Director of Strategic Communications Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Director of Strategic Communications roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations when tied to a bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, or a related field. Many large employers sponsor this title through PERM-based green card pathways, making it one of the more sponsorship-accessible senior roles in corporate affairs.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout Ouster
At Ouster, we believe that only what is real truly matters. We are building the sensory foundation for Physical AI and global automation, creating high-performance digital lidar sensors and software solutions that allow machines to see, understand, and interact with the physical world in real time.
From enabling autonomous vehicles and smart infrastructure to safeguarding industrial facilities and robotics, our unified platform of hardware and AI perception models turns complex spatial data into real-world safety and efficiency. We iterate tirelessly to build tools that solve real-world challenges, driven by a simple truth: the future will be shaped by creators, not by talkers.
If you thrive on solving hard engineering problems, shipping tangible hardware and software, and making safety accessible to all, this is where you will do your best work.
The role
We're hiring our first Director, People Strategic Operations & Communications. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you'll make the CPO, the People team and company leaders more effective by bringing strategy, communications and execution together.
You'll pick up the work that lives between teams, bring structure to ambiguity, and find a way to get it done. This is a chance to build a new function from the ground up alongside an experienced People leadership team.
Drive People strategy. Shape People priorities and OKRs, and tell the story to executives and the board. Own the People scorecard with our analytics team, turning headcount, hiring, attrition and engagement data into clear insight and action.
Be the CPO's partner and proxy. Keep priorities, decisions and follow-ups moving across the People team and cross-functionally.
Lead internal communications. Build our internal comms strategy, channels, intranet, and calendar for a global workforce. Partner with the CEO and executives on key messages, own town halls, and lead internal communications for a seamless employee experience.
Run strategic programs. Lead complex cross-functional strategic work such as M&A integration, and global expansion workstreams, with clear plans, owners and cadences.
Strengthen how Ouster operates. Partner with cross-functional leadership on operating principles, cadences and meetings, and plan People team and leadership offsites in San Francisco and around the world.
What you bring
- 10+ years across management consulting, strategy and operations, chief of staff or program leadership, ideally a mix of consulting and operating roles.
- Experience in fast-paced, high-growth companies.
- A builder who thrives in ambiguity and brings “find a way” energy.
- Interdisciplinary range: comfortable moving between strategy, data, communications and execution in the same day.
- Data-driven and metrics-oriented, with a strong grasp of people analytics.
- Executive presence: Trusted by the C-suite and equally effective with frontline employees and cross-functional partners.
- Obsessively organized and timely, with sharp attention to detail and the strategic view intact.
- A clear, concise writer and communicator who can make complex topics simple.
- Sound judgment and discretion with confidential information.
Nice to have
- Experience in or alongside a People or HR organization.
- M&A integration, European works council, or global offsite and event experience.
- Hardware, deep tech or public-company experience.
- Working proficiency in French.
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, hybrid, with periodic international travel.
Compensation
The base pay will be dependent on your skills, work experience, location, and qualifications. This role may also be eligible for equity & benefits. ($185,000 — $255,000 USD)
Ouster is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that pursues and hires a diverse workforce. Ouster does not make employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military status, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. Ouster also strives for a healthy and safe workplace, and prohibits harassment of any kind. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Ouster considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
About Ouster
At Ouster, we believe that only what is real truly matters. We are building the sensory foundation for Physical AI and global automation, creating high-performance digital lidar sensors and software solutions that allow machines to see, understand, and interact with the physical world in real time.
From enabling autonomous vehicles and smart infrastructure to safeguarding industrial facilities and robotics, our unified platform of hardware and AI perception models turns complex spatial data into real-world safety and efficiency. We iterate tirelessly to build tools that solve real-world challenges, driven by a simple truth: the future will be shaped by creators, not by talkers.
If you thrive on solving hard engineering problems, shipping tangible hardware and software, and making safety accessible to all, this is where you will do your best work.
The role
We're hiring our first Director, People Strategic Operations & Communications. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you'll make the CPO, the People team and company leaders more effective by bringing strategy, communications and execution together.
You'll pick up the work that lives between teams, bring structure to ambiguity, and find a way to get it done. This is a chance to build a new function from the ground up alongside an experienced People leadership team.
Drive People strategy. Shape People priorities and OKRs, and tell the story to executives and the board. Own the People scorecard with our analytics team, turning headcount, hiring, attrition and engagement data into clear insight and action.
Be the CPO's partner and proxy. Keep priorities, decisions and follow-ups moving across the People team and cross-functionally.
Lead internal communications. Build our internal comms strategy, channels, intranet, and calendar for a global workforce. Partner with the CEO and executives on key messages, own town halls, and lead internal communications for a seamless employee experience.
Run strategic programs. Lead complex cross-functional strategic work such as M&A integration, and global expansion workstreams, with clear plans, owners and cadences.
