Job Description

This is an amazing time at F5. For over 20 years, we have been the industry leader in application delivery. Now, we’re also helping our customers thrive on any architecture and across any multi-cloud environment. F5 is the only company on the planet that powers applications from development through their entire lifecycle so our customers-enterprise businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands-can deliver differentiated, high-performing, and secure digital experiences that are changing the world.

But our success isn’t driven solely by what we do. We also care deeply about how we do it. Our culture is how we live, every single day, and it’s producing exceptional results-not only for our customers, but also for our employees. We understand that your life is about more than just work, so we’re committed to a culture that supports your whole life.

The PR Communications Director is responsible for leading communications strategies that align with and amplify the company’s mission, vision, and values. This position is part of the global communications team, and focuses on initiatives that maximize the voice and impact of F5 among our customers, partners, analysts, investors and the broader technology industry.

Responsibilities:

• Communication strategy setting/planning, media strategy and media relations: 30%
  • Cultivating a diverse mix of media and influencer relationships, while leveraging owned channels and earned media in innovative and creative ways
  • Informing communications and business strategy by contributing Comms insights
  • Ensuring strategic execution of the team priorities with responsibility for business performance and budget management, while acting as an advisor for leadership team; requires the ability to partner, execute, and lead through influence and collaboration across the company
  • Use data to track and report internal results, measure effectiveness, and identify needs.
• Storytelling, thought leadership and messaging: 20%
  • Telling stories in new ways that help generate thought leadership (in trust, innovation and sustainability, for example) and positive perception toward F5 among key external stakeholders
• Crisis, issues, and change management communications: 15%
  • Advancing the perception of F5 through managing negative news cycles, and being proactive to identify and flag trends that may negatively impact corporate reputation
• Editorial alignment and narrative development around corporate brand level messaging on owned channels 10%
  • Partners with key internal stakeholders to align resources across multiple corporate level communication efforts.
• Consulting on communications matters that impact business; growing industry and professional expertise: 15%
• Managing a high-impact team: 10%
  • Managing and inspiring a talented and diverse group of communicators, and helping them develop and learn as they grow their careers
  • Fostering an environment that promotes and values diversity and inclusion, where people from all backgrounds can do their best work, while personifying F5’s leadership values

Skills

• Utmost discretion with sensitive company and employee information
• Strategic, creative and precise storyteller, with proven experience in public relations, corporate messaging, editorials, blogs and social media 
• Confident, persuasive and convicted, but low ego - prizes the group over self
• Thrives under fast paced and complex conditions, including crises  
• Effective and detail-oriented team player, adept at leading across teams and disciplines
• Adept at managing vendor team(s) and agency budgets
• Current knowledge of digital communications techniques and social media engagement
• Strong project management and communication skills
• Enterprise tech experience required, fluency in issues related to digital transformation, cybersecurity and diversity & inclusion highly preferred
• Not required but good to have: external experience in areas of communications, media and influencer relations, journalism, integrated marketing (consumer, commercial), public affairs, issues management

Qualifications 

• 10-15+ years of real-world public relations experience with publicly traded and visible brand 

• Technology experience or knowledge of B2B applications
• Strong writing skills and experience with customer focused, technology products

• Adept with technology, including Microsoft Office products, with an ability to master new software easily.
• Solid quantitative skills
• Ability to be agile when managing multiple high-priority, high-visibility projects with multiple stakeholders.

• Excellent market or brand research experience is a big plus 
• Experience working with creative teams/agencies or vendors  
• Ability to listen, be nimble and adapt quickly to strategic changes  
• Team player who can independently drive processes and tight timelines successfully  

Physical Demands and Work Environment:  

• Duties are performed in a normal office environment while sitting at a desk or computer table.  Duties require the ability to utilize a computer, communicate over the telephone, and read printed material.
• Duties may require the ability to travel via automobile or airplane, approximately 10% of the time spent traveling.

Organizational Interlocks

High collaboration and functional interlocks across:

• Brand development
• Executive leadership & staff
• Executive Communications
• Customer Communications
• Investor Relations
• Global Events 
• Social Media
• Supporting vendors, including speechwriter and design agencies

Internal Success Metrics

Modern Storytelling/Owned

• Newsroom and CE Pageview growth
• Session Duration
• 3rd party voices in blog
• CX data informed stories

Modern Storytelling/Earned

• Global stories & Inclusions
• Cloud, security, biz and devops message resonance

Campaign support

• Comms content click through
• Social engagement
• Campaign supporting bylines
• Vertical supporting stories

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The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.

Phishing Alert

Please note that F5 only contacts candidates through F5 email address (ending with @f5.com) or auto email notification from Yello/Workday (ending with f5.com or @myworkday.com).

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the policy of F5 to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, sensory, physical, or mental disability,marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws.This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline, and termination. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request.