Director, CEO Communications

Overview:

We’re seeking a strategic and innovative Director, CEO Communications who will lead all aspects of communications for Okta’s CEO and cofounder, Todd McKinnon. You will craft and amplify our CEO’s voice - leading Okta’s corporate narrative that aligns with our vision, engaging key stakeholders, and ensuring impactful messaging across all channels. As the CEO’s trusted communications partner, you’ll manage external and internal communications to drive thought leadership, visibility, and outcome-driven results. This leader will combine a deep understanding of the current market and Okta’s business priorities with disciplined execution and meticulous attention to detail. This role reports to the Head of Internal and Executive communications, and will manage one direct report. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Messaging: Develop and execute a communication strategy that defines and strengthens Okta’s CEO’s voice, aligning with the company's vision and values for different stakeholder audiences.
• Thought Leadership: Position Okta’s CEO as an industry leader by crafting high-impact, forward-thinking content, including keynotes/speeches, blogs, social, board presentations, and other public-facing content.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Oversee messaging for key audiences (employees, customers, investors, and media) to drive Okta’s brand, foster transparency, and ensure alignment with business priorities.
• Content Development: Effectively communicate Okta’s CEO’s perspectives and strategies by creating compelling, insightful content for high-impact internal and external events, earnings, All Hands/Town Hall meetings, online presence, and press engagements.
• Reputation Management: Proactively identify, mitigate, and advise on communication risks while handling sensitive issues with confidentiality.
• Collaboration: Build and maintain relationships with members of the Okta’s executive leadership team to inform CEO communications strategy and content. Partner with teams across Global communications, Marketing, Legal, Investor Relations, agency partners, and many others to ensure cohesive and consistent messaging. 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate has:

• 10-15+ years of relevant communications experience; ideally owning a CEO’s thought leadership and executive communications. 
• Experience writing for and working directly with CEOs, C-level executives, and SVPs; ability to engage with and influence senior executives and leadership teams.
• An understanding of Okta’s business and competitors, along with experience working with cloud and/or SaaS companies. 
• Social media experience and an analytical approach, with the ability to quickly identify trending topics and issues with a defined point of view.
• Highly collaborative to enable CEO messaging to pull through across the company. 
• A strong, clear writing style and voice, with excellent writing and editing skills.
• A detail-oriented approach, with the ability to manage multiple, high-profile and confidential projects and deliverables.
• This role will be based in Okta’s San Francisco office and will be required to be in office.
• BS/BA degree.

 

Okta’s Top 5 Core Leadership Competencies are part of the deeply ingrained principles that guide all of our company’s actions. They also align strongly to our cultural cornerstones, our Okta values: love our customers, empower our people, never stop innovating, act with integrity, and maintain transparency. It’s our expectation that our managers and leaders embody these core competencies: