This is a rare opportunity to come in and own the full strategy - not inherit a playbook, but write one. You'll bring a next-generation vision for how creator marketing and earned media can work together to build brand equity, grow EMV, and turn PopSockets' mission and values into a story the world wants to tell for us.
Reporting directly to the VP of Global Brand & Marketing, the Director will lead the influencer and PR function with influencer marketing as the primary mandate. You will directly manage an Influencer Marketing Specialist, and oversee two agency partners - PR and creative.
YOUR OBJECTIVE: To define and own PopSockets' next-generation influencer marketing and PR strategy - building programs that set the standard for lifestyle brand marketing, drive genuine brand desirability, and use our founder-led story and brand mission as the competitive advantage they truly are.
What You'll OwnNext-Generation Influencer Marketing Strategy- Set the long-term vision and strategic direction for PopSockets' influencer marketing program - defining what best-in-class looks like for a lifestyle brand at our stage and building the roadmap to get there
- Design and own a next-gen creator framework: a tiered, data-driven system that goes far beyond gifting and paid posts to build genuine, lasting creator advocacy and brand love
- Build and scale a creator roster mapped to our three consumer audiences - Style Mavens, Interest Amplifiers, and Solutionists - with the right creators at every tier driving the right impact
- Lead influencer campaign strategy from brief to post-campaign analysis, ensuring every activation ladders up to the brand platform and generates content that earns cultural attention, not just impressions
- Stay ahead of the creator economy - emerging platforms, new formats, shifting audience behaviors - and consistently bring a perspective on where PopSockets should show up next
- Manage the influencer agency relationship, setting the strategic and tactical bar and holding the agency accountable to output that is on-brand, culturally sharp, and relationship-first
- Own creator contracting, negotiations, and compliance with FTC guidelines, usage rights, and brand standards
PR as a Strategic Brand Equity Driver- Redefine PR's role at PopSockets - elevating it from a reactive channel to a proactive, always-on brand equity engine that shapes how the world thinks and talks about us
- Champion our founder-led story, brand mission, vision, and values as a true competitive advantage - building a PR strategy that makes PopSockets' origin and purpose as culturally compelling as our products
- Set strategic direction for the PR agency, holding them to ambitious goals and a high bar for results while building a genuine long-term partnership
- Build a proactive media and relationship strategy that earns PopSockets a consistent presence in lifestyle, tech, and culture conversations - not just around launches, but year-round
- Lead press moments, creator events, and brand activations that generate meaningful earned coverage and position PopSockets as one of the most beloved and interesting brands in the lifestyle category
- Track share of voice, sentiment, and earned media performance - translating those insights into a clear, evolving POV on how PR is building brand equity over time
Data, Measurement & Program Excellence- Build the measurement infrastructure that proves the value of influencer and PR investment - owning EMV reporting, share of voice tracking, and brand health signals that connect to business outcomes
- Use data to lead - from creator selection and investment allocation to campaign optimization and program evolution
- Establish a test-and-learn culture: structured experimentation, clear hypotheses, documented learnings, and fast iteration that makes every future campaign smarter than the last
- Build scalable processes and operational best practices that allow both programs to grow without losing quality or strategic coherence
Organizational & Cross-Functional Leadership- Serve as PopSockets' internal authority on creator culture, influencer marketing, and earned media - bringing sharp, informed POVs to leadership and shaping the organization's thinking on where these channels are heading
- Directly manage and develop an Influencer Marketing Specialist - setting a high bar, investing in their growth, and building a team culture defined by curiosity, craft, and accountability
- Partner closely with Product & Merchandising, Integrated Marketing, Social, Creative, and Retail teams to ensure influencer and PR are fully woven into every campaign, launch, and always-on moment
- Represent the influencer and PR function in key planning conversations, budget discussions, and leadership forums - advocating for investment with data and a compelling strategic narrative
What You Bring- 10+ years of experience in influencer marketing, consumer PR, or integrated communications - with significant brand-side experience and a clear track record of building programs that move culture and business metrics
- A genuine, informed perspective on the future of influencer marketing and the creator economy - you don't just follow trends, you anticipate them and help brands get ahead of them
- Proven success building influencer programs that deliver best-in-class EMV and creator advocacy - the kind of program other marketers reference and creators want to be part of
- Strategic PR experience that goes beyond press releases - you know how to build a brand narrative, pitch a story that earns coverage, and use PR to compound brand equity over time
- Deep data fluency: you build frameworks, interpret signals, design experiments, and use performance data to continuously sharpen strategy and defend investment
- Experience managing both influencer and PR agencies at a senior level - setting vision, driving accountability, and building partnerships that produce exceptional work
- Hands-on experience with CreatorIQ required; familiarity with Tribe Dynamics or similar tools a plus
- An executive-level communicator who can influence cross-functional partners, present to senior leadership, and represent the brand externally with confidence and authority
- A people-first leader who builds high-performing team cultures, develops talent intentionally, and leads with clarity and generosity
- Energized by the opportunity to build - you thrive in fast-moving, entrepreneurial environments and see ambiguity as a canvas, not an obstacle
What Success Looks Like- PopSockets is widely recognized as running one of the best influencer marketing programs in the lifestyle category - a program creators want to be part of and marketers look to as a benchmark
- Our founder-led story and brand mission are showing up organically in culture - generating earned media and creator content that builds genuine brand desirability and love
- A next-gen creator framework is fully operational: tiered, data-driven, and continuously optimized - with clear logic for every investment decision
- Consistent, compounding EMV growth that reflects the depth and quality of our creator relationships, not just the volume of activations
- A PR program that proactively shapes PopSockets' brand narrative year-round - building long-term equity, not just generating launch-day buzz
- Influencer and PR functioning as a unified, integrated force - amplifying each other and showing up cohesively across every brand moment
- A high-performing team and agency ecosystem that is well-led, clearly directed, and built to scale with the brand
$140,000 - $160,000 a year
25% annual bonus potential
