Director, Localization

About This Role

Strava is the app for active people. With over 135 million athletes in more than 190 countries, it’s more than tracking workouts—it’s where connection, motivation, and personal bests thrive. No matter your activity, gear, or goals, Strava’s got you covered. Find your crew, crush your milestones, and keep moving forward. Start your journey with Strava today and Join the Strava Club.

The Director of Localization is a key leadership role within Strava’s Community Management organization, responsible for driving the strategy, execution, and innovation behind delivering the Strava experience in multiple languages. As Localization Lead, you will develop and implement a global localization strategy aligned with company goals, overseeing a network of translators, managing an in-house team and external vendors, and driving cross-functional initiatives to deliver seamless, culturally relevant user experiences worldwide.

This role is based in our San Francisco, CA office with a hybrid in-office work requirement of at least 3 days per week. 

You’re excited about this opportunity because you will:

• Develop and execute localization strategies aligned with company goals, expanding Strava’s reach across global markets.
• Oversee the end-to-end localization pipeline, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality translations across multiple languages.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Product, Marketing, Engineering, Community Management, and Legal, to align on localization priorities and requirements.
• Manage and develop a team of localization specialists and external vendors, fostering a culture of accountability and excellence.
• Leverage tools, technology, and workflows to optimize localization processes, improve efficiency, and reduce bottlenecks.
• Analyze localization metrics and market feedback to identify trends and drive continuous improvement.

You will be successful here by:

• Demonstrating strategic leadership and decision-making that aligns localization efforts with business objectives.
• Ensuring culturally relevant, high-quality localized content by understanding global markets and cultural nuances.
• Leveraging AI-powered tools and advanced technologies to enhance efficiency, scalability, and consistency across localization projects.
• Building strong vendor relationships and managing onboarding, contract negotiations, and compliance to meet localization needs effectively.
• Leading and mentoring your team to foster collaboration, innovation, and high performance.
• Using a data-driven approach to prioritize projects, track success metrics, and refine localization strategies over time.

We’re excited about you because you:

• Are passionate about creating authentic, culturally relevant localized experiences that resonate with global audiences.
• Have a proven track record in managing large-scale localization programs and implementing efficient workflows.
• Are highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Excel in communication and thrive in cross-cultural, cross-functional environments.
• Bring 8+ years of experience in localization or a related field, with 5+ years in a leadership role managing teams and vendors.
• Are proficient in localization tools (e.g., TMS platforms like Transifex), project management tools (e.g., Asana), and agile software development processes.
• Have deep expertise in translation, transcreation, and localization quality assurance processes.

In your cover letter, please include responses to the following questions:

1. Describe a past experience leading a localization program or project. What initiatives did you implement, and what measurable impact did they have?
2. This position requires managing teams and vendors across multiple time zones. Do you have experience collaborating globally? If so, share how you ensured effective communication and alignment across regions.

Compensation Overview

At Strava, we know our employees are the most important ingredient to our success, and our compensation and total rewards programs reflect that. We take a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on the department and your location. Salary ranges are categorized into one of three tiers based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. We will determine the candidate’s starting pay based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. We may modify these ranges in the future. For more information, please contact your talent partner.

Compensation: $204,00-$219,000 The base salary posted is within the compensation range for this role. This range reflects base pay only and does not include, equity, or benefits. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process. 

For more information on benefits, please click here.

About Strava

Strava is Swedish for “strive,” which epitomizes who we are and what we do. We’re a passionate and committed team, unified by our mission to connect athletes to what motivates them and help them find their personal best. With billions of activity uploads from all over the world, we have a humbling and adventurous vision: to be the record of the world’s athletic activities and the technology that makes every effort count.

Strava builds software that makes the best part of our athletes’ days even better. Just as we’re deeply committed to unlocking their potential, we’re dedicated to providing a world-class, inclusive workplace where our employees can grow and thrive, too. We’re backed by Sequoia Capital, TCV, Madrone Partners and Jackson Square Ventures, and we’re expanding in order to exceed the needs of our growing community of global athletes. Our culture reflects our community. We are continuously striving to hire and engage diverse teammates from all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives because we know we are a stronger team together.

Despite challenges in the world around us, we are continuing to grow camaraderie and positivity within our culture, and we are unified in our commitment to becoming an antiracist company. We are differentiated by our truly people-first approach, our compassionate leadership, and our belief that we can bring joy and inspiration to athletes’ lives — now more than ever. All to say, it’s a great time to join Strava!

Strava is an equal opportunity employer. In keeping with the values of Strava, we make all employment decisions including hiring, evaluation, termination, promotional and training opportunities, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, physical handicap, mental disability, medical condition, disability, gender or identity or expression, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, marital status, height and/or weight.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

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