Senior Manager, External Communications

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. Founded in 2017 by experts in the self-driving industry, Aurora is revolutionizing transportation - making it safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. Its flagship product, the Aurora Driver, is a platform that brings together software, hardware, and data services, to autonomously operate passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and heavy-duty trucks. Aurora is partnered with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem including Toyota, Volvo, PACCAR, Uber, Uber Freight, FedEx, and U.S. Xpress. Aurora tests its vehicles in the Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Texas and has offices in those areas as well as in Bozeman, MT; Seattle, WA; Louisville, CO; and Detroit, MI. To learn more, visit www.aurora.tech.

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all.

The Communications team has the awesome responsibility of not only defining and positioning Aurora in the public eye, but of also being on the cutting edge of introducing self-driving vehicles to the world. We develop strategies to raise awareness, increase acceptance and drive adoption of this life-saving technology. Our job is to find creative and compelling ways to educate, inform and inspire the world of Aurora and the future of transportation.

We're a team of intellectually curious, creative storytellers and problem solvers. We love making the complex, simple, and the abstract, resonate. You thrive working in the fast pace of a startup; you can build from scratch, think big and start small, lead projects to align with business goals, contribute to cross-functional initiatives, and will be a trusted partner to our engineering, GR, partnerships, marketing and product teams.

We shape and share Aurora's story.

We are seeking a Senior Communications Manager to lead partner communications, in support of Aurora's long-term technology bets on autonomous vehicles. Joining the Communications team at Aurora, you'll be responsible for working closely with business leaders to build and establish high-impact campaigns and storytelling strategies.

On the Aurora Communications team, we pride ourselves on being the go-to experts on connecting with people and teams across the company to learn what's happening with our products, and technology; in addition to working with industry partners to develop strategic plans and announcements. In this role, you will manage and execute proactive media campaigns and translate corporate and product specific content into compelling press releases, blog posts, bylines and other written materials. Our ideal candidate is intellectually curious, people and team-oriented, and excels at writing with exacting editorial standards. We're looking for someone who is eager to create, lead, and execute on initiatives that directly impact Aurora's business, product and customers.

In this role, you will

• Develop and implement messaging and stories that support the company's broader vision and narrative.
• Build strategic and creative communications plans that raise awareness and strengthen Aurora's reputation across multiple external audiences.
• Work directly with top-tier media to help them be successful and ensure they understand Aurora's vision and progress as a public company.
• Produce a wide range of written communications materials including blog posts, contributed articles, case studies, press releases, talking points, reactive statements, and briefing materials to help support Aurora product launches and updates.
• Work with a diverse set of internal stakeholders and cross-functional partners in our technology, corporate and product functions.
• Collaborate with the broader communications organization to help manage projects and initiatives internally.
• Develop communications strategies for industry and technology conferences, including identifying opportunities and vetting inbound requests.
• Lead the development of plans and campaigns that successfully position Aurora as a thought leader.
• Build and establish relationships with key press targets and regularly reach out to discuss opportunities, as well as correct facts in stories.
• Effectively advise internal stakeholders and leaders on communications strategies, reporter interviews and launch plans.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of tech PR experience.
• Excellent writing, editing skills and storytelling skills.
• Deep experience building constructive relationships with top tier media across business, tech and consumer outlets.
• Proven experience as a trusted communications advisor to business partners and leaders.
• The ability to dive in on technical details, distill complex information for external consumption while also understanding the bigger picture.
• A "nose for news" - can develop narratives and tell them via a range of mediums.
• Experience excelling at developing strategic media campaigns with external partners, and colleagues alike.
• Expertise in creating comprehensive communications campaigns that create brand loyalty and trust.
• Interest in advancing the future of transportation, building companies and great teams, and of course, telling great stories that inspire and build advocacy for Aurora.
• Proven ability to work well under pressure with ambiguity.
• A keen eye for detail and ability to manage shifting priorities and tasks.
• The desire to build a brand, define an industry, and have a lot of fun along the way!

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in the AV, auto, trucking, etc. space.
• Experienced and familiarity with Google Suite, Jira, Confluence, Businesswire and Meltwater applications.