Director, External Relations

Job description

About Andela At Andela, we know brilliance is evenly distributed around the world, but opportunity is not. For over 12 years, Andela has connected its customers with top global, remote technical talent from over 135 countries with the majority residing in emerging markets like Africa and Latin America. As one of the world’s largest talent marketplaces, Andela gives companies greater flexibility to quickly deploy qualified technologists. With talent highly skilled in advanced technologies to support Application Development, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud & DevOps, Data Engineering, and much more, customers experience 33% faster project delivery. The company’s exclusive AI-powered platform, Andela Talent Cloud, is the industry’s only unified platform managing the complete global talent lifecycle and enables customers to fill individual roles or engage fully managed teams up to 66% faster. Andela is on the precipice of two breakout industry transformations: one in staffing/hiring and the other in software development, both accelerated by generative AI. Are you exceptional and hungry to work in a scaling business through transformation and growth? Join us and change the world. About the Role Andela is looking for a dynamic and seasoned Director, External Relations to lead our Public Relations (PR) and Analyst Relations (AR) programs. This is a strategic, senior role for someone who thrives at the intersection of storytelling, market influence, and executive communications. You will shape how the world understands Andela’s mission, products, and market position — earning mindshare with journalists, industry analysts, and the broader technology ecosystem. Reporting to the VP, Global Head of Marketing, you will own the full external relations function: setting the strategy, managing external agencies, developing an internal team member, and executing high-impact programs that build Andela’s credibility and visibility globally. You will serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and a key connector between Andela and the analysts and media who shape perceptions in our market. Exceptional Leadership As an Andelan, you'll serve as a role model for the rest of the company — you do not need to manage people to be a leader at Andela! Think about the feedback your peers typically give you — if it usually sounds like the below, we want to hear from you. - Low ego, low drama: You share credit, take blame. You like being wrong because it means someone else had an even better idea. - One team mentality: You break silos across teams. You put the company and mission first above your team alone. - Great listener, hungry for feedback: You're always seeking to improve — our product, our business, yourself. You solicit diverse opinions and deeply listen. - Owner, not renter: You see a problem, you fix it or find someone who will. The buck stops with you. - Team-player: You roll up your sleeves and get scrappy. You do this by proactively collaborating with your team while actively engaging in important details that matter. - Business problem solver: You're not just a functional expert; you consistently get praise for approaching your function through the lens of solving business problems. Key Responsibilities PUBLIC RELATIONS - Develop and execute Andela’s global PR strategy, including executive thought leadership, product announcements, corporate milestones, and brand storytelling. - Build and maintain strong relationships with key journalists, editors, and media outlets covering technology, AI, the future of work, hiring trends, and emerging markets. - Manage and direct PR agencies, setting clear goals, reviewing deliverables, and holding partners accountable to results. - Serve as a strategic communications advisor to the executive team, preparing messaging, talking points, and briefing materials for media engagements. - Oversee the development of press releases, bylines, op-eds, media pitches, and other external communications assets. - Track and report on earned media coverage; use data to continuously refine strategy and demonstrate impact. - Manage crisis communications planning and response in partnership with legal and executive leadership. ANALYST RELATIONS - Design and lead Andela’s analyst relations program, building productive, ongoing relationships with key industry analysts at firms such as Gartner. - Develop and execute a tiered analyst engagement strategy, including regular briefings, inquiries, advisory sessions, and analyst days. - Manage Andela’s positioning and participation in key analyst vendor evaluations and reports (e.g., Magic Quadrants, Waves, MarketScapes), coordinating cross-functional input from Product, Sales, and Marketing. - Ensure analyst intelligence and market insights are socialized internally, informing product strategy, messaging, and go-to-market planning. - Negotiate and manage contracts with analyst firms, ensuring services are fully leveraged and aligned with strategic priorities. - Oversee Gartner Peer Insights and similar peer review programs in partnership with customer success and sales teams. TEAM & AGENCY MANAGEMENT - Directly manage one full-time External Relations team member, providing coaching, development, and clear goal-setting. - Manage day-to-day relationships with PR and AR agencies, ensuring alignment to strategy and efficient use of resources. - Build scalable processes, playbooks, and reporting frameworks to support a growing communications function. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP - Partner closely with Marketing, Product, Sales, and People teams to align external communications with business priorities and company narratives. - Support high-visibility moments such as product launches, funding announcements, executive hires, and industry events. - Represent Andela at industry conferences, analyst summits, and media events as appropriate. Qualifications Experience - 10+ years of experience in corporate communications, public relations, and analyst relations, with at least 3–5 years at the senior manager level. - Demonstrated success running both PR and AR programs — ideally within a B2B technology company or professional services firm. - Proven experience managing and growing external agencies as well as direct reports. - Deep existing relationships with relevant technology media and/or industry analyst communities. - Experience managing or supporting participation in major analyst reports such as Gartner Magic Quadrants, Forrester Waves, or similar. Skills & Capabilities - Strong project management skills — able to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines simultaneously with a high degree of organization and attention to detail. - Strong executive presence and demonstrated ability to work alongside and influence C-suite stakeholders. - Track record of building and scaling communications programs at a growth-stage or global company. - Highly organized, data-driven, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling narratives for diverse audiences. Location - While Andela is a fully remote organization, this role should be based in the United States or Canada; ability to travel periodically for industry events and team gatherings. #LI-Remote