Director, Strategic Communications

Hi, we're DuckDuckGo, the online protection company and remote-first team of 300+ on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. Founded in 2008 and profitable since 2014, annual revenue now exceeds $100m USD and millions use our browser on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, our search engine, and the DuckDuckGo subscription. Our culture of trust, inclusivity, and empowered project management underpins everything we do, where each team member takes full ownership of their projects, from scoping and execution to postmortem. If you're seeking end-to-end ownership of your work — you've come to the right place!

Working on the Marketing & Communications team, you'll own DuckDuckGo's external communications strategy. You'll define what DuckDuckGo says, where we say it, and why it matters, developing an integrated strategy that ties earned media, social, owned content, partnerships, community engagement, and executive visibility together into a unified program that directly advances DuckDuckGo's business goals. You'll identify the highest-impact opportunities, sequence them against business priorities, and adapt the plan as the landscape shifts.

As leadership on the Marketing & Communications team you will also drive cross-functional coordination with product, engineering, marketing, policy, and corporate leadership on messaging, timing, and amplification. You'll advise tactical projects, clear bottlenecks, and ensure the communications function runs with high throughput and consistent quality. Over time, you'll evolve the processes, playbooks, and templates that make the team more efficient and repeatable.

Some of the things you'll work on:

• Identifying and developing the stories we should be telling to reach our business goals, and finding the right channels, audiences, and moments to tell them.

• Concepting, planning, and executing tentpole communications campaigns from idea through execution and measurement.

• Planning and running sustained communications campaigns that drive capture greater share of voice, drive cultural relevancy for the brand and increase “top of mind” metrics.

• Going from like to love: what can casual users learn about us to deepen their affinity for DuckDuckGo and become public advocates.

About You

• 10+ years of communications experience with 5+ years in leadership positions at consumer-facing tech companies with large user bases. You understand what it's like to communicate on behalf of a product that millions of people use daily.

• You have expert level skills around the full communications playbook (earned media, social, owned content, partnerships, executive visibility, community) and you understand how these channels and tactics work together as one integrated system. You've defined a communications strategy tied to business outcomes and led its execution across multiple channels simultaneously, not just managed one channel well.

• You operate with a high degree of independence. You're comfortable owning strategy, proactively connecting communications work to company objectives, and navigating ambiguity in a fast-moving competitive environment where timing matters.

• Excellent written communication skills. You write clearly, precisely, and persuasively.

• Deep social and digital fluency. You understand the mechanics of how things spread, what drives word of mouth, and how to think social-first.

• Experience translating technical products into compelling mainstream narratives. You think audience-first: what does this mean for real people, not just the industry? You're comfortable communicating about complex technology in ways that resonate with everyday consumers, privacy-conscious users, and advocates alike.

• A sharp instinct for cultural relevance. You know how to insert a brand into the conversations people are already having in ways that feel authentic, not forced, and generate organic attention.

• Experience building and mobilizing communities of advocates. You know how to turn users into an active force that extends the brand's reach.

• Experience positioning a CEO or senior leader as a thought leader through podcasts, speaking engagements, op-eds, and media appearances.

• Strong press instincts, narrative development skills, and experience.

• Highly organized with a track record of managing complex plans, keeping multiple workstreams on track, and holding yourself and others accountable to deadlines.

• Fluency in defining meaningful KPIs (share of voice, sentiment, engagement, attribution etc) and building reporting that demonstrates impact.

$243,800 USD annually and stock options. Compensation is identical within professional levels, regardless of geographic location or team. Compensation for each professional level is transparent across the organization.

Eligibility for company-sponsored health benefits is limited to team members based in the United States. This program does not extend to team members located in other countries, such as Canada or the UK.

Our Team Member Support Guide explains how we prioritize your wellbeing including paid parental leave, office setup, and co-working allowances.

Hiring works best when it's a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo, envision your future role here, and find out more about how we hire.

DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, and it prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by our policies or federal, state, or local laws.

We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request.

1. You’ll be required to attend meetings on camera via video conferencing

2. Expect to travel at least two times a year: once for our all-hands meetup and again for a team retreat (each around 4-5 days). While extenuating circumstances may impact attendance, everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.

3. While we offer a flexible work arrangement with no core hours, expect an average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.

4. A successful candidate must pass a background check as a condition of joining the team.

5. By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work.

Disclosure Statement: Use of AI in Hiring Process

As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects, including those tools integrated into our recruitment vendor platforms. We use AI to flag potentially fraudulent applications, analyze and summarize applicants’ experience, interviews, and project performance, and help streamline our selection process.

Key Principles:

• Data Privacy: All information provided in your application will be handled in accordance with our Recruiting Privacy Policy. We ensure that your personal information is protected and used solely for recruitment purposes.

• Human Oversight and Accountability: The AI technology is designed to support our hiring team by providing insights and summaries of applications and evaluations of test projects against scoring rubrics. All final evaluations and hiring decisions, however, will be made by our hiring team, who will consider the AI's input alongside other factors.

• Transparency: We believe in transparency regarding our hiring practices. If you have any questions about how AI is used in our recruitment process, please feel free to reach out to us.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to the use of AI technology in our review process. If you would like to request an alternative selection process, please contact us as at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in joining DuckDuckGo!