Director of Internal Communications

Duolingo•New York City, NY

About The Position

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in! At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about educating our users, experimenting with big ideas, making fact-based decisions, and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities and daily collaborations with world-class minds — while doing work that’s both meaningful and fun. Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world. Read our blog to learn more. About the role... We’re looking for a Director, Internal Communications to build and lead an internal communications function that keeps Duos informed, aligned, and inspired. You will set the strategy and standards for how information flows at Duolingo, partner closely with senior leaders to communicate company priorities and change with clarity, and establish measurement so we can continuously improve reach and impact. This role sits within Global Communications and will work cross-functionally with People, Finance, Legal, IT, and executive offices. The scope and ownership areas reflect the current internal comms remit defined by the Comms org for 2026. 🧠

Requirements

10+ years in communications with significant experience leading internal/employee communications at a fast-paced, product-led or tech company.
Proven track record building or transforming internal comms strategies, systems, and standards at scale, with clear measurement of impact.
Exceptional writing and editing skills; able to translate complex strategies into clear, concise messages and toolkits for executives and managers.
Experience planning and running company-wide forums and change communications with cross-functional partners (People, Legal, Finance, IT).
Strong executive presence and coaching ability; comfortable preparing senior leaders for high-visibility moments.
Operational excellence: adept at standing up workflows, calendars, templates, and feedback loops that increase clarity and speed.
High judgment, discretion, and issue management skills in a public company environment.
Ability to work from or relocate to Pittsburgh, PA, or New York City.

Nice To Haves

Experience standing up a new internal communications function and hiring/leading a small, high-impact team.
Demonstrated success creating manager cascade programs with measurable understanding lift.
Background partnering directly with a CEO/Founder and Chief People Officer on company-wide communications.
Familiarity with Slack-at-scale and live forum production norms, with clear channel governance and templates.
Experience building metrics frameworks for internal comms tied to trust, engagement, and clarity.

Responsibilities

Define and own Duolingo’s internal communications strategy, principles, and annual priorities; evolve systems and standards as the company scales.
Lead planning and execution for cross-company forums and moments (e.g., Parliament, company-wide Q&As, ERG town halls), including message development, presenter preparation, FAQs, and follow-ups.
Partner with senior leaders on company change communications (strategy shifts, org changes, program or policy updates), building clear cascades and manager toolkits that drive understanding and consistency.
Establish internal communication standards and guidance on channels (Slack, memos, live forums), including templates, norms, and employee guardrails for public/social communication.
Create measurement for internal comms effectiveness; analyze reach, clarity, and engagement to identify improvements and inform leadership.
Build and lead a high-performing internal comms capability: set operating rhythms, define workflows with People/Chief of Staff teams, and manage vendors or contractors as needed.
Prepare executives and spokespersons for internal moments with talking points, decks review for message clarity, and coaching.
Partner with onboarding teams to ensure new hires understand how we communicate and where to find information.
Anticipate issues and coordinate with Comms, Legal, People, and IT to ensure timely, accurate, and trusted internal updates.