Director, Brand & GTM, AI Research

Salesforce•Palo Alto, CA

22h•$164,000 - $285,300•Hybrid

About The Position

Salesforce AI Research is at the forefront of building the AI systems powering the next generation of enterprise software. We're looking for a Director of Brand & GTM, AI Research to drive the narrative, and amplify how the world understands our research breakthroughs, our incubation-stage products, and our role at the intersection of AI and the future of work. This is a high-impact, high-visibility IC role sitting at the intersection of brand, product marketing, and external communications. You'll work closely with research leadership, product teams, and cross-functional partners to tell a compelling story — from the Dreamforce mainstage to media round tables to incubation product launches.

Requirements

7–12+ years of experience in brand, marketing, or communications roles, ideally with a mix of tech, innovation and research or deeply technical product experience.
A strong storyteller who can make cutting-edge AI research accessible to non-technical audiences without dumbing it down.
Comfortable working in ambiguity — you thrive in fast-moving, early-stage environments and know how to build structure where none exists.
A proven track record driving brand presence and narrative at major industry events and conferences.
Expert communication skills and a strong executive presence.
Experience with social media strategy and content creation for technical brands.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; you can write a tweet, a blog post, and an executive keynote narrative with equal fluency.
Collaborative and low-ego — you build trust with researchers, product managers, and executives alike.
Passion for AI and a genuine curiosity about how research translates into real-world impact.
Hands-on creator — comfortable building decks, one-pagers, and narrative documents yourself rather than delegating everything to designers or agencies.
Proficient with presentation tools and able to produce polished, executive-ready materials independently.
Fluent with AI tools for content generation, research, and workflow acceleration.
Experience with content and design collaboration tools for rapid, high-quality output.
Data-savvy: able to pull and interpret social/content performance metrics and use them to iterate on strategy.
Familiarity with video and multimedia production workflows — comfortable briefing or directing short-form content for internal and external channels.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in an AI/ML research environment or deep familiarity with the AI research community.
Experience launching early-stage / incubation products.
Existing relationships with AI/tech media.

Responsibilities

Drive the narrative strategy for AI Research at Salesforce — its positioning, messaging framework, and voice — in a way that's differentiated both within Salesforce and externally in the AI research community.
Craft distinct, initiative-level narratives for individual research programs (e.g., foundation models, agents, time series, reasoning) — ensuring each has a clear, compelling story for the right audience.
Develop and maintain a cohesive external narrative that connects AI Research breakthroughs to Salesforce's product roadmap and customer value.
Translate complex, technical research into accessible, compelling stories for a range of audiences: customers, developers, media, policymakers, and the general public.
Drive a robust thought leadership program — including blog posts, whitepapers, op-eds, and speaking content — that establishes Salesforce AI Research voices as authoritative and trusted in the field.
Collaborate with researchers and executives to develop compelling narratives around incubation projects, published work, and research milestones.
Oversee and evolve the weekly thought leadership content process, ensuring consistent, high-quality external publishing cadence.
Lead go-to-market messaging and brand strategy for AI Research incubation projects as they move from pilot to product — including crafting the positioning, naming, and launch storytelling.
Partner with product and engineering teams to build awareness and excitement around AI Research-powered features landing in core Salesforce products.
Develop materials that support pilots, enablement, and customer-facing narratives for early-stage initiatives.
Own AI Research's presence at flagship Salesforce events (Dreamforce, World Tours, etc.) and external AI/ML conferences — from stage content to booth experience to executive messaging.
Build and manage an evangelism strategy that showcases AI Research breakthroughs to the right audiences at the right moments.
Serve as a brand ambassador and strategic partner to AI Research executives presenting externally.
Oversee AI Research's social media strategy across LinkedIn, X, and emerging platforms — defining tone, cadence, and content mix.
Drive the direction of content that engages both technical and business audiences, including paper drops, demo highlights, and researcher spotlights.
Track performance and iterate rapidly based on engagement data.
Own internal communications for AI Research — Slack channels, Tech Talks, and our newsletter — ensuring employees across Salesforce understand and are inspired by what AI Research is building.
Create consistent internal narratives that connect research work to company priorities and culture.
Build internal community and awareness around AI Research initiatives, milestones, and launches.