Director of External Relations
About Andela
At Andela, we connect customers with top global, remote technical talent from over 135 countries, focusing on emerging markets like Africa and Latin America. We are the world's largest talent marketplace, enabling companies to quickly deploy qualified technologists. Our Andela Talent Cloud platform manages the global talent lifecycle, accelerating project delivery by 33%. Andela is transforming staffing and software development through generative AI.
About the Role
Andela is seeking a dynamic Director, External Relations to lead our Public Relations (PR) and Analyst Relations (AR) programs. This is a strategic, senior role for someone who excels at 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 oversee the entire external relations function, including strategy, agency management, and program execution.
Key Responsibilities
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.
Design and lead Andela’s analyst relations program, building productive, ongoing relationships with key industry analysts.
Develop and execute a tiered analyst engagement strategy, including regular briefings, inquiries, advisory sessions, and analyst days.
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.
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-functionally partner 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
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.