Head of Communications

ABOUT THE ROLE Factory is looking for a Head of Communications to define and drive how the world understands Factory and the shift to agent-native software engineering. Communications is central to our mission: you will own the narrative engine that makes Factory legible and compelling to the audiences that matter most, from enterprise engineering leaders to the broader AI community, and you will own our reputation across every channel where that story is told. This is a hands-on, strategic leadership role. You will do the work: shaping our company narrative, running major announcements, owning media relations, managing issues and rapid response, and coaching our executives. Your impact will come first from your own judgment, writing, and instincts, and you will bring on people and partners as the work grows. As the societal and economic impact of AI grows, you will use communications to explain complex, technical ideas to a wide range of audiences and help the market understand Factory's mission and the future of software. You pair sharp strategic vision with genuinely great storytelling, a deep feel for both traditional and new media, an obsession with how ideas travel, and the judgment to navigate ambiguous, fast-moving situations. WHAT YOU WILL DO AND ACHIEVE - Define Factory's communications strategy in partnership with leadership, grounded in a sharp read of the market and our competitors, and help shape the company's long-term direction and vision. - Own the narrative engine: turn product milestones, customer outcomes, and our point of view into breakthrough stories, thought leadership, and campaigns that feel like industry thinking, not marketing. - Serve as our primary spokesperson and media liaison, building relationships with top-tier press and earning coverage that advances Factory's position. - Run major announcements end to end and quarterback the narrative for our biggest moments: product launches, funding, partnerships, and category-defining thought leadership. - Lead issues management and crisis communications, building the plans and rapid-response infrastructure to act decisively when the industry shifts or time-sensitive press arises. - Grow Factory's owned audience and executive visibility across the channels our audiences actually use, and coach our leaders and spokespeople to show up with impact. - Make Factory discoverable and citable across search and AI answer engines, shaping how we show up in the tools people now use to understand the market. - Own internal and employee communications that keep the company aligned as we scale, and shape the talent and momentum narratives that help us recruit and build. - Bring on people and agency partners over time, adding them as the work demands. QUALIFICATIONS - 10+ years in communications at high-growth technology companies, including senior leadership roles. - Truly stellar written and verbal communication skills. You are one of the best storytellers the people around you know, with the editorial judgment to know what is genuinely interesting, not just technically correct. - The ability to translate complex, technical concepts into narratives a wide range of audiences actually want to read and share. - Deep, hands-on media relations experience, with an established network of top-tier press and the comfort to build new relationships from scratch. - A strong grasp of both traditional and new media, how ideas spread across channels, and modern search and AI answer-engine dynamics, including how content gets discovered, cited, and surfaced by LLMs. - Proven experience owning issues management and crisis communications in high-stakes moments. - Command of modern communications, measurement, and analytics tools. - Comfort operating both strategically and hands-on as a lean function, building the team and partners pragmatically as the work grows. - High agency, low ego, and a strong bias to action. - Excellent judgment, epistemic humility, and an open, curious pull toward understanding the technology. Location: San Francisco, New York City (in office, 5 days a week)