coverage. Develop and maintain a robust crisis‑communications framework before it’s needed. Investor & Financial Communications Support investor‑facing communications in partnership with the CEO and Leadership team. Develop materials and messaging for fundraising narratives, announcements, and financial milestones. Lead reputation‑management strategy, including preparation for sensitive issues, negative press, misinformation, customer concerns, competitive narratives, and public criticism. Develop and maintain crisis‑communications plans, holding statements, escalation processes, and response playbooks. Monitor media coverage, social sentiment, industry chatter, and emerging reputational risks. Respond quickly and thoughtfully to challenging media inquiries or adverse coverage. Advise leadership on when to engage, when not to engage, and how to protect the company’s credibility and long‑term reputation. Partnership & Event Activations Help develop communications strategy for high‑profile brand partnerships and sponsorship activations (sports, live events, experiential). Maximize earned‑media value from partnership assets, including activation briefs, press coordination, and coverage strategy. Evaluate, select, and manage external PR agencies, freelancers, and specialty vendors as the function scales. Build internal communications infrastructure: press materials, media lists, reporting cadence, and measurement frameworks. Who You Are 10+ years of PR and communications experience, with meaningful time in both agency and in‑house environments. Experience building a communications function or operating close enough to understand what it requires. Equally comfortable writing CEO briefing documents and pitching stories to editors. Strong relationships across tech, business, and consumer media, with the ability to build new ones. Ability to navigate both B2B and consumer communications with distinct approaches. Experience with or exposure to investor communications and how narrative intersects with capital strategy. Background in tech, sports, live events, or entertainment PR is a meaningful plus. Builder mentality—energized by creating structure rather than inheriting it. Able to operate strategically and tactically in a fast‑moving, lean startup environment; comfortable with ambiguity and change. #J-18808-Ljbffr