Head of Investor Relations (Fractional)

Socket.dev; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Part time

Job summary

CarParts.com seeks a senior, fractional Head of Investor Relations to craft and execute a credible investment narrative for the market. The role reports to the CFO, partnering with the CEO and leadership team to translate business priorities and financials into compelling share-owner communications.

This executive will manage capital market relations, oversee earnings calls, and drive institutional outreach, with on-site presence in Long Beach, CA at least one day per week.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of direct, hands-on investor relations experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage analyst & institutional relationships with sell-side and buy-side coverage.
• Craft and execute the investor relations strategy and narrative.
• Lead earnings call preparation, scripting, and Q&A with CFO and leadership.
• Maintain IR CRM and monitor shareholder activity and market context.

Skills

Investor relations

Financial analysis

Public company calls

Stakeholder management

Independent work

On-site at Long Beach

Education

CPA or CFA designation recommended

Tools

IR CRM

Stock surveillance tools

Competitor tracking

Job description

What We Do

CarParts.com is the go-to eCommerce platform for auto care and maintenance. We provide drivers with quality parts at competitive prices and enable them to schedule appointments with trusted mechanics directly through our website. Using world-class design principles and the latest technologies, we deliver a fast, intuitive digital experience backed by our company-owned national distribution network.
With over 1,000 employees worldwide, we are scaling rapidly, fueled by our most recent strategic partnership and $35 million investment. This positions us for the next phase of growth as we continue to empower drivers along their journey.

Our Culture

At CarParts.com, our culture goes beyond our core values of Safety First, Customer Focused, and Commitment to Excellence. We are a performance-driven, data-focused, and fast-paced team where results matter and winning is expected.
- Hungry & Hardworking: We set ambitious goals, measure progress with clear metrics, and hold ourselves accountable to deliver results.
- Promote from Within: We reward top performers with opportunities for growth and advancement.
- Collaborative & In-Person: We believe the best ideas and fastest execution happen face-to-face.
- High Standards: We move quickly, pay attention to details, and dig deep - whether it’s analyzing contracts, aggregating complex scenarios, or building clear, data-driven presentations.
- No Passengers: We value grit, ownership, and the relentless pursuit of results

Position Summary

The Head of Investor Relations is a newly created, fractional executive mandate for a thinly traded, under-covered micro-cap public company. This is not a communications or PR role: it is a strategic extension of the company that understands the why, what, how, and when behind every decision, and translates that understanding into a credible, differentiated investment narrative for the market. The role requires deep, hands‑on experience specifically in micro-cap IR: candidates whose background is exclusively large-cap/Fortune 500 IR or exclusively private-company communications are not a fit. This is a highly specialized, fast-paced role demanding sharp attention to detail and high agency.

This role reports directly to the CFO and works closely with the CEO and leadership team, requiring a real command of company priorities, the business model, and the financials.

The Head of Investor Relations will craft and execute a genuine IR and shareholder engagement strategy: building relationships with institutional holders, managing the analyst and shareholder base, and ensuring the company's story is told accurately and consistently across every channel and touchpoint.

Reports To: Chief Financial Officer

Location: Long Beach, CA - 1 day per week on-site required

Engagement Type: Fractional / Part-time Executive

Travel: As needed for investor conferences, roadshows, and institutional meetings

FLSA Status: Exempt, Executive (Independent Contractor/Fractional arrangement)

Compensation: Commensurate with experience; competitive fractional executive compensation

Key Responsibilities

Analyst & Institutional Relationship Management

• Manage and grow relationships with sell-side and buy-side analysts covering or evaluating the company, including proactive outreach to expand coverage.
• Lead direct shareholder engagement with institutional holders, including targeting, prioritization, and ongoing relationship cultivation.
• Track ownership levels and changes across the shareholder base, and translate ownership shifts into actionable outreach and strategy.

IR Strategy & Narrative

• Craft and execute a real investor relations and shareholder engagement strategy grounded in the company's actual business model, priorities, and financials.
• Own and continuously refine the investor narrative and investor deck, ensuring the story is accurate, differentiated, and current.
• Serve as a genuine extension of the company: understand the why, what, how, and when behind business decisions well enough to represent them credibly to the market.

Conferences, Calls & Outreach

• Manage participation in investor conferences, including selection, logistics, and preparation.
• Lead investor calls and proactive outreach efforts to current and prospective shareholders.
• Own earnings call preparation and execution, including scripting, Q&A prep, and coordination with the CFO and leadership team.

Market Intelligence & Systems

• Maintain and operate the IR CRM to track investor relationships, interactions, and follow-ups.
• Own stock surveillance to monitor trading activity, volume, and shareholder base movements.
• Track competitors and peer companies to inform positioning, messaging, and market context.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of direct, hands‑on investor relations experience. This is a senior-level mandate, not a junior or early-career role.
• Significant, direct experience serving as a senior investor relations professional for a thinly traded, under-covered micro-cap public company — experience limited to large-cap/Fortune 500 IR or to private-company communications does not meet the bar for this role.
• Demonstrated track record managing sell-side and buy-side analyst relationships, including building coverage where none previously existed.
• Direct experience managing investor conferences end-to-end, from selection through execution.
• Proven experience leading investor calls, proactive outreach campaigns, and institutional shareholder engagement.
• Hands‑on experience building and maintaining an investor deck and investor narrative.
• Working proficiency with an IR CRM, stock surveillance tools, and competitor/peer tracking.
• Direct experience preparing for and running public company earnings calls, and tracking ownership levels and changes.
• Very deep financial expertise, with the ability to work directly with the CFO, CEO, and leadership team on company priorities, business model, and financial performance.
• High agency: able to operate independently, drive initiatives without heavy oversight, and take ownership of outcomes.
• Ability to work on-site in Long Beach, CA a minimum of one day per week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior IR experience at a Russell 2000 company or microcap a must.
• Experience in automotive, distribution, e-commerce, turnaround, or special situation companies is a plus.
• Existing relationships with micro-cap-focused institutional investors and analysts.
• Experience operating in a fractional or part-time executive capacity.
• CPA or CFA designation recommended.
• Prior experience as a sell‑side or buy‑side analyst and/or at an investor relations advisory firm is a significant plus.

Equal Opportunity Employer

CarParts.com is an equal-opportunity employer. We enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state, and local laws and ordinances. Our management is dedicated to ensuring that we fulfill this policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment advertising, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment.

The above-noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the incumbent a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of his/her position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.