Director of Public Relations

Who you are

• You've worked in big organizations but do your best work with ownership and autonomy. You're plugged into outdoor publications and you read the WSJ every morning. Your pitches get responses. You can go from a strategy deck to a media call to an award submission in one afternoon, and you like it that way
• You're genuinely part of outdoor and active lifestyle culture, not just aware of it professionally
• You're a natural storyteller who knows what makes a pitch land and what makes an editor tune out
• You're just as comfortable with brand athletes as you are with a C-level executive or a business reporter
• You move fast, stay organized, and get energy from wearing a lot of hats rather than getting worn down by it
• 8+ years of progressive PR and communications experience, including time in a senior individual contributor or director-level role
• Active relationships across national, trade, and niche category media
• A track record of building and running PR strategy for complex, multi-brand organizations
• Real pitching experience: you still write pitches and make calls yourself
• Experience running PR programs around athletes, talent, or brand ambassadors
• A track record of landing thought leadership opportunities: speaking slots, keynotes, award submissions
• Strong written and verbal communication, backed by a portfolio of pitches and coverage
• Crisis communications experience, including building protocols and leading real-time response
• Comfort with PR analytics and media intelligence tools
• A personal connection to outdoor or active lifestyle pursuits
• Experience at a company with multiple brands or revenue streams
• A background in digital media, subscription businesses, or consumer tech
• Existing relationships with tech or startup media
• Experience in a startup or high-growth environment
• PR agency experience

What the job involves

• We're hiring a Director of Public Relations to set our external communications strategy across all Outside brands, and then run it themselves. This is a senior individual contributor role: you're the strategist and the person doing the work. You'll report to the Chief of Staff and work closely with editorial, product, experiential, technology, and executive leadership
• Outside operates with the energy of a startup inside a brand that already defines its category. This isn't a "manage the agency" job. We need someone who will write pitches themselves, get on the phone, and move from a long-range plan to a same-day media response without breaking stride
• You'll shape how the world sees Outside: as a media innovator, a technology company, a travel booking engine, and a steward of outdoor culture. That means building relationships that actually matter and telling stories worth telling, not just checking boxes
• Strategy and Execution of the PR Function
• Own the annual PR strategy across all Outside brands and business lines, then execute it: source, write, and send the pitches
• Get fluent in our business (products, editorial calendar, roadmap, revenue model, competitive landscape) and turn that knowledge into narratives that are sharp and accurate
• Balance long-range planning with the flexibility to change course fast. Run this as a team of one or a small team, owning it from strategy all the way through execution
• Hands-On Media Relations
• Write and pitch stories. This role executes, it doesn't delegate
• Build real relationships across national business and consumer press, outdoor and trade media, tech publications, and niche outlets like travel, cycling, running, skiing, and events
• Drive campaigns across our core pillars: editorial launches, product and tech announcements (Gaia GPS, Trailforks), and experiential and live events
• Act as a spokesperson and prep executives for media interactions. Keep an eye on trend cycles for timely hooks
• Outdoor Culture and National Media
• Translate outdoor culture for national business, consumer, and tech press in a way that lands
• Spot the seasonal and cultural moments (race seasons, gear launches, athlete wins) that create real hooks for coverage
• Lead activations for major launches and events, like media previews and deskside tours
• Thought Leadership and Crisis Communications
• Find speaking and panel opportunities, and manage our industry awards calendar
• Build thought leadership platforms for our executives and prep them for keynotes
• Own our crisis communications playbooks and lead real-time response to sensitive inquiries, working closely with legal and executive teams
• Partnerships and Measurement
• Build PR moments around athlete, brand, and talent partnerships alongside sales and partnerships teams
• Define PR KPIs (share of voice, impressions, coverage quality, sentiment) and report on them in a way that actually informs leadership decisions

Benefits

• Equity: we believe that all employees are owners and that we all contribute to the success of the company
• Comprehensive benefits package: Health, Dental, Vision, Life & AD&D, and more!
• Flexible time away: we believe in both the importance of working hard AND taking time to refresh and rejuvenate
• Learning & development: we put employees first and provide resources for personal and professional advancement
• Fringe benefits: cell phone reimbursement, fitness and ClassPass access, commuter program, etc