Strengthen how Ouster operates. Partner with cross-functional leadership on operating principles, cadences and meetings, and plan People team and leadership offsites in San Francisco and around the world.
What you bring
- 10+ years across management consulting, strategy and operations, chief of staff or program leadership, ideally a mix of consulting and operating roles.
- Experience in fast-paced, high-growth companies.
- A builder who thrives in ambiguity and brings “find a way” energy.
- Interdisciplinary range: comfortable moving between strategy, data, communications and execution in the same day.
- Data-driven and metrics-oriented, with a strong grasp of people analytics.
- Executive presence: Trusted by the C-suite and equally effective with frontline employees and cross-functional partners.
- Obsessively organized and timely, with sharp attention to detail and the strategic view intact.
- A clear, concise writer and communicator who can make complex topics simple.
- Sound judgment and discretion with confidential information.
Nice to have
- Experience in or alongside a People or HR organization.
- M&A integration, European works council, or global offsite and event experience.
- Hardware, deep tech or public-company experience.
- Working proficiency in French.
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, hybrid, with periodic international travel.
Compensation
The base pay will be dependent on your skills, work experience, location, and qualifications. This role may also be eligible for equity & benefits. ($185,000 — $255,000 USD)
Ouster is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that pursues and hires a diverse workforce. Ouster does not make employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military status, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. Ouster also strives for a healthy and safe workplace, and prohibits harassment of any kind. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Ouster considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
See all 79+ Director of Strategic Communications Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Director of Strategic Communications roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Director of Strategic Communications Jobs
Frame your degree field precisely
H-1B eligibility hinges on your degree field directly relating to the role. A communications or public relations degree aligns cleanly, but a general business degree can trigger an RFE. Document any graduate coursework that strengthens the field-to-role connection before you apply.
Target companies with active LCA filing history
Use Migrate Mate to identify employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for strategic communications or PR director titles. Prior LCA activity signals an established sponsorship process, which shortens your negotiation on whether sponsorship is possible.
Verify prevailing wage tier before accepting an offer
Run the job's SOC code through OFLC Wage Search to confirm which wage level the role maps to. Director-level communications roles often fall at Level III or IV, and an offer below that threshold will block LCA certification regardless of employer intent.
Build a portfolio that documents specialty occupation
USCIS scrutinizes whether a communications director role truly requires a specific degree. Collect performance reviews, org charts showing reporting lines, and project briefs that demonstrate you're doing specialized strategic work, not generalist content tasks anyone with a degree could perform.
Align your PERM timeline with your H-1B clock early
If you're on H-1B, PERM labor certification can take 18 months or more. Raise the green card conversation with your employer before year three of your H-1B status so the I-140 is filed while you still have time for extensions under AC21 portability rules.
Anticipate the dual-intent question for director roles
Some communications director roles involve media-facing work that consulates scrutinize for immigrant intent. If you're applying for an E-3 visa or TN, document that your role is project-scoped and that you maintain ties abroad, since neither visa permits dual intent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Director of Strategic Communications role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, as long as the employer requires a bachelor's degree in a specific related field, such as communications, public relations, journalism, or marketing, as a minimum for the position. The key is that the degree requirement must be specific to the field, not just any bachelor's degree. USCIS reviews the job duties to confirm the work is specialized enough to meet this standard.
Which visa types are realistic for a strategic communications director seeking U.S. sponsorship?
H-1B is the most common path for this role and allows dual intent, meaning you can pursue a green card concurrently. Australian citizens can apply for the E-3 visa, which has a separate annual cap and no lottery. Canadian and Mexican nationals may qualify under TN visa if the role maps to a USMCA-listed profession, though the communications director title requires careful evaluation against that list.
How do I find employers actively sponsoring this role right now?
Migrate Mate lists employers with verified sponsorship history for strategic communications and public affairs roles, searchable by city and seniority level. Focusing on companies with established HR and legal infrastructure, such as large corporations, universities, and nonprofits, tends to yield the most receptive hiring teams.
Will my employer need to go through PERM for a green card, and how long does that take?
Most employer-sponsored green cards for this role follow the EB-2 or EB-3 track, both of which require PERM labor certification from DOL. The PERM process involves a formal job posting period and audit risk, and typically takes 12 to 24 months before the I-140 petition can even be filed. Candidates from countries with high-demand backlogs, particularly India and China, face significantly longer waits for a visa number to become available.
Can a Director of Strategic Communications self-petition for a green card without employer sponsorship?
It's possible but uncommon for this title. An EB-1A extraordinary ability petition or an EB-2 National Interest Waiver could apply if you have a documented record of national media influence, policy impact, or recognized expertise. You'd need evidence like major press placements, speaking invitations, peer recognition, or government advisory roles, not just a strong career history at well-known organizations.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Director of Strategic Communications jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.