Communications Manager
BigCommerce is disrupting the e-commerce industry as the SaaS leader for fast- growing, mid-market businesses. We enable our customers to build intuitive and engaging stores at a fraction of the cost to support every stage of their growth.
BigCommerce, named a "Best Place to Work" in Austin for seven years running, is looking for a Communications Manager to join our world-class marketing organization. In this role, you will be responsible for scaling BigCommerce’s PR and Analyst Relations programs, including serving as the primary contact for industry analysts and working cross-functionally with internal stakeholders to ensure analyst commentary and insights are well understood and used across the organization. Our Communications Manager will also work closely with our internal PR team and agency partners to drive media coverage highlighting BigCommerce, as well as our partners and customers.
As Communications Manager, you will play a key role in our mission to build the most creative, fun and collaborative communications team in the business. If you are looking for an environment where you can do the most fulfilling work of your career arm in arm with exceptionally talented colleagues, we want to hear from you!
What you’ll do:
Develop and grow the BigCommerce analyst relations program
- Educate and maintain ongoing dialog with key industry analysts on BigCommerce’s strategy, platform, and service offerings
- Serve as the internal expert on analyst research, insights and commentary to inform product decisions, positioning and go-to-market initiatives
- Collaborate with Product, Marketing, Sales and Communications, as well as Business Unit leadership, to secure positive placement and positioning in analyst reports
- Evangelize the value of AR internally with all departments and foster ongoing dialog about how analyst programs can positively impact business objectives.
Execute PR campaigns that generate high-impact press coverage
- Build and nurture relationships with top press across business, tech, consumer, and trade media
- Own development of PR materials, including announcements, messaging, pitches, press kits, etc.
- Support PR lead and assist with management of agency partners to support steady cadence of positive coverage in priority publications.
- Identify and work directly with customers to source case studies and generate compelling stories.
- Identify and draft award submissions and develop media presentations
- Recommend speaking opportunities and create speaker proposals
Develop Analyst and PR strategies in partnership with Communications leadership to support brand awareness, demand and adoption of BigCommerce
- Monitor and understand competitive landscape and positioning
- Conceive and deliver unique storylines that favorably position BigCommerce, its leadership and customers relative to competitors
- Develop and execute on scrappy, guerilla-style events & campaigns that drive press and/or social activity
- Assist with day-to-day management of PR agency partners, including communicating priorities, reviewing agency-produced work and managing deadlines.
- Work closely with Sr. PR lead and executives to develop materials for press and analyst briefings, including development of messaging and presentations.
- Monitor news on a daily basis, sharing point of view with various teams at BigCommerce
- Track and improve qualitative as well as quantitative results over time
- Measure and track ongoing health of PR programs based on agreed upon metrics and KPIs on a monthly basis
- Research and establish realistic goals for earned media placements
- Collaborate with Communications & Marketing colleagues
- Own PR activities for cross-functional, integrated marketing campaigns, such as product launches and major events, to maximize business impact.
- Understand the role of PR in the broader communications and marketing function and how it contributes to the marketing funnel.
- Be creative! All BigCommerce employees are encouraged (and expected) to THINK BIG every day.
Who you are
- Experienced Communications Professional - 5+ years related work experience in an analyst relations role (agency or in-house). Tech and/or B2B software experience is beneficial but not required.
- Action Oriented - You have a passion for getting things done, carry out responsibilities with minimal direction, enjoy working hard and get out of bed looking to tackle new challenges and opportunities.
- Detail-Oriented Planner - You pay attention to even the smallest details, know how to accurately scope out the length and difficulty of tasks and projects, anticipate and adjust for problems and roadblocks, and understand how to manage complex projects against aggressive timelines.
- Effective Prioritizer - You can marshal the resources you need to get things done, simultaneously manage multiple priorities and/or projects, and deliver key milestones on time. You value time and use it effectively and efficiently, quickly zeroing in on the critically important items, putting the trivial aside, and sensing what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal.
- Collaborative Influencer - You have demonstrated success working cross-functionally with internal stakeholders and third-party vendors and are able to skillfully negotiate wins while maintaining strong relationships.
- Travel Flexible - Ability to travel domestically or internationally as needed. This job may require upwards of 20% travel to meet with clients, vendors or partners, which may require overnight stays or week-long stays at locations (depending on project).
We have the opportunity to build not only a great business, but a great company, with soul. Our beliefs and commitment to diversity and inclusion are a central part of achieving that.
Our dedication to diversity and inclusion is grounded in two things: a moral belief in the dignity, value, and potential of every individual, and a practical belief that diverse, inclusive teams will create the best outcomes for our customers, partners, employees, and company. We welcome everyone to be a part of our journey.