Vice President, External Communications

Responsibilities

• Shape Reputation & Market Leadership
• Set and lead UKG’s global external communications strategy to strengthen UKG’s reputation, differentiation, and leadership in Workforce Operations.
• Translate UKG’s enterprise narrative into sustained external conversations that build belief in who UKG is, why we matter, and how we are different.
• Shape market perception around the forces transforming work and business, including workforce operations, frontline work, AI, productivity, and the flow of work.
• Move UKG from episodic visibility to sustained authority in the conversations we want to lead, using executives, research, customer outcomes, product innovation, and proprietary insight to reinforce a consistent story over time.
• Lead an integrated global organization across PR, Social, AI Discovery, Thought Leadership & Newsroom, Analyst Relations, and international communications—bringing specialized disciplines together around one narrative and shared reputation outcomes.
• Build an audience-led, proactive operating model that starts with the conversations shaping the market rather than the moments UKG has to announce.
• Create the external foundation for the broader customer journey: Communications builds belief and reputation; Marketing creates buyer relevance; Product and Sales provide proof and value.
• Oversee the external dimension of reputation risk and crisis response, including media strategy, external stakeholder communications, social response, and reputation monitoring in close partnership with Corporate Communications.
• Advise Executives & Shape the Market

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive experience in external communications, public relations, corporate communications, reputation, or related disciplines, including significant senior leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success leading a complex, global external communications organization across multiple communications disciplines.
• Proven track record building or transforming a modern communications function, including organizational design, talent assessment, capability building, and leadership development.
• Deep expertise in reputation strategy, narrative development, media relations, executive counsel, issues management, and external storytelling.
• Strong business judgment and demonstrated ability to connect reputation and communications strategy to growth, market positioning, customer priorities, and business outcomes.
• Exceptional executive presence with the ability to advise CEOs and senior executives, influence enterprise decisions, and operate effectively in high-stakes environments.
• Established credibility and relationships with top-tier business, technology, and/or industry media and other influential external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams, develop leaders, and drive alignment across complex, highly matrixed organizations.
• Significant leadership experience in enterprise B2B SaaS, technology, or another complex technology-driven business.
• Experience overseeing product and technology PR, analyst relations, thought leadership, social, international communications, and emerging digital or AI-discovery capabilities.

Preferred

• Significant leadership experience in enterprise B2B SaaS, technology, or another complex technology-driven business.
• Experience overseeing product and technology PR, analyst relations, thought leadership, social, international communications, and emerging digital or AI-discovery capabilities.
• Experience establishing category leadership or repositioning a large enterprise technology company in the market.
• Strong understanding of how AI, search, social, and changing information-discovery behaviors are reshaping reputation and influence.