Director, AI Discovery & Reputation

UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group); Austin (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 186,000; Full time

Job summary

UKG is seeking a Senior Manager of AI Discovery PR to build and lead a new communications capability focused on how reputation and authority are built in an AI-first discovery environment.

Sitting within External Communications, this leader will develop the strategy that helps ensure UKG is visible, credible, accurately represented, and increasingly recognized as an authoritative source wherever people and AI systems seek answers about work, workforce operations, AI, and enterprise technology.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in public relations, corporate communications, reputation, technology communications, digital communications, or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in enterprise B2B technology, SaaS, AI, or another complex technology environment.
• Deep understanding of earned authority, media ecosystems, digital reputation, and how third-party credibility influences brand and market perception.
• Strong working knowledge of AI-powered search and answer engines, GEO/AEO principles, emerging discovery behaviors, and their implications for communications.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data and signals, identify patterns and competitive opportunities, and translate findings into communications strategy.
• Experience building new capabilities, programs, or operating models and influencing cross-functional teams to adopt new practices.
• Strong strategic communications judgment, executive presence, and ability to explain emerging technical concepts in clear business terms.
• People leadership experience, including managing and developing at least one team member.

Responsibilities

• Set and lead UKG’s AI Discovery PR strategy, establishing priorities, operating practices, and measurable outcomes for the capability.
• Assess how UKG is surfaced and represented across AI-powered search and answer engines, identifying authority gaps, inaccuracies, competitive threats, and opportunities.
• Translate emerging GEO/AEO practices and changing discovery behaviors into actionable communications and reputation strategies.
• Establish clear priorities for where UKG should build authority around Workforce Operations, AI, frontline work, and other strategic conversations.
• Identify the sources, entities, topics, and signals shaping how AI systems understand UKG and the categories in which we compete.
• Partner across PR, Thought Leadership & Newsroom, Social, Analyst Relations, Competitive Intelligence, Marketing, Web/SEO, Product Marketing, Research, and other teams to strengthen UKG’s authority across the broader information ecosystem.
• Use earned media, analyst influence, executive thought leadership, customer proof, research, authoritative third-party content, and UKG-owned information to improve discoverability and credibility.
• Influence how communications work is conceived and activated for an AI-first discovery environment rather than creating a parallel content-production function.
• Build an ongoing view of how UKG and competitors are represented across AI-powered discovery experiences, identifying where competitors are gaining authority, which communications and third-party signals are driving it, and why.
• Identify narrative whitespace and topics where UKG has the credibility and evidence to build stronger association and leadership through earned media, thought leadership, customer proof, analyst influence, and other authoritative sources.
• Translate AI-discovery, source, competitive, and reputation intelligence into clear communications recommendations-identifying where UKG should strengthen narratives, build third-party authority, activate proof, or shift external communications strategy.
• Help External Communications anticipate how emerging AI and discovery behaviors should reshape PR and reputation strategy, investment, and execution.
• Establish UKG’s AI Discovery measurement framework and baseline, including visibility, citations, accuracy, topic association, competitive performance, and source authority.
• Build an experimentation agenda that tests how earned media, research, customer proof, thought leadership, structured content, and other signals affect UKG’s discoverability.
• Turn findings into repeatable practices and guidance that can be adopted across Communications and partner teams.
• Continuously evolve the strategy as AI platforms, search behaviors, and measures of digital authority change.
• Serve as UKG’s internal expert on AI Discovery PR, helping senior stakeholders understand how AI is changing reputation, influence, and information discovery.
• Develop and support AI Discovery talent while remaining deeply engaged in sophisticated analysis, experimentation, and strategy.
• Build strong partnerships across Communications and the broader business, influencing teams through evidence and expertise rather than creating unnecessary ownership or process.
• Lead agencies, technology partners, and other external specialists when additional expertise or scale is required.

Skills

Public relations

Corporate communications

Reputation management

AI/discovery knowledge

Executive communication

Leadership

Job description

UKG is seeking a Senior Manager of AI Discovery PR to build and lead a new communications capability focused on how reputation and authority are built in an AI-first discovery environment.

Sitting within External Communications, this leader will develop the strategy that helps ensure UKG is visible, credible, accurately represented, and increasingly recognized as an authoritative source wherever people and AI systems seek answers about work, workforce operations, AI, and enterprise technology.