WatchGuard embraces a Flexible Work Philosophy. Most of our employees can choose to work from the office, at home, or any combination of the two. We’ve built a global workforce of outstanding team members and a flexible culture built on trust, collaboration, and belonging.

About the Position

WatchGuard is looking for a dynamic, creative, and strategic Marketing Communications Director to lead our global PR, analyst relations, and social media strategy. This is a high-impact role for a communications leader who knows how to build influence, punch above their weight, and create lasting brand moments that resonate.

You’ll lead a high-performing global team of PR, AR, and brand professionals, while managing a network of PR agencies across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. Your mission? To increase our positive share of voice in a noisy, competitive market—and bring our brand narrative, Real Security for the Real World, to life in ways that are engaging, credible, and highly visible.

WatchGuard is a big name in cybersecurity—but we don’t win by outspending the competition; we win by being bold, sharp, and relentlessly focused on what matters. We’re looking for a marketing communications leader who thrives in this kind of environment—resourceful, creative, and hungry to make an outsized impact.

This role is ideal for communications rockstar ready for a global stage—whether you're stepping up from a regional role or stepping out of a bigger org to gain more creative control in a fast-paced, channel-first company where comms really matters.

Your Mission

Drive a measurable increase in WatchGuard’s positive share of voice through employee engagement, media coverage, analyst recognition, social engagement, third-party validation, and community development.

A Day in the Life

It’s Monday morning and you’re reviewing the latest share of voice reports with your PR agency leads across North America, EMEA, and LATAM. Coverage is up—last week’s product release landed features in TechCrunch, CRN, and MSP Futures and a strong mention in SC Magazine. You join a debrief with the analyst relations manager to prep the CEO for an upcoming Gartner briefing, ensuring we’re crisp on positioning and aligned to the latest report criteria.

Before lunch, you sync with the social team on LinkedIn engagement—yesterday’s MSP spotlight campaign outperformed expectations. You flag it as a candidate for repurposing across our internal communications channel and newsletter.

Midday, you’re working on a company-wide email update from the CEO that reinforces our mid-year momentum and upcoming company goals. You also draft a response plan with legal and product in case a vulnerability notice breaks later in the week.

Later, you're on a call with our brand development team, brainstorming activation ideas around the Seattle Kraken partnership. Before wrapping, you jump into Teams to celebrate a team win: a new G2 badge and top placement in an analyst report—both the result of coordinated, behind-the-scenes efforts from your team.

What You’ll Own

Global Leadership: Lead a global team of PR, AR, and brand communications professionals. Manage regional agency partners to ensure message consistency, local relevance, and world-class execution.
Brand Narrative Stewardship: Mature and evolve our brand platform, Real Security for the Real World, introducing new ways for employees, partners, and customers to connect with it across earned, owned, and shared channels.
Media Relations: Shape and lead our global PR strategy. Build trusted relationships with media outlets, respond with agility to real-time opportunities, and secure earned coverage that strengthens our brand.
Analyst Relations & Third-Party Validation: Build credibility with leading analyst firms (Gartner, Forrester, IDC), testing labs, review sites, and award programs. Coordinate briefings and ensure WatchGuard shows up strong in key industry reports.
Social Media Strategy: Lead global social strategy with a focus on engagement, authenticity, and technical credibility. Drive growth across LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, and emerging platforms.
MSP-Centric Messaging: Reflect our deep commitment to MSPs in all communications. Shape a narrative that highlights the value WatchGuard brings to the channel and differentiates us in the eyes of the media, analysts, and the broader market.
Executive & Internal Communications: Partner with our CEO, CMO, CSO, and executive team to prepare for media opportunities, major presentations, and internal campaigns. Align employees around our mission and values through clear, consistent internal messaging.
Crisis & Incident Communications: Lead strategic communications during critical moments—from security incidents to reputational risks—ensuring clarity, control, and brand protection across all channels.
Brand Partnerships: Manage WatchGuard’s global brand partnerships (e.g., Seattle Kraken, Girona F.C.) and activate them through creative storytelling, community engagement, and integrated campaigns.
Team Leadership: Inspire, mentor, and scale your team. Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

Experience

8+ years in marketing communications, with at least 3 years leading global AR, PR, and social strategy
Experience managing a team and a network of regional agencies across geographies
A strong editorial eye and storytelling instincts, especially when translating technical topics into accessible narratives
Deep understanding of cybersecurity market dynamics, trends, and buyer personas—including MSPs, IT providers, CISOs, and SOC teams
Demonstrated success growing brand visibility and managing executive communications
Ability to operate with agility and confidence during crisis situations
Proven experience working with global analyst firms, testing bodies, and award programs
Strong collaboration skills and executive presence
Proficiency in tools such as Meltwater, Sprout Social, Salesforce, Marketo, Google Analytics, and other relevant platforms
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, or a related field (Master’s preferred)

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $165,000 - $200,000 USD, exclusive of benefits. This position is also eligible for a bonus of 15% of the base salary. Your base salary compensation will be based on your individual skills, education, and experience. Please keep in mind that the above range is the full base salary range for this role; hiring at the maximum of the range is not typical in order to allow for future salary growth.

U.S. Benefits

·Under our Flexible Work Philosophy, most employees can work from an office, at home, or any combination of the two.

·Comprehensive benefits plan including medical, dental, life, vision, disability, and life insurance

·Healthcare FSA

·FSA with employer contribution

·13 holidays, including a floating holiday, Juneteenth, and your birthday

·15 days of paid annual leave

·9 days of paid sick time

·Paid parental leave

·401(k) with employer match

Other Perks

·Education assistance program

·Dependent Care FSA match

·Adoption assistance

·Fertility care support

·Backup care for family and pets

·A growing network of employee resource groups

·Employee referral program

·Employee Assistance Program

Why Work for WatchGuard?

WatchGuard is a global leader in network security and intelligence, advanced endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, and secure Wi-Fi. Our award-winning products and services are trusted worldwide by more than 18,000 security resellers and service providers to protect over 250,000 customers. Our technology keeps our customers ahead of increasingly sophisticated hackers and has fueled record revenues at WatchGuard.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that values each team member's unique background, experiences, and contributions. As part of our dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), we prioritize creating an environment where all voices are heard and respected. We understand the importance of work-life balance and offer a range of caregiver support benefits, including parental leave, family care resources, and flexible work arrangements tailored to individual needs. Our flexible work options allow you to balance personal and professional priorities, empowering you to thrive in all areas of life while contributing meaningfully to our team's success. Learn more about our company culture at www.watchguard.com/wgrd-careers

WatchGuard provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified employees, regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, age, sex, sexual orientation (including gender expression or identity), marital status, mental or physical disability, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.

WatchGuard participates in E-verify.

WatchGuard is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. Please let us know if you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability.

Marketing Communications Director

WatchGuard Technologies

Compensation Overview

What You’ll Own

Experience

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

What critics are saying

What makes WatchGuard Technologies unique

Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth