Customer Storytelling Lead

Robert Half•San Ramon, CA

4d•$114,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Robert Half is hiring a Customer Storytelling Lead for its Corporate Communications department. The role builds and leads the company’s global customer storytelling program from inception, establishing the strategy, governance, processes, criteria, resources and operating model needed to develop a durable network of customer champions across markets. It identifies and cultivates trusted client and candidate relationships whose experiences can strengthen Robert Half’s reputation, credibility, visibility and thought leadership. Working with field leadership, recruiters, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Legal and other partners, the Lead guides customer stories from discovery and qualification through approval, activation and ongoing relationship management. The role defines enterprise standards and policies, builds repeatable program systems, manages a portfolio of customer champions, and develops a roadmap for geographic expansion and program capabilities. It also uses AI-enabled workflows to improve research, interview preparation, content development and program operations. The Lead guides customers and internal stakeholders through outreach, interviews, approvals, reviews and preparation, while protecting customer trust. The role develops narratives and activation recommendations and partners with communications and marketing teams to support testimonials, thought leadership, media opportunities, social content, videos, speaking engagements and events. It defines program measures, monitors permissions and reputational considerations, and provides updates and recommendations to senior leadership. The position does not own marketing-led outputs such as case studies or reference-call programs. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience, at least 10 years of relevant experience, and demonstrated ability to establish a new program and turn strategy into repeatable processes. The typical annual salary range is $114,000–$175,000, negotiable based on experience and location, with eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
At least 10 years of experience leading customer storytelling, customer advocacy, customer marketing, communications, public relations, customer success or related programs.
Demonstrated experience building a new program from inception and converting strategy into repeatable processes and operating systems.
Skills in program strategy and development, governance and workflow design, customer discovery and qualification, narrative judgment, executive interviewing, portfolio and pipeline management, risk assessment, measurement and reporting, and prioritization.
Ability to execute in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, operate independently and determine an effective path forward with limited direction.
Exceptional written, verbal, presentation and storytelling skills; strong executive presence, judgment and customer empathy.
Proven ability to build durable relationships with executives and senior business leaders, influence without authority, and orchestrate cross-functional work.
Ability to build relationships and work effectively across countries, cultures, time zones and organizational structures, with sensitivity to cultural differences affecting customer trust, communication preferences and public participation.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 or comparable productivity and collaboration tools.
Experience with customer relationship management, project or program management, or content workflow tools for managing pipelines, approvals, communications and program performance.
Knowledge of Salesforce or a similar customer relationship management platform.
Experience with Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT or similar generative AI tools to create program assets and resources, improve workflows and scale program output.

Responsibilities

Build the customer storytelling program strategy, operating model, governance, customer criteria, prioritization framework, workflows, approval pathways, documentation and resources.
Lead the global customer storytelling function, including its multiyear strategy, operating standards, roadmap, capability development, vendor and technology strategies, and organizational effectiveness.
Establish global program standards while accommodating country-specific legal requirements, privacy considerations, cultural norms, customer expectations and business practices.
Define enterprise customer storytelling standards, customer participation policies, measurement frameworks, approval standards, and legal and reputational risk frameworks.
Create repeatable systems for intake, vetting, outreach, relationship management, activation, tracking, reporting, and the review or retirement of stories and permissions.
Establish roles, decision rights and collaboration models across Corporate Communications, Marketing, Legal, field leadership, recruiters and other partners.
Recommend the program’s future state, including geographic expansion, phased capabilities, technology, budget and potential team structure.
Use AI-enabled workflows to improve research, interview preparation, content development, program management and operational scale.
Develop a roadmap for geographic expansion based on business priorities, program readiness, resources and local requirements.
Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective client and candidate voices through data-informed discovery, field referrals, customer signals and cross-functional partnerships.
Develop and apply customer qualification and prioritization criteria, including satisfaction, story strength, public readiness, communication ability, brand alignment, credibility and reputational or public relations risk.
Partner with field leadership, including Operational Presidents and the President & CEO, Talent Solutions, and recruiters to assess fit, coordinate timing, secure internal alignment and keep stakeholders informed.
Manage the annual operating budget, vendor contracts, technology investment decisions, resource allocation and headcount planning.
Lead customer relationship strategy, customer champion recruitment and development, and activation initiatives through team resources.
Manage and reassess a portfolio of customer champions, including relationship health, permissions, relevance and activation readiness.
Build long-term, mutually valuable relationships with customer executives, business leaders, candidates and other champions.
Engage and influence senior internal and external leaders with discretion, sound judgment and executive presence.
Understand customer experiences, participation goals and professional priorities to match champions with relevant opportunities.
Guide customers and internal stakeholders through outreach, interviews, approvals, brand and legal review, preparation and ongoing engagement while protecting customer trust.
Identify strong narratives and translate interviews and customer information into briefs, story frameworks and activation recommendations.
Partner with Corporate Communications and Marketing to activate customer voices through testimonials, thought leadership, media opportunities, social content, videos, speaking engagements and events.
Prepare customers for media interviews, executive discussions, webinars, roundtables, conferences and other high-impact opportunities.
Define measures of program health and impact, including pipeline strength, participation, activation readiness, relationship durability, channel use and contribution to communications and reputation objectives.
Use program data, stakeholder feedback and customer insight to improve prioritization, workflows, customer experience and resource allocation.
Maintain visibility into permissions, approvals, account changes and reputational considerations so stories remain accurate, current and appropriate for use.
Provide updates and recommendations to senior leadership and evolve the program roadmap as business needs and capabilities change.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus eligibility.
Group health insurance benefits, including medical, vision and dental.
Flexible spending account (FSA) and health savings account (HSA) healthcare accounts.
Life and accident insurance.
Adoption and fertility assistance.
Paid parental leave of up to 6 weeks.
Short- and long-term disability coverage.
Paid time off for vacation, personal needs and sick time.
Choice Time Off (CTO), with new hires earning up to 17 days per calendar year, prorated based on hours worked per week and varying by years of service.
Up to 11 paid holidays per calendar year.
Opportunity to contribute to a company 401(k) savings and investment plan or deferred compensation plan, if eligible.
Employer 401(k) match of 100% on the first 3% of contributions for eligible employees.