Lead Copywriter

Job description

Kindred is a members-only home swapping platform that unlocks the ability to live a travel-rich lifestyle through the power of community. By exchanging primary residences with trusted peers, renters and owners alike can match with Kindred spirits and explore new destinations without breaking the bank. Kindred is revolutionizing the “third option” of travel accommodation, compared to short-term rentals and hotels. Since launching in 2022, Kindred has grown to a global community of 300,000 members across 150+ cities and puts home swapping on the map as a radically more affordable, responsible, and connected way to travel. To support that momentum, Kindred has raised over $150M in capital from some of the most credible investors in Silicon Valley, including Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, New Enterprise Associates, Bessemer Venture Partners, Caffeinated Capital, Elad Gil, and founders of companies like Opendoor, Figma, ClassPass, and more. Kindred’s co-founders are proven leaders from the early team at Opendoor ($15B+ exit), who have each built and scaled products that today generate $1B+ annual revenue combined. We’re looking for the world’s top builders, executors, and believers to help us make travel more meaningful. You can learn more about us in Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/francescawalton/2026/02/03/home-swap-startup-kindred-raises-125-million-in-fresh-funding-as-travelers-seek-creative-ways-to-save-money/ and The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/realestate/is-your-apartment-nice-enough-for-this-home-swapping-app.html. THE ROLE We're hiring a Lead Copywriter to define Kindred's voice and own the words that carry it across every touchpoint. Today, Kindred's copy function lives across various agencies and individuals. This role exists to consolidate expertise and give Kindred one distinctive voice that clearly and consistently communicates what we believe. This is a hands-on role: you'll write the copy Kindred needs today across paid and owned channels (lifecycle, social, in-product, etc.) while building the narrative frameworks and voice guidelines that keep that copy consistent as Kindred grows. Success here requires both strategic thinking and execution: you'll shape the point of view behind how Kindred talks about itself, and you'll write and review all of Kindred’s copy within the standards and voice that you’ve established. You'll partner closely with Performance Marketing, Lifecycle Marketing, Social, and Product to make sure Kindred's story is consistent whether a member is reading a push notification, a homepage headline, or an ad on Meta. In some areas, you will also collaborate with Kindred’s agency partners, raising the bar on their output as you centralize copy into a single, coherent voice. You will be Kindred's first in-house copywriting hire, reporting into the Head of Growth. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Write Kindred’s copy. Take ownership of copy execution across the business. Each word that leaves the building will have been written or reviewed by you. - Own brand voice and tone. Establish and evolve Kindred's voice guidelines so that every piece of writing, from a push notification to a welcome email, sounds unmistakably like Kindred. Be the go-to voice on what's on-brand and what isn't. - Translate Kindred’s narrative into language. Take complex concepts and key messaging priorities from leadership and translate them into clear and consistent messaging that transcend any individual channel. - Centralize the copy function. Provide oversight on Kindred’s agency partners that produce copy, and define the QA and review processes that keep their output sharp and consistent. - Partner across cross-functional teams. Work with Product Marketing and Integrated Marketing on positioning and launch messaging, with Lifecycle Marketing on member communications, with Creative, Social, and Performance Marketing on campaign execution, and with Product on in-product copy—making sure every channel is pulling from the same narrative and voice. WHAT'S REQUIRED - 8+ years of experience in copywriting with a portfolio that shows both sharp, on-brand execution and the strategic thinking behind it. - Experience owning brand voice and messaging for a consumer brand—you've built or significantly evolved a voice and tone guide that other people actually use. - Experience managing freelance writers or agency relationships, with a clear point of view on how to brief, review, and get the best out of external partners. - Strong collaborator across Product, Growth, and Creative—you know how to translate strategy into language without losing nuance. - Scrappy and self-directed: you don't wait for a fully-staffed team or a polished brief to start moving Kindred's story forward. - Genuine interest in travel, trust, and community—you understand what makes people choose to open their home to a stranger, and can put words to why that matters. OUR BENEFITS At Kindred, we know that good things happen when we look out for one another. We offer a thoughtful, human-first benefits package designed to support health, wellbeing, and connection. Our openings may span more than one career level. The base salary offered depends on factors such as experience, transferable skills, business needs, impact, and market data. - Competitive cash compensation and equity - Comprehensive health benefits - Flexible time off, plus 12 paid holidays per year - 21 credits per year to stay in Kindred homes - $4,000 annual travel stipend to help offset travel-related costs - Remote-first and remote-flexible work environment, with opportunities to work from anywhere and gather in person, including at Kindred HQ in San Francisco - Regular team and company offsites to connect, collaborate, and build together - A vibrant, inclusive, and highly skilled team that ferociously protects team chemistry - A culture of high standards, feedback, and continual growth We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. Kindred does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, family care or medical leave status, marital status, domestic partner status, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by US federal, state or local laws, or the laws of the country or jurisdiction where you work. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.