Director of Communications

Relay; New York (NY); On-site; USD 216,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Relay, a leading digital banking platform for self-employed business owners, seeks a Director of Communications as its first dedicated comms hire. You’ll shape external earned media and internal messaging, partnering with Brand, PMM, and leadership to reflect our beliefs and land with target audiences. This role reports to the VP of Marketing and will build the function from the ground up, focusing on credibility, trust, and measurable impact.

Qualifications

• You have 8+ years in communications, PR, or corporate affairs in high-growth SaaS, fintech, or consumer brands.
• You have owned a media program with reporter relationships and quantified wins.
• You write for executives and coach founders on public presence and media readiness.
• You maintain a high editorial bar and translate complex financial products for non-experts.
• You’ve navigated regulated environments and can align legal with headlines.

Responsibilities

• Own Relay’s earned media presence end-to-end including strategy, coverage, and thought leadership.
• Lead the relationship with our PR agency and align with internal priorities.
• Build and manage a proactive media program, expanding fintech, SMB, and entrepreneurship beats.
• Own executive communications for the CEO and leadership team, including speech writing and media prep.
• Drive comms around product launches, brand campaigns, and milestones with integrated plans.
• Monitor and protect brand reputation with a crisis playbook and fast response instincts.
• Measure share of voice and message pull-through to sharpen strategy.

Skills

Media relations

Executive communications

Crisis communications

Strategic storytelling

Writing

Regulatory/compliance

SaaS/fintech experience

Job description

Relay is a digital banking platform that gives self‑made business owners the tools and know‑how to be great with money—bringing clarity, confidence, and control to every dollar earned, so they can turn hard work into lasting success. We do this by replacing financial guesswork with real visibility, transforming cash flow from a constant source of stress into a clear signal owners can use to run stronger, more resilient businesses.

We’re looking for a Director of Communications to own how Relay communicates—externally in earned media, and internally across the company. This is a builder role: you’ll be our first dedicated comms hire, which means you’re starting from a position of real momentum—an active PR agency relationship, a brand campaign in market, and a growing media presence—and your job is to turn that into a durable communications function with the infrastructure, relationships, and editorial discipline to match where Relay is going.

The right candidate is a sharp, opinionated communications leader who has worked in a high‑growth environment before, knows how to punch above their weight with limited resources, and brings a genuine point of view on how a brand earns trust in a crowded category. You’ll report directly to the VP of Marketing and partner closely with Brand, PMM, and the executive team to ensure what we say publicly reflects what we believe internally—and lands with the audiences that matter most.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Own Relay’s earned media presence end‑to‑end—media strategy, press coverage, executive thought leadership, and reactive comms—translating the brand narrative into stories that land with reporters, editors, and the audiences that matter most.

• Lead the relationship with our PR agency, setting the strategic agenda, driving accountability on coverage outcomes, and ensuring the partnership is pulling in the same direction as internal priorities.

• Build and manage a proactive media program—expanding relationships with reporters covering fintech, SMB, and entrepreneurship beats, pitching stories before they need to be pitched, and getting Relay into conversations we aren’t currently part of.

• Own executive communications for the CEO and leadership team, including speech writing, op‑eds, LinkedIn presence, and media prep—helping Relay’s founders show up as credible, recognizable voices in their category.

• Drive communications around product launches, brand campaigns, and company milestones, partnering with PMM and Brand to build integrated announcement plans that earn coverage rather than just distribute press releases.

• Monitor and protect brand reputation, with a clear‑eyed crisis communications playbook and the instincts to know when something needs to move fast.

• Measure what matters—share of voice, earned media quality, executive visibility, message pull‑through, and internal comms reach—and use that data to sharpen strategy rather than just report it.

Who You Are

• You have 8+ years in communications, PR, or corporate affairs roles, with meaningful experience at a high‑growth SaaS, fintech, or consumer brand.

• You’ve owned a media program before—you have reporter relationships you built yourself, coverage wins you drove personally, and a clear theory of what makes a story land.

• You have strong executive communications chops: you’ve written for a CEO, shaped a founder’s public presence, and know how to coach someone who’s brilliant but not naturally a media personality.

• You’re a skilled writer with a high editorial bar—you can cut through jargon, write for a small business owner, and tell a financial product story without making it sound like a financial product.

• You’ve worked in a regulated or compliance‑adjacent environment and know how to get the legal team to yes without losing the headline.

• You’re a strategic operator who can build systems and processes, not just campaigns—you know what a mature comms function looks like and can run toward it from scratch.

• You’re comfortable being the only one in the room who owns this function, which means you’re low‑ego about doing the work while being high‑con‑viction about the strategy.

Bonus Points

• You have experience working with brands that serve small business owners or self‑employed professionals.

• You have a public POV on communications, media, or brand—newsletter, talks, a LinkedIn presence people actually follow.

• You’ve navigated a major brand moment under pressure: a funding round, a product controversy, a category‑defining campaign.

The Interview Process

• Stage 1: A 45‑minute Google Meet video call with a member of the Talent team

• Stage 2: A 60‑minute Google Meet video call with the VP of Marketing

• Stage 3: A 60‑minute Google Meet Live Scenario with our Marketing team

• Stage 4: A 60‑minute in‑person interview with a member of the Leadership team

Our Compensation Approach

We believe Relayers should feel rewarded for the impact they have on our mission and growth. Compensation follows impact. As impact increases, compensation grows, and we do not limit compensation changes to a once‑a‑year review cycle.

The annual salary range for this role is $216,000 USD to $264,000 USD.

For candidates who demonstrate full readiness for the defined scope of the role, the typical starting salary is $240,000 USD. Offers below this point reflect candidates we believe can grow into the full scope of the role with support and development. Offers above this point reflect impact that meaningfully exceeds the role’s defined expectations or an expanded scope from day one.

We encourage you to have a conversation with your recruiter and ask questions about compensation throughout the hiring process. For more information on our compensation philosophy and perks and benefits, visit our Candidate Hub.

Why Relay Might Be the Perfect Fit For You

• You push relentlessly for reinvention: You're always asking "how can this be better?"—in your work, in your craft, in yourself. Comfort is a signal to push harder, not coast. You'd rather build something better than defend something familiar.

• You crave autonomy: We trust our team with big challenges and the freedom to solve them. If you’re someone who takes initiative, is comfortable taking risks, and seeks input when needed, you’ll find the freedom here empowering.

• You own your work: You take pride in your work, follow through on commitments, and feel a deep sense of responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.

• You build with AI, not just use it: You're actively embedding AI into how you work, pushing what's possible, and bringing your team along with you.

• You care about impact, not noise: You care deeply about the substance of your work. You measure success by results, not recognition, and you let your work speak for itself.

• You’re energized by complexity and ambiguity: You enjoy tackling problems that don’t come with a playbook. You’re comfortable building from scratch, iterating as you go, and collaborating to shape the best path forward.

• You seek out feedback: You see directness as respect, not criticism. You actively seek input, sit with hard truths, and use feedback as fuel for improvement.

• Small businesses are why we're here: Relay exists to help them thrive—and that mission has to resonate with you.

Join Us

We're looking for people who are relentless, curious, and care deeply about the work. You're encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly match the job description—your perspective and drive matter more. We welcome diverse backgrounds and people who think critically, challenge the status quo, and want to help small businesses thrive.

If you require accommodations at any stage of the hiring process, please reach out to your Talent Partner.

Disclaimer: For compliance reasons, all offers of employment at Relay are conditional upon a successful background check and employment verification through Certn.